Nicole Yarling - Joe Williams Presents Nicole Yarling: Live At Manchester Craftsmen's Guild

Size: 150,6 MB
Time: 64:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Best Things In Life Are Free (3:57)
02. The Way You Love Me (4:17)
03. Dig (5:28)
04. We'll All Be Free (5:16)
05. My One And Only Love (3:58)
06. That Old Black Magic (3:23)
07. I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings (4:20)
08. Freedom Jazz Dance (4:11)
09. Conception (4:14)
10. Love For Sale (5:02)
11. Blame It On My Youth (5:16)
12. Who She Do (Joe Williams) (5:06)
13. Imagination (Joe Williams) (4:43)
14. After You're Gone (Joe Williams) (5:32)

When Joe Williams puts his imprimatur on an unknown singer and uses his considerable influence to give her career a boost, it's worth paying close attention. The unknown singer (and violinist) in question is named Nicole Yarling and Williams not only sponsored her debut album, he lent his majestic voice to the project in what's billed as his final recording before his death last March 29.

As for Yarling, it's clear from the first notes of Joe Williams Presents... why the old master took her under his wing. Along with the requisite technical skills, a sweet, smooth voice and plenty of vocal range, she has that ineffable quality that makes good performers great ones: charisma. The sheer sense of joy she imparts in her singing - something Joe Williams always projected - is irresistible. And though she's making her debut as a jazz recording artist, she's no beginner. With years of training and singing in night clubs, as well as some high-profile pop gigs (she sang with Jimmy Buffett's band for several years), Yarling knows how to deliver a song with confidence and style.

While she seems most at home in a loose, soul-funk vein - check her no-holds-barred take on Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance" - Yarling can also get straight to the heart of classic ballads like "My One and Only Love." She even contributes two fine, poetic original compositions to the proceedings, and provides some nice fills and solos on the violin.

But the album's real magic happens when Williams joins Yarling for a staggering duet of "Blame It On My Youth." To Yarling's credit, she holds her own with Williams, whose humor, wisdom and impeccable timing draw out all the subtle meanings of the lyrics. If that's not enough, Williams sticks around for three more bonus cuts, closing, poignantly, with a slow, gorgeous reading of "After You've Gone." A perfect coda for a wonderful album and a great, great artist. ~Joel Roberts

Personnel:
Nicole Yarling - vocals, violin; Joe Williams - vocals; David Siegel - piano; Jeff Grubbs- bass; John Yarling- drums; Henry Johnson - guitar.

Joe Williams Presents Nicole Yarling

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John Basile - No Apologies

Size: 127,5 MB
Time: 54:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. S' Bout Time (5:11)
02. Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart) (4:27)
03. Everything I Love (3:23)
04. Where Are You (7:08)
05. Sideshow (5:13)
06. Perugia (5:26)
07. Unit Seven (3:20)
08. Cinema Paradiso (4:30)
09. For All Time (6:01)
10. Dream Dancing (4:51)
11. Summer Night (5:17)

When asked about his most important influences, the first two names he mentions are not other guitar players; Frank Sinatra heads the list and then Bill Evans. Perhaps this explains why John Basile is one of a select group of jazz instrumentalists who doesn’t sound like everyone else. He particularly likes to play in the duo and trio formats to exploit the intimacy those settings present for both player and listener.

Musically, his guitar style utilizes a finger-style technique that approaches the guitar like a piano. For John, the challenge of comping harmonic chord fragments and playing melodies simultaneously provides a backdrop for a more open style of playing and improvising.

His labels, Underhill Jazz and now StringTime Jazz, have produced five innovative and critically distinguished releases: "Amplitudes" - solo guitar improvisations; "No Apologies" - featuring Pat Bianchi on organ and Carmen Intorre on drums for a soulful organ trio with a modern approach to unique standards; "Time Will Reveal" - featuring Joe Locke on vibes and Bassist David Finck showcasing a modern jazz guitar approach to pop tunes; "Animations" – with John Ambercrombie in duo with Basile exploring the essence of string improvisations of standards and originals; and "It Was A Very Good Year" – an eclectic exploration of jazz, folk, and pop tunes featuring two trios.

Guitar icon Jim Hall says “John Basile’s playing has the essence of great jazz guitar: beautiful tone, marvelous swing, terrific technique, and excellent phrasing. You can’t ask for more!” Legendary guitarist, John Abercrombie hails “John’s new CD has one of the most appropriate titles! Great Playing, Great Tunes, Great Sound…"No Apologies" needed!”

John Basile is also a formidable, sought after educator and clinician, offering a variety of educational outreach programs to colleges and universities here and around the world. He also works in the field of radiology and manages a large Medical Group in the NY area and is an official with USA Boxing, officiating as a judge and referee in Golden Glove competitions throughout the NY area.
Personnel:
Nicole Yarling - vocals, violin; Joe Williams - vocals; David Siegel - piano; Jeff Grubbs- bass; John Yarling- drums; Henry Johnson - guitar.

No Apologies

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Champagne Charlie & The Bubbly Boys - Decodance

Size: 72,8 MB
Time: 30:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz, Retro Swing, Ragtime
Art: Front

01. Gangway (2:40)
02. Mississippi Mud (2:06)
03. You're Driving Me Crazy (3:05)
04. Everything Stops For Tea (2:38)
05. Running Wild (2:40)
06. My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes (2:56)
07. What'll I Do (4:18)
08. You're The Cream In My Coffee (2:07)
09. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (2:33)
10. Puttin' On The Ritz (2:46)
11. So Long For Now (2:49)

Decodance is a musical celebration of the wild dance music of the inter-war period. Some of the very best songwriters of the age are gathered here, including Irving berlin, Ray Henderson, Walter Donaldson and Harry Warren. These songs were made famous by Fred Astaire, Josephine Baker, Jessie Mathews to name a few.

Champagne Charlie and his Bubbly Boys present an album of wit, whimsy and gay abandon! Roll back the rug and show off your Black Bottom! The dance crazes and sentiments of this fascinating era are lovingly brought to life here.

Champagne Charlie formed his band in 2007 at the famous Burgh Island Hotel Summer Ball to celebrate his passion for this music. Taking inspiration from some of the great British Dance band leaders such as Harry Roy and Jack Hylton, Charlie and the boys are delighted to have recorded their debut album and hope you like it as much as we have enjoyed making it.

The ideal accompaniment for your very own 1920s party. Enjoy!

Decodance

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Rochelle Lightfoot - Rochelle Lightfoot Jazzy Classics

Size: 116,4 MB
Time: 49:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Big Band
Art: Front

01. Almost Like Being In Love (2:08)
02. This Can't Be Love (2:11)
03. Don't Get Around Much (2:33)
04. Our Love Is Here To Stay (3:28)
05. Orange Colored Sky (2:24)
06. The Very Thought Of You (4:32)
07. Straighten Up And Fly Right (2:38)
08. It's Too Darn Hot (3:46)
09. The Nearness Of You (2:58)
10. Night And Day (2:29)
11. I've Got Rhythm (3:05)
12. Someone To Watch Over Me (4:23)
13. L-O-V-E (2:29)
14. Route 66 (2:57)
15. I Wish You Love (4:08)
16. Smile (3:35)

Singing with a big band orchestra is incomparable. The "Jazzy Classics" album is the artists personal vocal renditions of 16 popular pure jazz songs written, composed and sung by great legends such as: George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Charles Chaplin, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, Nat King Cole, and Louis Armstrong just to name a few. Each individual song was hand picked for its lyrical significance which touches on the artist's life journey over the past 8 years. Expect to hear rich ballads, upbeat swings, tremendous horns, soothing strings, soulful stories, playful scats and sultry vocals. This album is for the big band jazz enthusiast! This album is dedicated to the artist's musical mentor, who is to the legendary Melton Mustafa Sr., a great musician, songwriter, composer, professor, and leader of the Melton Mustafa Orchestra, in Miami Florida.

Rochelle Lightfoot Jazzy Classics

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Rufus Reid - Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project

Size: 135,3 MB
Time: 58:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Post Bop
Art: Front

01. Prelude To Recognition ( 1:48)
02. Recognition ( 7:42)
03. Mother And Child (12:56)
04. Tapestry In The Sky (15:49)
05. Singing Head ( 8:29)
06. Glory (11:57)

On Rufus Reid’s ambitious new project, the 70-year-old jazz legend channeled inspiration from famed artist Elizabeth Catlett’s work and composed a six-part movement using a 20-piece orchestra to accompany his upright. Reid’s profound vision comes to life beginning with the ominously bowed opening of “Prelude to Recognition,” which flows into “Recognition,” a powerfully contrasting jazz tune with cleverly phrased walking lines over syncopated drumbeats. As the album concludes with the big band sound of “Glory,” Reid takes a victory lap while displaying the rich, ruminative lines that have solidified him as a jazz staple. ~Jon D'Auria

Quiet Pride:The Elizabeth Catlett Project  

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Géraldine Laurent - Time Out Trio

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:13
Size: 108,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Autumn Nocturne
(4:09)  2. Lester Left Town
(5:52)  3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
(2:38)  4. Rejoicing
(5:18)  5. Skylark
(7:13)  6. Fable Of Faubus
(4:23)  7. A Quiet
(6:23)  8. Repeat
(5:00)  9. Tijuana Gift Shop
(2:10) 10. Love Letters

Formidable, as her compatriots would say. Time Out Trio, the debut album from young French saxophonist Geraldine Laurent, introduces a bare knuckle force of nature, well-versed in the jazz tradition but not afraid to put her own abandoned spin on it. Rough-edged, risk-taking, high octane, totally in the moment, the music bursts out of the speakers like a hurricane. Laurent's alto playing is rooted in Charlie Parker, his wild, sometimes squawking, clattering attack played with a slightly softer read and with a narrower embouchure, but still well tough. Other voices echo round the edges: alto saxophonists Ornette Coleman, Cannonball Adderley and Joe Harriott. And occasionally, on the infrequent ballad, the divine Paul Desmond. But most of the time, Laurent, who's on-mic for practically the entire 47 minutes of the album, just wails. Recorded in a Paris studio in December 2006, Time Out Trio has an in-your-face, warts-and-all, lo-fi live sound, brilliantly suited to Laurent's gutsy style. There are nine standards and one original, and it's surely no coincidence that two of the tunes are by bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus, whose turbulent spirit resonates here. The longest track, a seven-plus minute head-charge through Mingus' ferocious "Fables Of Faubus," is outstanding. 

Laurent romps through the tune and an extended solo paying full homage to reed player Eric Dolphy's signature, incandescent reading on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (Candid, 1960), avoiding the tortured outer extremes of Dolphy's vocalizations, yet communicating plenty of her own rebel passion. Mingus, you sense, would have loved it. Other standouts though there isn't one dud on the set include dynamic readings of Wayne Shorter's "Lester Left Town" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark," and Laurent's own "A Quiet," which is a soft, wistful ballad before the gas gets turned up. Laurent is perfectly matched by her colleagues, bassist Yoni Zelnik and drummer Laurent Bataille. Both stand toe-to-toe alongside her throughout, and Mingus analogies continue to suggest themselves. Zelnik plays with the same muscle and abandon, Bataille with the confrontational zeal of the great man's favorite drummer, Danny Richmond. Most of the time, they work the engine room Zelnik with a mixture of ostinatos and free flourishes, Bataille in call-and -response and each thrills on his couple of brief solos. This is an extraordinary debut album, and Geraldine Laurent is a gale force blast of good news.~ Chris May http://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-out-trio-geraldine-laurent-dreyfus-records-review-by-chris-may.php#.VBH_qRZZjkc

Personnel: Geraldine Laurent: alto saxophone; Yoni Zelnik: bass; Laurent Bataille: drums.

Time Out Trio

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Katy Setterfield - Katy

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:46
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. At Last
(3:34)  2. Never Tear Us Apart
(4:35)  3. I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore
(4:13)  4. Spooky
(3:22)  5. Breakfast In Bed
(4:42)  6. Song For You
(3:12)  7. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)
(4:18)  8. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted
(5:29)  9. Stay With Me Baby
(4:20) 10. Lilac Wine
(3:51) 11. Afraid To Let Go

Where do you start to write a biography? A life is like an onion; look at one layer and there are others underneath. At the most superficial level, Katy Setterfield is easy to describe. When she won the BBC show ‘The One and Only’, went on to Las Vegas and ultimately to a leading role in ‘Respect La Diva’ in the West End, it was, as they say, a case of sudden overnight success after 20 plus years of hard work. The next layer down would see Katy learning her trade in clubs and shows and theatres around the country and, at times, around the world. She has always been able to turn her hand to providing music, not just her powerful singing voice she can play keyboards with equal skill, for a variety of purposes and settings. She worked in Cyprus, Japan and around the UK with her own music and, whenever possible, with her loyal musician friends and colleagues who were more than happy to turn out and be the band behind Katy’s Komet. Her ability to sing many different styles and with a musician’s ear for accents and inflections allowed her to develop into a key performer with notable travelling music shows. Most particularly her success within the ‘Legends’ show lead on to her eight years as the leading female vocalist with ‘That’ll be The Day’ where legions of people saw and heard her sing as Dusty, Petula, Whitney, Shirley, Tina, Annie and many, many others. Not surprisingly, what these shows did not give her was the chance to be, and showcase, herself. So, then, who is she? The confident Katy who runs her own show for two hours from the front of the stage is not the one who started her musical journey. 

At the core of her career onion is the little girl who knew one thing and one thing only (well, that is if you discount horses) which was that she was going to be a musician. She loved school, but she loved getting out of it more. Her learning was more directed to proficiency with music. Music of all kinds were ‘her thing’; from Motown to Mozart. She powered her way through all the pianoforte grades until the point where the only additional qualifications were for teachers. Teachers were not actually high on Katy’s list of role models. Many little girls have performed solo karaoke with a hair brush in front of a mirror with dreams of a singing career long before anyone had heard of Simon Cowell. Few, however, have had Katy’s iron resolve to carry aspiration through to reality. Katy was born and raised on the Bucks/Herts border and supported, then and now by her family and friends. Unlike other singers, she has no need to shout ‘Mum, the girl done good!’ Katy’s parents and family know that already. Katy started 2010 with her dog, her horse and a husband. She lost them all within the year and still misses two of them. Dusty provides more than a past. Her body of work allows Katy to develop, at last, a voice of her own. Fans from her past will expect to see her perform Dusty’s trademark arm gestures, or strut her stuff as Cher, or wear the Annie Lennox hat, but as her latest CD shows, she can step out of the shadow of ‘tribute’ performances and sing the songs she wants to sing. For Katy it is, as it always has been, the song not the singer! Bio ~ http://www.katysetterfield.com/biography/biography.html

Katy

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Julian Lage Group - Gladwell

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:38
Size: 116,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. 233 Butler
(9:06)  2. Iowa Taken
(1:08)  3. Listen Daddy
(4:53)  4. Telegram
(6:49)  5. Margaret
(2:12)  6. Point The Way
(6:27)  7. However
(2:10)  8. Freight Train
(2:09)  9. Cathedral
(4:28) 10. Listening Walk
(2:21) 11. Cocoon
(3:16) 12. Autumn Leaves

The term "concept album" is usually used in connection with rock, but jazz has had its concept albums as well (Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, for example, are among jazz's most celebrated concept albums). Gladwell is a concept album from jazz guitarist/composer Julian Lage; in the liner notes, Lage explains that he envisioned this 2010 recording as an aural depiction of "an imaginary and forgotten town known as Gladwell." Lage doesn't use any lyrics to depict his fictional town: Gladwell is strictly instrumental. And Lage, who is heard on both acoustic and electric guitar, is appealingly melodic on his own compositions (which dominate Gladwell), as well as a performance of the standard "Autumn Leaves." As a guitarist, Lage favors an airy sound along the lines of Pat Metheny and Jim Hall, and as a composer, his influences range from Metheny to Oregon to Weather Report. 

Lage is not a jazz purist; this is jazz mixed with elements of rock, folk, and European classical music. Gladwell is fusion (there is no shame attached to that word), but it isn't the aggressive and heavily amplified fusion one might associate with Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech, Niacin, or Al di Meola. Actually, the playing on this album is largely, though not exclusively, acoustic. Lage plays a lot of acoustic guitar on Gladwell, and his bassist, Jorge Roeder, is heard on upright bass exclusively (rounding out the quintet lineup are tenor saxophonist Dan Blake, cellist Aristides Rivas, and drummer/percussionist Tupac Mantilla). And while Lage clearly has chops, he doesn't beat listeners over the head with them, or his technique. Lage is very much a storyteller, and that storyteller perspective yields excellent results on Gladwell. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/gladwell-mw0002116512
 

Personnel: Julian Lage (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Aristides Rivas (cello); Dan Blake (melodica, tenor saxophone); Jorge Roeder (acoustic bass); Tupac Mantilla (drums, percussion).

Gladwell

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Denny Zeitlin - Live At Maybeck Recital Hall

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:04
Size: 144,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Blues On The Side
(4:08)  2. Girl Next Door
(8:50)  3. My Man's Gone Now
(2:53)  4. Lazy Bird
(8:33)  5. 'Round Midnight
(6:09)  6. Love For Sale
(4:57)  7. And Then I Wondered If You Knew
(4:58)  8. Country Fair
(4:54)  9. Sophisticated Lady
(4:38) 10. The End Of A Love Affair
(3:08) 11. Just Passing By
(6:12) 12. What Is This Thing Called Love

Although Denny Zeitlin, MD is probably a fine psychiatrist, it is the jazz world's loss that he is not a full-time musician. This live solo performance is one of his greatest triumphs, starting with his infectious opener, "Blues on the Side," which is far too complex to be compared to typical blues. He tackles John Coltrane's "Lazy Bird" at a furious tempo worthy of its composer. Zeitlin's refreshingly deliberate approach to "'Round Midnight" best captures its dark undertones. The pianist's lyrical side is also evident. "Sophisticated Lady" captures the essence of Duke Ellington's landmark work, while "Just Passing By" is a subtle original that conjures images of a brisk stroll at the beginning of autumn. Zeitlin then shifts into high gear for an intense medley of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "Fifth House" to close with a flourish. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-maybeck-recital-hall-vol-27-mw0000104664

Live At Maybeck Recital Hall

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Christine Campbell - Christine Campbell

Size: 106,2 MB
Time: 45:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Blues, Rock, Pop
Art: Front

01. Too Late (4:24)
02. Gleam (4:18)
03. All Mine (4:54)
04. Run (3:30)
05. How Long (3:54)
06. Severed Strings (5:17)
07. Do Me No Wrong (4:14)
08. Goodbye Lullaby (5:15)
09. Rag Doll (4:18)
10. Float Away (5:20)

A killer guitarist, a classically-trained pianist, a raw, honest songwriter, and an incomparable singer. Christine Campbell ranges from a raspy powerhouse to a soft...powerhouse, and brings entire audiences to a hush...and to their feet.

Christine crossed the Northumberland Strait in 2006, and formed the heavy-rock band Molotov Cocktail, which quickly morphed into Stone Mary (winners of Best Loud album during the 2011 Nova Scotia Music Week). Now, after years of thrilling the crowds with her Les Paul, she is showing her diversity….another aspect of her musical soul.

Throughout the years, Christine has been writing songs that haven't found a place in her hard rock outfits. These songs now have a home, on Christine's Debut Self-Titled Solo CD, which showcases her bluesy, country roots, and creates a more intimate, stripped down experience for her audience. She still rips strong, intricate leads....but now does so on an acoustic guitar. On “Christine Campbell”...the album...she also adds a new dimension to the mix with her beautiful, classically-trained piano playing.

With a voice often compared to Anne Wilson, Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin, Christine has been garnering great reviews and press. She has recently received standing O’s as the opener for Chantal Kreviachuk and Lou Gramm, and at her sets at the Stan Roger’s Folk Festival and the Dutch Mason Blues Festival. She sold out CD releases in 3 Atlantic Provinces. Christine has also opened for Bif Naked, and has performed onstage with Tom Wilson, Matt Anderson, Charlie A’Court, Carson Downey and Garrett Mason.

Christine Campbell

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Alexander Stewart - The Live Session

Size: 90,6 MB
Time: 38:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Black And Gold (3:59)
02. Too Marvelous For Words (2:42)
03. At Last (4:29)
04. My All (3:11)
05. One For My Baby (3:53)
06. Please, Please, Please (3:57)
07. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover (4:11)
08. Call Me (3:08)
09. A House Is Not A Home (3:28)
10. No Moon At All (5:55))

At 26 years of age, Manchester-born singer Alexander Stewart has already created a buzz as one of the most precociously talented vocalists of the new generation. With a warm, urgent voice that shows off his early love of Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett, he avoids being a nostalgia act with his judiciously off-beat choice of material and a decidedly contemporary energy level. As well as clever re-arrangements of some of the famous standards, he stamps his mark on great pop songs as well as adding some superb originals.

Alexander Stewart has played sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s, the Pizza Express Soho and in fact almost all of London’s jazz rooms. He has supported legends such as Dionne Warwick on her tour, sang along side the likes of Emilie Sande, JLS and Lemar over the last few years of his flourishing career.

His vocal talents have enabled him to perform across the globe, both in public shows, as well as at some of the most prestigious events in the social calender including Miss World, Vogue Magazine & in his home town for Manchester United.

Press reaction to Alexander Stewart’s debut release in September 2011, All Or Nothing At All, (ASM001) was laudatory

:‘A singer to listen out for… astonishingly mature for his 23 years… a pretty auspicious beginning’ - The Observer

‘A cause for celebration… All Or Nothing At All doesn’t disappoint’ - Metro‘Impressive debut album’- The Times

‘He's accompanied on this debut session by a razor-sharp group… he's on his way’ - The Guardian

‘A remarkably assured calling card… the singer couldn’t have wished for finer accompaniment’ - Jazzwise

The Live Session

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Harry Allen's All-Star Brazilian Band - Flying Over Rio

Size: 179,1 MB
Time: 76:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz
Art: Front & Back

01. Double Rainbow (4:32)
02. A Ship Without A Sail (4:01)
03. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (7:09)
04. Bonita (4:50)
05. Girl From Ipanema (5:44)
06. Bate Papo (4:44)
07. Copacabana (5:57)
08. Tristeza De Nos Dois (4:31)
09. Eu E A Briza (4:17)
10. Mojave (4:52)
11. Flying Over Rio (4:52)
12. Serra De Estrella (4:08)
13. Lamento No Morro (4:45)
14. Piano No Mangueirra (5:08)
15. Love Dance (6:48)

Personel:
Harry Allen - saxophone
Duduka Da Fonseca - drums
Guilherme Monteiro - guitar
Maucha Adnet - vocals
Klaus Mueller - piano

Saxophonist Harry Allen has teamed with a Latin Group for this CD. A look at the playlist will reveal many by Jobim plus a few which don’t normally get Bossa-Latin treatment. For example, there is “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” and “A Ship Without a Sail.” Plus there are some originals by pianist Klaus Mueller, bassist Nilson Matta, and Harry. Drummer Duduka Da Fonseca supplied the title tune, “Flying Over Rio.”

Pensacola Jazzfans will remember Harry Allen from his performances here. He played for our first Pensacola Jazz Party in 1989 at age 20! About four years ago he came for Pensacola JazzFest and his most recent visit was two years ago at our JazzFest along with pianist Rossano Sportiello.

The liner notes are by journalist/author Will Friedwald. He writes for the Wall Street Journal and his liner notes have garnered him ten Grammy nominations.

I reached Harry by telephone and he kindly answered questions for me about how this recording came to be. He had been playing with a Latin group so it was a natural progression that they would like to record. Guilherme Montiero, who became a professional guitarist in Brazil at age 15, was new to the group since the regular guitarist was unable to make the recording session. The name Klaus Mueller, the pianist, doesn’t suggest Brazilian or Latin. However, Klaus’ German family has lived in various places including Chile and Japan. Klaus studied piano wherever they resided.

The vocalist is Maucha Adnet. She performed with Antonio Carlos Jobim for the last ten years of his life. She sings in Portuguese as well as English and is married to the drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. I asked Harry how each of the four came to contribute tunes on this album. He replied that the group had been playing them regularly, so it was reasonable that these tunes should be included.

I asked about notable events in the studio. Harry reported that the tune “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” – the longest tune on the CD at 7:11—required the most arranging. He said he was especially pleased that “Girl from Ipanema” turned out so well. Since that is a much-recorded song, they didn’t want it to sound like everyone else’s. So, Montiero did a guitar solo introduction and thereby a unique presentation.

Another unique aspect of the recording session was that this was the last, or next-to-last, recording in the famous NOLA studio. This studio is on top floor of the Steinway Building and is located in the former residence quarters of the Steinway family. Harry was most complimentary of the staff and their equipment. Sadly, the studio is now closed as there are plans to renovate the building and add more floors.

Flying Over Rio

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Maggie Herron - Good Thing

Size: 127,5 MB
Time: 54:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Things Could Be Better (3:41)
02. The Very Thought Of You (4:22)
03. Je T'aimerais (3:52)
04. Straighten' Up And Fly Right (3:42)
05. Cake (3:41)
06. Woodstock (6:27)
07. You Call It Madness I Call It Love (4:21)
08. Good Thing (2:57)
09. Baby Baby All The Time (3:57)
10. The More I See You (3:41)
11. Moon River (4:57)
12. Le Printemps Est Arrive' (4:28)
13. Body And Soul (4:41)

Wow! Has Maggie Herron ever got a voice on her! Good Thing starts out with one of her own compositions, Things Could be Better, a very cool swingin' song that could easily fit into a balmy summer's hit movie or the Billboard charts…and I mean verrrry easily fit. Her ability to climb from husky reminiscence to vibrant exultancy is rather remarkable. Great lyrics too, capturing that Everyman/woman ethos informing a good deal of the best of Tin Pan Alley in its prime. Then her selection of producer Brian Bromberg, who of course also sits in on bass, was choice because there's a smoothness and sheen satinizing the entirety of the release.

I'm not kidding; Herron possesses a highly trained and superbly honed vocal instrument, never for a second within a continent's distance of a wrong choice, hesitation, or inconfidence. Peggy Lee would sit rapt at one of her Hawaii recitals (Maggie's a permanently transplanted islander). Herron also plays a very respectable piano but never lets it get in the way of her singing. When it comes to the matrixing the lyrics, however, she's her own accompanist along with the rest of a highly adept crew plying the staves and measures, Dave Tull—no relation to Jethro, so far as I know—a versatile drummer beneath it all. She does, however, take solos here and there, and when they arise, each and every one is clean, light, and scintillating.

Maggie's take on Joni Mitchell's Woodstock will have Steve Stills and Graham Nash, not to mention Gracie Slick, taking notice. Joni won't be at all surprised, though, as this is exactly what she'd do with it were she to tackle it again in Don Juan's Reckless Daughter fashion, with Mancini's Moon River a companion, here taken down a notch or two even from Andy Williams' famed mellifluous take. My favorite cut, though, is one Maggie wrote with Dawn Herron (sister?), Le Printemps est Arrive'. The melodics are just sooooo right. Bacharach will be loving it, and the late A.C. Jobim will be right behind him from somewhere in the clouds. Piaf herself would have wanted to sing the cut, it's that good. ~by Mark S. Tucker

Good Thing

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Anne Bisson - Blue Mind

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:49
Size: 110,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Little Black Lake
(3:34)  2. Soothing Your Soul
(4:33)  3. Hoping Love Will Last
(3:28)  4. Dragonfly
(3:12)  5. Do What You Please
(5:02)  6. September In Montreal
(5:06)  7. Camilio
(4:24)  8. Blue Mind
(5:08)  9. Why Is It So
(4:45) 10. Secret Survivor
(4:20) 11. New Start

When singer-pianist Anne Bisson decided to record her first album, she had planned on giving classical music a jazz approach. However, one day as she was sitting by her piano, the muse descended and inspired her to write "Little Black Lake." She discovered an inner trove of songs that emerged from her heart to fill this CD, with one exception Steve Hackett's "Hoping Love Will Last." Bisson, who lives in Montreal, began classical piano lessons when she was six. Five years later she was composing songs on the guitar. It was only when she sat in with the rhythm section of the University of Montreal Big Band that she was touched by jazz. Over the next two years she continued practicing classical music by day while listening to Louis Armstrongand George Gershwin by night and also playing in Montreal jazz bars. 

The songs on the album show that Bisson has an innate sense of composition. The songs are warm and intimate and speak directly to the heart. She makes them all the more evocative with a voice that can be fragile and haunting, gently alluring and inviting, as it wraps itself around the underlying emotion of the lyrics. Bisson's jazz side comes up strong on "Do What You Please." Her vocal is made distinct by her phrasing and timing, but she goes beyond that with her inflections and sense of space that capture the implicit feel of the words. Even when she is in pop mode, she is a stunning communicator. Any of the selections testify to that but "Blue Mind" condenses the core of emotion into stellar story telling. Listening to "Hoping Love Will Last" makes apparent why she chose to sing it. The supple grace of her voice is seen to advantage, as she soars in hope, ponders on the edge of uncertainty and reminisces introspectively to invest the song with her indelible presence. Bisson has a lot going for herself her writing is resolute in its view of human passions and her singing gives voice to those passions with tasteful delicacy. And finally, she has two fine accompanists in Paul Brochu and Normand Guilbeault, who understand, and help enhance the nature of her songs. 

~ Jerry D’Souza  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-mind-anne-bisson-fidelio-music-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php#.VAp5h2MfLP8
 

Personnel: Anne Bisson: piano, vocals; Paul Brochu: drums; Normand Guilbeault: acoustic bass.

Blue Mind

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John Stowell & Dave Liebman - Blue Rose

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:58
Size: 133,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:34)  1. Blue Rose
(9:31)  2. Black Eyes
(2:20)  3. How Deep Is The Ocean
(6:03)  4. Fe Fi Fo Fum
(3:46)  5. Isfahan
(4:23)  6. Everything I Love
(3:44)  7. Time Remembered
(8:11)  8. Until Paisagem
(6:10)  9. Molten Glass
(4:05) 10. My Ideal
(5:06) 11. Everybody's Song But My Own

Saxophonist Dave Liebman joined guitarist John Stowell and bassist Don Thompson on three tunes on Stowell's The Banff Sessions (Origin Records, 2002). More than a decade later, Stowell and Liebman have teamed up on a duo outing, Blue Rose. The two artists' take on a bunch of jazz standards and Great American Songbook tunes has a beautiful fluidity in this pared down setting. Stowell's lines are crisp and clean, while Liebman's keening soprano sax slices sweetly through the guitarist chords, while his tenor has a fiery and undomesticated sound. The duo opens with the title tune, from the Duke Ellington songbook. "Blue Rose," the song, was written by Ellington specifically for vocalist Rosemary Clooney, for an album of the same name, released on Columbia Records in 1956. Stowell and Liebman give the tune a plucky turn. Liebman's blowing the soprano sax here, proving why is is one of the top practitioners of the "straight horn." 

His tone has a sweetness, a purity of tone as his notes twine themselves around Stowell's warm string play. Liebman switches to tenor for saxophonist Wayne Shorter's "Fe Fi Fo Fum." Liebman, on tenor, is one of the more recognizable voices on that particular horn. His tone can be clean, but it will switch, unexpectedly, to segments of gruff, growly blowing that threatens to break out into a free zone. The duo goes back to Ellington territory, with Billy Strayhorn's "Isfaran." Liebman's tenor blossoms out of an extended Stowell solo, giving the tune a forlorn mood. Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" brings back a bright mood, with Liebman's tenor sounding particularly frisky. Liebman, surpisingly, switches to piano for pianist Bill Evans' "Time Remembered," for a poignant and ruminative take on the tune, much in line with Evans recorded versions. Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Until Paisagem" has a restraint, a beautiful delicacy. Liebman's back on soprano, with an added richness to his sound on this Brazilian groove. Two veterans, Stowell and Liebman, take on this set of standard tunes in their own distinctive way. A gorgeous, uncluttered set, exploring the purity and beauty of the familiar.~ Dan Mcclenaghan http://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-rose-john-stowell-dave-liebman-origin-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php#.VA-wuxY4zjI
 

Personnel: John Stowell: guitars; Dave Liebman: soprano and tenor saxophones,wood Flute; piano (5).

Blue Rose

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Diana Jones - High Atmosphere

Styles: Folk
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:18
Size: 88,1 MB
Scans:

(2:44)  1. High Atmosphere
(3:15)  2. I Don't Know
(3:17)  3. Sister
(3:17)  4. I Told the Man
(2:43)  5. Little Lamb
(2:46)  6. Poverty
(3:34)  7. My Love Is Gone
(3:52)  8. Don't Forget Me
(3:22)  9. Funeral Singer
(3:25) 10. Poor Heart
(3:04) 11. Drug for This
(2:53) 12. Motherless Children

An adopted child raised in New York, Diana Jones always loved country music, later discovering her grandfather was a Tennessee guitar picker. She's since reclaimed her heritage on two albums steeped in old-time atmosphere but boasting fine new songs about characters enduring in hard times. This third volume is her best, featuring a couple of heart-wrenching instant classics in "I Don't Know" and "Drug For This". Her approach can be austere, on occasion even morbid, but there's intimacy in her drawl and resilience in hoedowns such as "Poverty" and cameos such as "Don't Forget Me", about a reformed jailbird. Classy accompaniments, with fiddle and banjo prominent, complete an impressive, rounded album.~ Neil Spencer http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/apr/24/diana-jones-high-atmosphere-review

High Atmosphere

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John Basile - Undercover

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:57
Size: 119,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:28)  1. After the Love Is Gone
(4:06)  2. If I Only Had a Brain
(3:58)  3. God Only Knows
(5:24)  4. Seconds Out
(4:35)  5. You Are Everything
(4:40)  6. You'll Never Get to Heaven
(4:35)  7. Caught Up in the Rapture
(3:38)  8. Pure Imagination
(3:45)  9. Break Up to Make Up
(4:36) 10. Walk On By
(4:22) 11. Didn't I Blow Your Mind (This Time)
(3:45) 12. A House Is Not a Home

Artist Notes: Recording cover tunes employs it’s own set of challenges in order to achieve any real lasting interpretation of the original. In the jazz context perhaps even more of a dilemma as many pop songs don’t contain sufficient harmonic material - the palette most jazz musicians rely on to allow for any meaningful improvisation. On “Undercover” we tried to glean material from the 70’s and early 80’s that offered up combinations of great melody and chord changes as well having the advantage of familiarity to the listener.We hope this collection captures a spirit of reflection but also looks ahead as a modern and contemporary statement both musically and technically.

Technical Notes: The advantages of recording guitars and MIDI tracks in Apple’s DAW Logic X provided both opportunity and challenges for this project.Multiple live guitars along with MIDI tr acks all programmed from the guitar represented the rhythm section. These tracks were married with drum/percussion loops and subsequent layers of live guitar improvisations. We hope the results reflect both the musical surprise and integrity evident in both an improvisational context combined with the magic of true 21st century digital recording software.~ John Basile http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnbasile2

Undercover

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Christy Baron - Steppin'

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:37
Size: 120,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Will It Go 'round In Circles
(5:40)  2. Mercy Street
(7:05)  3. Tomorrow Never Know
(3:36)  4. Thieves In The Temple
(4:14)  5. This Must Be Love
(6:28)  6. Delays On The Downtown
(3:37)  7. She's Not There
(4:06)  8. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(1:23)  9. Is Love Enough
(3:13) 10. Ain't No Half Steppin'
(3:16) 11. Spooky
(6:03) 12. Nite And Day

Christy redefines “classics,” it’s entirely appropriate that she was signed by Chesky Records, an audiophile label that redefines the modern recording process by returning to the earliest recording techniques. Chesky works with artists who are not only great musicians, but who also must be able to stand up to a unique recording process. Take This Journey was recorded live to two-track over a three-day period at St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan. “On a Chesky recording, one doesn’t have the standard modern-day options,” Christy says. “If you make a mistake, you don’t go back to fix it. There’s no punching in vocals, no overdubs, no compression or EQ.” In approaching Take This Journey, Christy teamed with renowned bassist David Finck, who’s worked with Natalie Cole, Paquito D’Rivera, Rosemary Clooney, Ivan Lins, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Andre Previn, and Peter Cincotti. Finck not only played the bass, but also wrote songs, handled the arrangements, and produced the CD. “In selecting material, the most important element of a song, for me, is my ability to connect with it emotionally,” Christy says. 

“The songs I choose need to be able to sustain a jazz treatment, but first and foremost, I have to respect the composer’s and the lyricist’s intention within my interpretation.” Take This Journey includes material by some of Christy’s favorite artists: Wonder, Carole King, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and Steven Sondheim, as well as David Finck. Christy grew up in a musical family  her mother is a pianist and music teacher who recognized Christy’s abilities early on. She sang with her brothers and sisters  six in all  merging their voices. (She now finds herself more influenced by instrumentalists than vocalists, a result of finding her own voice after her early years of trying to merely blend in.) Her parents listened to the pop music of their time, the music of Cole Porter and George Gershwin music that became standards, and instilled in Christy a reverence for the music of the times, be it music of the 40’s, the 60’s, or the 80’s. By the time she was 16, Christy was performing almost nightly in a club  she was underage, but with the help of her mother, she managed the necessary maneuvers. Her mother had recognized the significance of singing for Christy as a child, she’d suffered petit mal seizures, seizures that fully abated when she sang. 

It was inevitable that Christy would pursue a life in the arts, and when she enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, she studied not only music, but also dance and drama. She’s worked as an actress in film, television, and on the stage, (she landed a role in Les Miserables on Broadway, but left when her desire to sing her music overtook her.) And if the words “Wonderful use of iambic pentameter…wameter” sound familiar, it’s because Christy delivered them in her portrayal of a frazzled, baby-talking mommy in a now legendary commercial for Visa. When asked about her two seemingly diverse careers, Christy responds, “I approach both types of performances in a very similar way.” In fact, she likens acting with an ensemble to singing with a band. “The way actors play off each other influences each and every performance so performances differ every night. You have to really listen to each other and react accordingly... listening makes you a better actor. It’s the same thing when working with a band You surround yourself with great musicians... really listen... and it makes you a better singer... and because of these ever-varying conversations between artists, each song sounds unique each time we perform it.” But then again with Christy, each song is bound to sound unique on any given night. She’s fueled by a passion that can’t be contained, and that passion is guaranteed by Christy’s insistence on performing material to which she’s emotionally linked. Like the songs she’s performing, Christy herself is a classic. Bio ~ http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/christybaron    

Personnel: Curtis King (vocals); David Johansen (spoken vocals); Didier Raxchou (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, nylon-string guitar, congas, percussion, drum programming, percussion programming, sampler); Pauline Kim (violin); Dave Eggar (cello); Andy Middleton (flute, soprano saxophone); William Galison (harmonica); Chris Rogers (trumpet); Dan Zank (piano); Christos Rafalides (vibraphone); John Herbert (acoustic bass); Zach Danziger (cymbals); Jeff Haynes, Gilad (percussion); Doriane Elliot (background vocals).

Steppin'

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Charles McPherson - Siku Ya Bibi (Day Of The Lady)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:46
Size: 107,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Don't Explain
(4:53)  2. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
(4:24)  3. God Bless The Child
(4:39)  4. Miss Brown To You
(4:13)  5. Good Morning Heartache
(4:58)  6. For Heaven's Sake
(4:39)  7. I'm A Fool To Want You
(6:56)  8. Lover Come Back To Me
(7:39)  9. My Funny Valentine

For the second of his three Mainstream sessions (one that has been reissued on CD), the bebop altoist Charles McPherson pays tribute to Billie Holiday; in fact, "Siku Ya Bibi" means "Day of the Lady" in Swahili. The emphasis is mostly on ballads, with "Miss Brown to You" and "Lover Come Back to Me" being exceptions. Four of the eight selections find McPherson backed by ten strings arranged by Ernie Wilkins, while the remainder of the date has the altoist joined by a rhythm section that includes pianist Barry Harris. Although not quite up to the level of his upcoming, more freewheeling Xanadu sessions, this is a fine outing. Highlights include the two aforementioned cooking pieces, "Lover Man," "Good Morning Heartache," and "I'm a Fool to Want You." ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/siku-ya-bibi-mw0000275027

Siku Ya Bibi (Day Of The Lady)

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Jonny Cooper Orchestra - Legends Of Swing

Styles: Swing, Big Band
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:35
Size: 105,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:24)  1. Opus One
(4:12)  2. Sing, Sing, Sing
(3:14)  3. Harlem Nocturne
(3:03)  4. A String Of Pearls
(3:16)  5. In The Mood
(3:18)  6. The Kid From Redbank
(3:41)  7. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(3:57)  8. That Old Black Magic
(2:56)  9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(4:26) 10. My Funny Valentine
(4:45) 11. Li'l Darlin'
(3:29) 12. You Made Me Love You
(2:47) 13. Mack The Knife

The Jonny Cooper Orchestra is an American–style dance band from South Africa, of all places, and a fairly decent one at that. On Legends of Swing, which we presume is the orchestra’s recorded debut, trumpeter Cooper and his comrades pay tribute to bandleaders Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Harry James, Jazz pathfinder Louis Armstrong, vocalist Ella Fitzgerald and composer Earle Hagen. Even though the charts are unremarkable and the orchestra unassuming, the music is beyond reproach and always a pleasure to hear no matter how unsteady the framework on which it rests. The album begins with a salute to Dorsey, Sy Oliver’s “Opus One,” which includes the first of several bright solos by guest trumpeter Jan Johansson. Basie is next up with Neal Hefti’s “The Kid from Red Bank,” on which pianist Gavin Fullard sits in for the Count, then Ellington (“I’m Beginning to See the Light,” solos by Johansson and tenor Ron Franchitti). 

The JCO employs two vocalists, Kate Normington and Donald Tshomela. Normington is heard on two songs associated with Ella, “That Old Black Magic” and “My Funny Valentine,” while Tshomela presides over the band’s homage to Armstrong, “Mack the Knife.” Drummer McGill Anderson and clarinetist Stuart Goodwin are featured on Louis Prima’s “Sing Sing Sing” (dedicated to Goodman), Johansson on “You Made Me Love You” (ditto to James), Goodwin (alto) on Hagen’s “Harlem Nocturne,” trombonist Clive Sharrock on Dorsey’s familiar theme, “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.” The JCO saves Miller for last, bowing respectfully to the undisputed monarch of the big–band era with “A String of Pearls” (solos by Franchitti, trumpeter Julian Ford, alto Simon Bates) and Joe Garland’s evergreen, “In the Mood” (Blake, trumpet; Goodwin, alto; Franchitti, tenor). Smooth, pleasant dance music with a touch of Jazz, on the order of that produced by the giants to whom the album is dedicated. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/legends-of-swing-jonny-cooper-jc-review-by-jack-bowers.php#.VBBl2xZZjKc

Personnel: Jonny Cooper, leader, trumpet; Mike Blake, Julian Ford, David Abrahams, Lee Thomson, trumpet; Clive Sharrock, Mike Nixon, Sym Yarrow, Lawrence Jacobs, trombone; Stuart Goodwin, alto, tenor sax, clarinet; Simon Bates, alto sax; Ron Franchitti, tenor sax, clarinet; John McBeath, tenor sax; Llewelyn Arnold, baritone sax, clarinet; Gavin Fullard, piano; Martin Nosworthy, guitar; Don Williams, bass; McGill Anderson, drums; Donald Tshomela, Kate Normington, vocals. Guest artist

Legends Of Swing

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