Sunday, September 21, 2014

Anthony Wilson - Adult Themes

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 68:21
Size: 156.5 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 4:18] 1. Barry's Tune
[ 3:54] 2. Maxine
[ 4:36] 3. Chorale
[11:15] 4. Idle Blues
[ 7:25] 5. Invention In Blue
[ 3:32] 6. Because
[ 7:02] 7. Danny Boy
[ 1:44] 8. Unfinished Situation
[10:06] 9. Impermanence
[ 2:32] 10. The Impasse
[ 7:42] 11. Lullaby
[ 4:11] 12. Integration

Anthony Wilson showed a fair amount of promise on his self-titled debut album of 1997, and he lives up to that promise on 1998's Goat Hill Junket, and on his third album Adult Themes. This CD is noteworthy not only because of Wilson's Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar playing, but also because of his arranging and composing. On Adult Themes, Wilson leads what Phil Woods might call a "little big band." No less than five horn players are employed (including trumpeter/flügelhornist Carl Saunders, trombonist Ira Nepus, alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz), and the hard-swinging rhythm section includes, among others, pianist Donald Vega, bassist Danton Boller, and drummer Mark Ferber. Wilson does much of the writing himself, but he also provides inventive arrangements of the Beatles' "Because," Donald Fagen's "Maxine," and the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy." None of these songs have been done to death by jazz musicians, and Wilson deserves credit for successfully bringing them into a jazz environment. Adult Themes isn't innovative, but this enjoyable date is certainly neither generic nor predictable. ~Alex Henderson

Adult Themes

Wilford Brimley & The Jeff Hamilton Trio - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:54
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Straight ahead, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. I Wish You Love
[4:45] 2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[3:49] 3. Pick Yourself Up
[4:04] 4. I Have Dreamed
[3:32] 5. Waltz For Debby
[3:28] 6. Ain't She Sweet
[4:10] 7. That Sunday, That Summer
[3:10] 8. When I Take My Sugar To Tea
[3:32] 9. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
[3:51] 10. This Love Of Mine
[3:32] 11. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[3:52] 12. Love Letters
[3:53] 13. A Sleepin' Bee
[3:23] 14. Yours Is My Heart Alone
[3:34] 15. I'm Bidin' My Time

Acting and singing aren't mutually exclusive talents. The best singers, in fact, are natural born actors, inhabiting the stories set out for them in the songs that they sing. The opposite, however, doesn't always ring true; the best actors are not always natural born singers. In this day and age, the fame of the thespian has become a license to sing, with everybody from Hugh Laurie to Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe to Russell Brand brandishing a microphone, but the results are mixed. Some can pull it off; others simply can't. The four actors listed above have taken vocal detours into various locales, from Broadway to bluesville, but others have been tempted to visit jazzier territory instead. Joe Pesci (a.k.a. Joe Doggs), for example, put his Jimmy Scott-esque vocals to good use on organist Joey DeFrancesco's Falling In Love With Love (Concord Records, 2003), and now, Wilford Brimley is taking a run at the classics with drummer Jeff Hamilton's classy trio backing him up. Brimley and Hamilton are an odd match on the surface, but they share a love for this music, and that's all that's really required to make a go of things.

Brimley-as-vocalist comes with some drawbacks and strengths, as many musicians do. He tends to favor a form of speak singing with a vibrato chaser, which isn't likely to win over the vocal jazz set, but he also has a few important things going for him. First and foremost is his storyteller's delivery. It's clear that he gets the ins-and-outs of what the songs are saying. One of his other strengths is his ability to give the material a quaint, lived-in feel.

Hamilton and company play their part(s) to perfection. Hamilton's break away brush work and impeccable sense of swing are a joy to experience, pianist Tamir Hendelman is ever-charming, and bassist Christoph Luty is the connective tissue. Sometimes he bridges the gap between Hendelman and Hamilton, but he's just as likely to fill the spaces Brimley leaves ("A Sleepin' Bee") or simply serve as a harmonic guidepost. The arrangements that surround and support Brimley are clever and concise, with twelve of the fifteen numbers clocking in under the four minute mark; the idea seems to be to say what needs to be said, let a quick solo or two sneak in, and then move on. It's not likely that vocal aficionados will be ditching their Nat "King" Cole in favor of Brimley's "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" or choosing his "A Sleepin' Bee" over Mel Torme's take on the song, but Brimley's work shouldn't be discounted. He's always possessed an ability to win over an audience, regardless of the setting, and he does his best to do it again here. ~Dan Bilawsky

Wilford Brimley: vocals; Jeff Hamilton: drums; Tamir Hendelman: piano; Christoph Luty: bass.

Wilford Brimley & The Pete Hamilton Trio

Sarah Moule - Songs From The Floating World

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:25
Size: 120.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:52] 1. Lord I Wanna Be Good
[3:20] 2. Men Who Love Mermaids
[3:16] 3. Lots Of People Do
[3:58] 4. Scars
[3:20] 5. Cri Du Coeur
[3:42] 6. I've Got You Under My Skin
[3:09] 7. My Babe
[2:23] 8. Hell's Angel
[3:14] 9. Don't Fall In Love With Me
[2:30] 10. Love's Eyes
[3:19] 11. Looking For A Boy (Girl)
[4:23] 12. Stranger
[3:28] 13. I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
[2:57] 14. Noir
[3:01] 15. If You Believe That
[2:24] 16. Did I Break Your Heart

On her latest album, acclaimed jazz singer Sarah Moule has recorded six new songs by Simon Wallace and Fran Landesman, alongside a new lyric by Julie Burchill, two blues numbers and imaginative reworkings of classic songs. Songs from the Floating World reminds us that Sarah is a brilliant interpreter of both melody and lyrics.

‘The Floating World’ was the name given to the red light districts in 17th-19th Century Japan where geishas, Kabuki actors and Sumo wrestlers rubbed shoulders with artists and musicians against a backdrop of hedonism. Sarah discovered her own ‘Floating World’ where America’s Beat Generation crossed with London’s jazz nightlife when she met her husband Simon Wallace and Fran Landesman. Fran, who died in 2011, was a friend and peer of Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce and Ken Kesey. She was one of the finest lyricists of the last fifty years and her work with Wallace has been admired by critics and appreciated by the many singers who have recorded their songs. Sarah has championed their work since her 2002 Linn Records debut, ‘It’s A Nice Thought’, when journalists were quick to celebrate the artistic symbiosis of Sarah’s voice with Simon and Fran’s songs.

Songs From The Floating World

David Hazeltine - The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:37)  1. On The Boulevard
(7:50)  2. O Grande Amor
(6:12)  3. Jessica's Night
(7:59)  4. Hayes' Phase
(5:46)  5. Knocks Me Off My Feet
(7:38)  6. East Of The Sun
(6:54)  7. Didn't We
(6:43)  8. Our Delight

One has to admit that it is a bit presumptive to name a jazz combo the "Classic Trio." There have been many "Classic" piano trios. The ones that quickly spring to mind are Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamel, Ray Brown, Gene Harris, and the list continues. Pianist David Hazeltine has slapped this leaden moniker on himself and his rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Louis Hayes. The moniker may not be too far from completely accurate. The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander marks the third outing of the Classic Trio and the first to include a plus-one musician, in this case tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. Alexander almost sounds like the session leader, a tribute to both him and Hazeltine. Honor Alexander for a fiery brand of assertive tenor playing and Hazeltine for allowing him space. 

The results are seamless and exact, like a finely-drafted drawing. The arrangements and performances on this collection are crisply precise. There are no "blowing session" excesses here, only finely crafted music played confidently on the head of a pin. The disc opener is the jaunty Hazeltine original "On the Boulevard." Alexander contributes the swingingly complex "Hayes' Phase." These originals are mixed with Jobim Bossa ("O Grande Amor"), Stevie wonder contemporary ("Knocks Me Off My Feet") and the Be Bop ("East of the Sun" and "Our Delight"). There is no way to fault craftsmanship this fine. In the pregnant field of straight-ahead mainstream, The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander stands out as a crystalline example of how jazz is supposed to sound in the main. ~ C.Michael Bailey  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-classic-trio-meets-eric-alexander-david-hazeltine-sharp-nine-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php#.VBsiHxawTP8

Personnel: David Hazeltine - piano; Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone; Peter Washington - bass; Louis Hayes - drums.

Buck Clayton All Stars (Feat. Jimmy Rushing) - Jive At Five

Styles: Straight-Ahead, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:44
Size: 178,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:46)  1. I Want A Little Girl
( 7:23)  2. Exactly Like You
( 7:24)  3. Outer Drive
( 7:56)  4. Sent For You Yesterday
( 8:06)  5. Moonglow
( 6:55)  6. Every Day I Have The Blues
( 6:27)  7. Deed I Do
(13:15)  8. Night Train
( 5:06)  9. Goin' to Chicago Blues
( 9:21) 10. Swingin' Along On Broadway

An excellent bandleader and accompanist for many vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton was a valued soloist with Count Basie Orchestra during the '30s and '40s, and later was a celebrated studio and jam session player, writer, and arranger. His tart, striking tone and melodic dexterity were his trademark, and Clayton provided several charts for Basie's orchestra and many other groups. Clayton began his career in California, where he organized a big band that had a residency in China in 1934. When he returned, Clayton led a group and played with other local bands. During a 1936 visit to Kansas City, he was invited to join Basie's orchestra as a replacement for Hot Lips Page. Clayton was also featured on sessions with Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, and Holiday in the late '30s. He remained in the Basie band until 1943, when he left for army service. After leaving the army, Clayton did arrangements for Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James before forming a sextet in the late '40s. He toured Europe with this group in 1949 and 1950.

Clayton continued heading a combo during the '50s, and worked with Joe Bushkin, Tony Parenti, and Jimmy Rushing, among others. He organized a series of outstanding recordings for Columbia in the mid-'50s under the title Jam Session (compiled and reissued by Mosaic in 1993). There were sessions with Rushing, Ruby Braff, and Nat Pierce. Clayton led a combo with Coleman Hawkins and J.J. Johnson at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, then reunited with Goodman in 1957 at the Waldorf Astoria. There was another European tour, this time with Mezz Mezzrow. He appeared in the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story and played the 1958 Brussels World Fair with Sidney Bechet. Clayton later made another European visit with a Newport Jazz Festival tour. He joined Eddie Condon's band in 1959, a year after appearing in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. Clayton toured Japan and Australia with Condon's group in 1964, and continued to revisit Europe throughout the '60s, often with Humphrey Lyttelton's band, while playing festivals across the country. 

But lip and health problems virtually ended his playing career in the late '60s. After a period outside of music, Clayton once again became active in music, this time as a non-playing arranger, touring Africa as part of a State Department series in 1977. He provided arrangements and compositions for a 1974 Lyttleton and Buddy Tate album, and did more jam session albums for Chiaroscuro in 1974 and 1975. He also became an educator, teaching at Hunter College in the early '80s. Clayton led a group of Basie sidemen on a European tour in 1983, then headed his own big band in 1987 that played almost exclusively his compositions and arrangements. That same year Clayton's extensive autobiography Buck Clayton's Jazz World, with Nancy Miller-Elliot, was published. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jive-at-five-live-feat.-emmett/id894093387?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Jive At Five

Derrick Gardner And The Jazz Prophets - A Ride To The Other Side

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 92:42
Size: 212,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. Funky Straight
(7:20)  2. Don't Blink
(8:58)  3. Bugabug - Extended Play
(6:41)  4. The Crux Of The Matter
(8:12)  5. A Ride To The Other Side
(9:32)  6. Mac Daddy Grip
(8:04)  7. Be One
(6:07)  8. Bugabug
(7:33)  9. God's Gift
(6:42) 10. Lazara
(6:49) 11. Just A Touch
(8:56) 12. Of Infinity

Trumpeter Derrick Gardner, former sideman to the orchestras of Count Basie and Harry Connick Jr., founded The Jazz Prophets upon arriving in New York City in 1991. With swinging arrangements and soulful soloing, the hard-bopping sextet takes its lead from the classic sounds of 1950s and ‘60s ensembles led by Art Blakey and Horace Silver. For A Ride to the Other Side, Gardner is joined by trombonist and brother Vincent Gardner, tenor saxophonist Rob Dixon, pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Donald Edwards. Following the soulful, feel-good opener, “Funky Straight,” the high-octane title track brings out inspired front-line solos with modern edginess. 

The Blakey-inspired “Mac Daddy Grip” has an insatiable, toe-tapping effect courtesy of Whitaker’s larger-than-life walking pulse and Edwards’ driving shuffle groove. Gardner’s thorough understanding of the jazz trumpet lineage is showcased throughout the disc. The trumpeter evokes the spirit of Lee Morgan on “Bugabug” and Woody Shaw on “Of Infinity.” Bill Lee’s captivating ballad “Be One” demonstrates a serene, assured tone from the big band veteran.  Aside from moments of predictability, A Ride to the Other Side is a solid outing for Gardner and his torch-bearing collaborators. The playing is of the highest order and the vibe is downright infectious. ~ John Barron  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-ride-to-the-other-side-derrick-gardner-review-by-john-barron.php#.VBsyoRawTP8 
 
Personnel: Derrick Gardner: trumpet, flugelhorn; Vincent Gardner: trombone; Rob Dixon: tenor saxophone; Anthony Wonsey: piano; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Donald Edwards: drums; Kevin Kaiser: percussion.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Danny Caron - Good Hands

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 127.6 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues guitar
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[4:22] 1. Shaggin'
[7:04] 2. In A Sentimental Mood
[5:09] 3. The Promise
[7:12] 4. Shine On
[5:00] 5. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
[2:48] 6. The Guitar Speaks
[3:11] 7. Gate Walks The Board
[6:17] 8. A Rainy Night In Georgia
[4:28] 9. Hey Jimmy
[5:26] 10. Soul Street
[4:41] 11. With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair

Danny Caron is a soulful and passionate guitarist who has played with some of the best musicians in America. His just released CD entitled "Good Hands" features some of the most soulful musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area including Jim Pugh from the Robert Cray Band on Hammond organ, Ron E. Beck from Tower of Power on drums, and two exquisite previously unreleased Charles Brown trio cuts with the legendary Charles Brown singing and playing piano, and Ruth Davies on bass.In addition you'll find some beautiful acoustic jazz cuts with John Wiitala (bass), Deszon Claiborne (drums), and John R Burr (piano) A couple of those are augmented by a burning horn section, with a few searing sax solos from Jeff Ervin and Charles McNeal. "The tunes on this record are really homages to some of my favorite guitarists", says Caron. "Grant Green, Billy Butler, Johnny and Oscar Moore, Gatemouth Brown, T Bone Walker, and BB King - just to name a few of the obvious ones...I'm not trying to play like them-I never could-I'm just trying to thank them!" Originally out of Silver Spring, Maryland, Danny moved to Austin, Texas and cut his teeth on the Crawfish circuit playing with singer-pianist Marcia Ball. He then worked with Zydeco king Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band with whom he recorded the Grammy Award winning Album I'm Here in 1980. Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1981 he continued to freelance and eventually teamed up with the legendary singer and pianist Charles Brown. Danny served as guitarist and musical director for Charles Brown from 1987 until Brown's death in 1999. He has played on numerous CD's and sessions with Charles Brown, Clifton Chenier, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Ruth Brown, Etta Jones, John Clayton, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson, Donald Fagen, Dr. John, Little Milton Campbell, John Hammond Jr. and many others. *Danny is the featured guitarist on the Van Morrison produced John Lee Hooker album, "Don't Look Back" which won two Grammy Awards - one for Best Traditional Blues Recording, and the other for Best Collaboration, Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker. He keeps up a busy schedule touring and performing most recently with Robben Ford, Barbara Morrison, Maria Muldaur and others. He continues working with Just Say Jazz, a group of Bay Area musicians dedicated to preserving and promoting jazz and blues awareness in primary schools. He is presently teaching courses at The Jazzschool in Berkeley California.

Good Hands

James Taylor Quartet - James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown: Don't Mess With Mr. T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:52
Size: 102.7 MB
Styles: R&B, Funk
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Money That's What I Want
[3:18] 2. Got To Give It Up
[3:19] 3. Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)
[5:12] 4. Function At The Junction
[4:07] 5. After The Dance
[3:20] 6. Jimmy Mack
[3:15] 7. Machine Gun
[2:49] 8. Come See About Me
[3:08] 9. Cleo's Mood
[3:12] 10. You Beat Me To The Punch
[4:14] 11. You're All I Need To Get By
[4:47] 12. Don't Mess With Mr T

James Taylor's vintage Hammond-led outfit has consistently delighted lovers of jazz, funk and R&B in equal measure over the last twenty years. The group is most famous for its signature tune, the "Theme From Starsky and Hutch, but this album shows greater variety than the standard jam workout. Don't Mess With Mr. T: James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown is a series of 12 cover tracks from Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder.

The quartet itself, which comprises Taylor (Hammond organ), Nigel Price (guitar), Andy McKinney (bass) and Adam Betts (drums), is augmented for this record by four more musicians: a full horn section and an extra percussionist. As well as the expected fiery instrumentals, the band is joined by leading soul vocalists Omar, Hil St Soul and Donna Gardier who each add their own notable contributions to the proceedings. ~Frederick Bernas

Bass – Andrew McKinney; Drums – Adam Betts; Guitar – Nigel Price; Organ [Hammond] – James Taylor; Percussion – Oreste-Noda Fernandez; Saxophone – Jamie Anderson; Trombone – Dave Williamson;Trumpet – Nick Smart; Vocals – Donna Gardier (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10), Joy Rose (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10), Tyrone Henry (tracks: 3, 5, 12)

James Taylor Quartet Plays Motown: Don't Mess With Mr. T

Billie Poole - Sermonette

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 29:37
Size: 67.8 MB
Styles: Blues Soul Jazz vocals
Year: 1961/2013
Art: Front

[2:20] 1. This Can't Be Love
[2:16] 2. Sermonette
[2:16] 3. When You're Smilin'
[2:46] 4. Time After Time
[3:17] 5. Drown In My Own Tears
[1:48] 6. I Could Have Danced All Night
[2:25] 7. Lazy Afternoon
[2:19] 8. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:24] 9. Rocks In My Bed
[2:37] 10. Young Woman's Blues
[2:31] 11. He's My Guy
[2:31] 12. A Sunday Kind Of Love

Billie Poole was a young Californian blues singer with a style derivative of Bessie Smith who first made her name in Paris. In 1962 she was offered a recording contract back in the USA. On Sermonette she is backed by an orchestra and extends her range beyond the blues idiom to include standards and romantic ballads.

Sermonette

Oksana Ferenchuk - Little Bird

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:08
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Lover Man (feat. Jim Ridl, Steve Varner & Vince Ector)
(4:16)  2. Social Call (feat. Jim Ridl, Steve Varner & Vince Ector)
(5:58)  3. Never Said (Chan's Song) [feat. Jim Ridl]
(7:05)  4. How Long Has This Been Gonig On (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(7:11)  5. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(6:40)  6. The Peacocks (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(5:08)  7. Little Bird (feat. Freddie Bryant)
(5:25)  8. Tenderly
(5:45)  9. A Felicidade

Young and talented jazz singer and musician, that recently recorded her first album in NYC. Original arrangements on the favorite jazz standards and one beautiful original song Little Bird.This album is a little story of mine. The story that have brought me to the jazz world. I've met an incredible person, amazing musician that became my teacher and producer of this CD. JD Walter. All the songs I have chosen are the reflection of my environment, my music thoughts, and persons that I've met through recent years who influenced on me. And the main person who has inspired me to improvise every minute and every single day - is my daughter Michelle. My Little Bird. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oksanaferenchuk

The Harry Allen & Joe Cohn Quartet - Stompin' The Blues

Styles: Guitar And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:17
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:33)  1. You're Driving Me Crazy
(7:17)  2. I'll Get By
(5:10)  3. Stompin' the Blues
(5:01)  4. My Old Flame
(4:52)  5. Don't Want to Have To
(5:21)  6. But I Will
(9:20)  7. I Only Have Eyes for You
(8:18)  8. (I Would Do) Anything for You
(6:28)  9. Medley It Might As Well Be Spring, Spring Is Here
(5:54) 10. So There

Despite his still young age, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen has released nearly 40 CDs. Even more impressive is that he plays mostly standards, and while that well is deep, there's no easy chore in making American popular songs fresh and vibrant within the mainstream. Allen accomplishes this by changing up his bands, working hard on his personalized post-Stan Getz voicings, and occasionally inviting veteran hero/musicians to his recording sessions. In this case, fellow tenor man Scott Hamilton joins the band Allen co-leads with the excellent primarily rhythm guitarist Joe Cohn, and there's a story behind the recording date. Hamilton, living in London, England, flew to the U.S. shortly after the terrorist threat there in February of 2007 and was forced to check his saxophone instead of carrying it with him on the flight, and it was badly damaged in transit. But somehow Hamilton was able to piece the hurt horn together, and he sounds as good on it as he ever has. Trombonist John Allred is another modern miracle on this effort, as his playing in accord with, opposite to, and in conversational mode with Allen is sheer genius. 

Why is Allred not hailed as one of the top five jazz trombonists going today? Some good swingin' music is created as Allen and Allred trade alternating choruses for the obscure "I'll Get By" and go back and forth in chat-chat mode during "I Only Have Eyes for You," while each adopts solo lines on the medley melodies of "It Might as Well Be Spring" (Allred) and "Spring Is Here" (Allen). Of the three selections with the twin tenors plus 'bone, "You're Driving Me Crazy" is as interactive as any Dixieland tune, the deep saxes take eight-bar turns for "My Old Flame," and all three horns hit a singsong groove as the cool bass of Joel Forbes and Cohn's guitar prep "(I Would Do) Anything for You." Of the originals penned by Allen, "Don't Want to Have To" evokes a Gerry Mulligan or Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond classical jazz stance moving forward, wryly followed by the just fine swing of "But I Will." The title track is a basic romping, bopping 12-bar blues, while the end game piece, "So There," has Allen and his band syncopatin' as hard as he ever has. This is yet another complete, effervescent, solid session for Allen. It's also a treat to read the liner notes by Herb Wong. Any jazz fan can receive special insight reading what Dr. Wong has to say. ~ Michael G.Nastos  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stompin-the-blues-mw0000786043

Personnel : Joe Cohn (guitar); Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); John Allred (trombone); Joel Forbes (bass instrument); Chuck Riggs (drums).

Echoes Of Swing - Message From Mars

Styles: Swing
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:41
Size: 132,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Shake It and Break It
(3:08)  2. Liebesleid
(3:56)  3. Twiligthnin' Hopkins
(3:30)  4. Don't Save Your Love For A Rainy Day
(2:54)  5. Odeon
(2:46)  6. Bughouse
(3:48)  7. Spring Is Here
(3:34)  8. Gavotte
(3:17)  9. Message From Mars
(4:05) 10. The Ghost Of Marsden Grotto
(4:33) 11. Don't Explain
(2:42) 12. Butterfly Chase
(5:19) 13. Goon Drag
(3:03) 14. Delirium
(3:54) 15. His Honour And The Vermin
(3:33) 16. Moonlight Fiesta

Free from any museum nostalgia, the four musicians take their inspiration from the gigantic treasury of swinging jazz, from Bix to Bop, from Getz to Gershwin, while constantly searching for the hidden, the unexpected, the exquisite. The Great American Song book and the immeasurable recordings of great Jazz pioneers form the humus for the creativity of the combo, with astonishing arrangements, virtuoso solos and expressive compositions of their own. Two horns, drums and piano. This unique, compact formation permits the greatest in harmony and flexibility and allows freedom for an agile, exact ensemble.  The group thrives on a mixture of clever arrangements and interaction of improvised dialogue, performing for, and with one another. 

The contemporary interpretation of an enormously varied repertoire and not last the humorous moderation and spontaneous stage presence, has helped gain ECHOES OF SWING great popularity and made the ensemble a much renowned and celebrated attraction on the international jazz scene. Sixteen years of touring have led the ECHOES all across Europe and the USA, to Japan, New Zealand and even the Fiji Islands. The exceedingly diverse musical development of the band is in the meantime impressively documented on five CDs.  The last ECHOES OF SWING album ‘Message from Mars’ received the ‘Prix de l’Académie du Jazz’ in Paris, and in Germany was awarded the ‘German Record Critics' Award’. Bio ~ https://www.actmusic.com/en/Artists/Echoes-Of-Swing/Biografie

Personnel: Colin T. Dawson - trumpet & voc, Chris Hopkins - alto sax, Bernd Lhotzky - piano, Oliver Mewes - drums

Steve Kuhn - Live At Birdland

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:33
Size: 156,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:31)  1. If I Were A Bell
(10:47)  2. Jitterbug Waltz
( 6:13)  3. Two By Two
( 7:03)  4. La Plus Que Lente/Passion Flower
( 7:16)  5. Little Waltz
( 6:12)  6. Lotus Blossom
( 7:16)  7. Slow Hot Wind
( 6:16)  8. Clotilde
( 6:54)  9. Confirmation

You have to crank the volume hard to hear Bill Evans' whisper-soft intro to Miles' "So What" on Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959). When you hear it, though, you know something special this way comes. Steve Kuhn comes from the same school of subtlety as Evans, and Kuhn's one-finger opening to his trio's Blue Note debut, Live at Birdland, achieves the same effect as Evans' hushed chords: a simple beginning to a tremendous set.This disc would have been special, in any case. Aside from their respective resumes, the trio pianist Kuhn, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster did a legendary one-week stand two decades ago at the Village Vanguard that produced two stunning live albums: The Vanguard Date (Owl, 1986) and Life's Magic (Blackhawk, 1986). Material from both records has been re-imagined for Live at Birdland, and the result is both fresh and exciting. Kuhn plays four single notes, like a faraway church clock, on the opener, "If I Were A Bell." He takes the head while Carter goes off on his own, each monologue moving toward the same intersection. 

By the time they link, the tune is in high gear, and Kuhn's solo has gone from spare to soaring. It's like easing off the parking brake at the top of a steep, steep hill. One moment you're barely creeping forward; the next, you're flying almost straight down, and loving every second of the freefall. (If this ride isn't enough for you, you get one more trip on the breakneck Bird closer, "Confirmation.") Live at Birdland dances as much as it dives. "If I Were A Bell" gives way to Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz," mixing classical-music reverence with bursts of humor typical of the wild-eyed NOLA legend who told us all, "One never knows, do one?" Foster gets us all dirty (salsa) dancing with his Latin backbeat on Billy Strayhorn's "Passion Flower," and "Stella by Starlight" hangs in the air like a leaf on the wind, darting to and fro on Kuhn's buoyant playing. By contrast, Carter's "Little Waltz" is stark and mournful, with Carter referencing Michel LeGrand's theme from Summer of '42, another tale of love and innocence lost. Kuhn, like Evans, does so much with so little. 

He is a remarkable two-handed pianist, launching dueling solos throughout the disc, but he's at his best when he gets sparse, as he does on the solo snippet of Debussy's "La Plus Que Lente" which he uses to preface "Passion Flower." Carter should play in trios the rest of his life, because the format is optimal for the stained-glass beauty of his playing. Rock-solid one moment, butter-soft the next, Carter's bass is still the best, bar none. Campaigns start way too early nowadays. But like the presidential race, the competition for best disc of 2007 has begun, and Live at Birdland is the frontrunner. Let the debates begin! ~ J Hunter  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-birdland-steve-kuhn-blue-note-records-review-by-j-hunter.php#.VBcoQhawTP8
 
Personnel: Steve Kuhn: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Al Foster: drums.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Dina Blade - I'm In The Mood For Love

Size: 137,1 MB
Time: 58:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2002
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I Won't Dance (4:21)
02. Big Spender (5:08)
03. Remind Me (4:38)
04. A Fine Romance (3:08)
05. I'm In The Mood For Love (5:44)
06. The Way You Look Tonight (5:41)
07. Pick Yourself Up (2:48)
08. April Fooled Me (4:38)
09. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (4:17)
10. Lovely To Look At (4:16)
11. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (2:43)
12. Don't Blame Me (7:18)
13. Exactly Like You (3:51)

This is a rather addictive recording, in which Dina Blade performs intimate versions of the best-known Fields songs, accompanied only by Bill Mays.

The most striking aspect of the recording is Blade's direct, confiding style. She clearly has great respect for both lyrics and music, and her fine voice is complimented by clear but unforced diction.

She has the confidence to take some of these tracks very slowly indeed! A highlight is an insinuating version of Big Spender, which takes 5 seductive minutes.

She performs some rarely-heard verses - both Don't Blame Me and Lovely To Look At include two verses.

I'm In The Mood For Love

Son'ra - Electro World

Size: 118,4 MB
Time: 50:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Electro Jazz, World
Art: Front

01. Bad Day (3:39)
02. Toca las Palmas (5:36)
03. Mi Pena (3:48)
04. The Answer (4:40)
05. Oblivion (3:05)
06. Happy Hours (3:23)
07. Those Dark Eyes (3:27)
08. Yes Doctor (3:59)
09. On The Sea (4:06)
10. To The West (3:37)
11. Do The Bop (3:12)
12. Those Dark Eyes (Electro Swing Mix) (4:15)
13. Me Pena By Vella (Dub Mix) (3:58)

Personnel:
Alain Durand
Jean Michel Sonnerat
Laurent Coulaud

SON'RA est un groupe français né de la rencontre en 2006 entre l'accordéoniste Jean Michel Sonnerat et Alain Durand musicien compositeur et producteur.

Au départ il s'agissait de faire un album de plus, à la gloire de Jean Michel afin de saluer toute sa technique et son talent.Et puis, chemin faisant, les deux complices se sont pris au jeu en essayant de casser les codes établis pour ce genre d'exercice. Désormais il n'y aura plus d'interdit,on pourra faire vivre l'accordéon entre le jazz le dub,le tango et l'electro.

En 2009 l'album "JAZZAC" est en fin prêt, 12 titres métissées qui bénéficieront d'un excellent accueil auprès du public.Les réalisateurs lui donneront une seconde vie en utilisant la plupart des titres dans divers documentaires et séries TV (Famille d'accueil FR3 et Boulevard du palais A2).

En point d'orgues d'une série de concerts, le 16 et 17octobre 2010,le groupe est invité à partager la scène de L ' ODYSSEE de l 'ACCORDEON au Pavillon Baltard.

Fin 2011, vient le temps de se remettre au travail, la crise est là, les melodies se font plus profondes, ciselés sur des rythmiques puissantes. L'album s'appellera ELECTRO WORLD, un subtil mélange entre modernisme et traditions.

L'album "Electro World" comprend 13 titres dont 2 remixes.
Musiciens additionnels : Alain Alarcon (guitares) et Laurent Coulaud (drums)
Featuring vocal sur "the answer" Lennox DREAD, "Those dark eyes " Patricia Michel Ricordel.

Electro World

Kiersten Rose & Adonis Blue - Bloom

Size: 114,3 MB
Time: 48:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. Want The Change (5:36)
02. You Gave Me Hope (3:29)
03. Bloom (3:10)
04. Tangled (3:52)
05. Sweet Redemption (4:21)
06. Hurry Home (3:42)
07. Looped (2:52)
08. Heaven Knows (5:25)
09. Corcovado (4:43)
10. Mary Go 'round (4:31)
11. I'll Meet You There (3:01)
12. Be My Voice (4:00)

Kiersten Rose & Adonis Blue's debut album "Bloom" includes 11 originals and one nostalgic cover. It's a creative mix of jazz, folk, and pop performed by Adonis Blue and guest musicians.

Adonis Blue was created in the summer of 2011 as the brainchild of lead singer and pianist, Kiersten Rose, who desired to lead a group who would take music outside, and shake some fresh air into it. She found a small group of talented and willing guys to go on the journey.

Adonis Blue is jazz, folk, a bit of Americana and pop all blended together and served with a slice of lemon. We are all musicians who love the artistry of our instruments and creating new and tasty sounds. Kiersten Rose is the lead vocalist, pianist, and accordion player, Brian Vaccaro plays guitar, Mark Wallace plays the bass, and Kyle Honeycutt plays drums. Our set list consists of new and old jazz standards, some tried and true covers incognito, and originals as the muse brings them. So, come along, sit back, grab a glass of wine, and chill...

Bloom

KJ Denhert - Destiny

Size: 110,7 MB
Time: 47:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. I Don't Think So (3:35)
02. Destiny (3:46)
03. Try To Fly (4:29)
04. Do You Love (3:49)
05. So The Story Goes (4:23)
06. Beautiful (6:44)
07. Sorry (3:57)
08. Interlude (1:07)
09. Love Comes Tumbling Down (3:43)
10. Goodbye Sunny Friend (3:28)
11. I Don't Think So - Lp (5:08)
12. One Day (3:22)

Karen Jeannne Denhert is a Grenadan-American urban folk-jazz artist who has won four Independent Music Award nominations and was named as one of the best female vocalists of 2009 by Jazz.com. Denhert was a winner in the Kerrville New Folk Song contest in June 2006 for "Private Angel," and won the Mountain Stage New Song contest in August 2005 with "Little Mary." Another Year Gone By, Live won the 2006 Independent Music Award for Best Live Performance. Her song "Choose Your Weapon" also went on to win Best Social Action Song at the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.

Karen Jeannne was the first Denhert born an American citizen; her older brother was born in Aruba. She was born in New York City and raised in The Bronx. She cites her primary influences as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, but also Sergio Mendes, John Hartford, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Steely Dan, and Hubert Laws. In the 1980s, she played lead guitar and occasionally sang for an all-female rock band called Fire, which toured North America and Europe. She then worked as a financial analyst for Dannon in Cleveland, Ohio, where she started her record label, Mother Cyclone. She returned to New York in 1997, where she formed her current band.

Destiny

Rod McGaha - The Black Flower Project

Size: 135,6 MB
Time: 58:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Contemporary Jazz: Trumpet Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Challenge (5:50)
02. Inner Courage (3:21)
03. Lullaby (5:34)
04. Bleep Blop (4:54)
05. Wish I Knew (3:39)
06. Black Flower (5:40)
07. Unexpected Soul (6:16)
08. Mama Said (5:09)
09. When I Was Growin' Up (5:33)
10. Here's That Rainy Day (5:13)
11. Cookout (5:37)
12. Your's Truly (1:27)

Rod McGaha's “The Black Flower Project” counts on this fact. And, why shouldn't it? McGaha took a racially diverse, multi-generational group of musical artists and formed this project. If they could not only grasp the universality of the subject, but also build upon it, certainly it would be comprehensible for the listening masses.

“The Black Flower Project” is an example of Identity Art going aural. McGaha launches into it with a rigorous, raw energy at the very beginning on the fiery tune, “The Challenge”. You may not be sure if McGaha meant the challenge of self-examination or the challenge of viewing someone undergoing such an examination. However it is meant, we are both provoked and thrilled by the music. As always, Rod is a gentleman and sometime chooses to put us at ease with compositions like Lullaby and the titular, sublimely lovely, yet wonderfully soulful Black Flower.

Rod is also true to form by introducing tunes for your amusement like Bleep Blop and Cookout. And, if you were wondering, yes, he is aware of the melodic allusion to Bobby Timmon's Moanin'. Miles said it best, “Bad musicians borrow, the good musicians steal!”

Songs like Inner Courage and Unexpected Soul make us consider the lush richness of the “African American experience”. Certainly not to be missed is McGaha's attempt at a sort of mental slight of hand, causing us to look back so acutely that we somehow see the future. Rod does this on the tune When I Was Growin' Up by utilizing the heralded and surprising lyricist (XXL and NPR have already agreed), who goes under the moniker of “OpenMic”. Apparently, the maxim is correct, the apple does not fall very far.

Altogether, this is a 12-track exhibit of the inner-world and history of an African American musical artist. If Freud was right and there are at least two of you in actuality, Rod McGaha hopes that at least one of those yous will appreciate “The Black Flower Project.”

The Black Flower Project

Sarah Jane Morris - Bloody Rain

Size: 165,8 MB
Time: 71:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop/Soul/R&B Vocals
Art: Front

01. Feel The Love (4:05)
02. For A Friend (3:46)
03. No Beyonce (4:36)
04. I Shall Be Released (6:30)
05. David Kato (5:53)
06. Comfort They Have None (5:00)
07. Bloody Rain (4:04)
08. Wild Flowers (4:47)
09. Kora (0:32)
10. Across The Desert To Love (4:05)
11. Deeper Well (6:15)
12. Coal Train (8:18)
13. Get Them Out (4:28)
14. On My Way To You (3:53)
15. Men Just Wanna Have Fun (4:52)

Sarah-Jane Morris is the British soul, jazz and r&b singer who topped the UK pop charts for a month in 1986 (with The Communards' disco version of 'Don't Leave Me This Way') and then eloquently and joyously side-stepped the mainstream ever after.

Morris's magnificent soul voice and emotional power would have brought multiple Grammy awards and celebrity status to most singers with her charisma and drive. But for over 25 years of a unique career, Morris has steered by her own star, not the music industry's, and that independence has brought her a devoted audience, inspired by her belief in the power of song to change hearts and minds.

That belief inspired Bloody Rain, the ambitious new collection of love-songs, tributes, warnings and protests that she regards as the best album of her life.

Devoted to the people of Africa, and the music of that continent that has inspired so many artists for so long, Bloody Rain brings together a stunningly diverse group of performers. Among a raft of guests are the Zimbabwe-born singer Eska, Senegal's Seckou Keita on kora, UK-Caribbean saxophonist Courtney Pine, the Soweto Gospel Choir, American/Israeli jazz trumpeter Avishai Cohen, former James Brown arranger Pee Wee Ellis - and of course the soulmates from Morris's touring band, including Sting sideman Dominic Miller, and guitarist Tony Remy, co-writer of many of the new songs.

Typically, Sarah-Jane Morris doesn't flinch from some raw subjects in telling this story, and while she hopes that many of these haunting songs 'will lift your spirits', she accepts that 'some will make you weep.' Blossoming as a lyricist in recent years, the singer and her co-writers have taken on subjects from tyrannical political power ('Bloody Rain'), to honour killings ('No Beyonce'), child-soldiers ('No Comfort For Them'), and homophobia ('David Kato').

But these forthright songs, ignited by irresistable grooves, superb playing, and Morris's startling shifts from the soulfully rhetorical to the intimate, are about hope, not resignation. Bloody Rain is also, crucially, about love - in which respect, though the examples are Sarah-Jane Morris's own, the music speaks to everyone. Her husband Mark and her 80 year-old mother Joy are the inspirations for the glowing Afrobeat opener 'Feel The Love', 'For A Friend' is a tender yet upbeat tribute to special companions, 'Wild Flowers' a grateful celebration of her eccentric, accidentally-liberating upbringing, and the closing 'On My Way To You' is as delicate and tender as anything this expressive singer has recorded in her long career.

Bloody Rain

Jussara Silveira - Cancoes De Caymmi

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:23
Size: 103.9 MB
Styles: Brazilian pop
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. O Vento
[4:00] 2. Lá Vem A Baiana
[4:47] 3. Nem Eu
[2:25] 4. O Anjo Da Noite
[4:08] 5. Você Diz Que Amar É Crime / Vou Vê Juliana
[3:57] 6. Maracangalha
[4:42] 7. Yayá Não Sabe / Você Não Sabe Amar
[2:39] 8. Horas
[4:13] 9. Milagre / Historia Pro Sinhozinho
[4:08] 10. Canto De Nanâ / Quem Vem Pra Beira Do Mar
[0:37] 11. O Vento
[3:56] 12. Saudade De Itapoâ
[2:46] 13. Adalgisa

This is one of the relatively few releases today that doesn't appeal to easy commercial clichés, reaching considerable depth in the interpretation of some of the best Brazilian classics. Faithful to Brazilian tradition, Jussara Silveira stuck to acoustic renditions of Dorival Caymmi's songs without being excessively reverent; the modern arrangements extend the tradition with better harmonies, reaching the original intentions of the genial composer, who, since early age, had a keen ear for chords, even if his poor musical background didn't provide for a full harmony understanding, which he had to try to compensate with his intuition.

Jussara, backed by some of the best musicians in Brazil, decided to balance some of the most widely known Caymmi's hits on this album ("Nem Eu," "Maracangalha," "Você Não Sabe Amar," "Quem Vem Pra Beira Do Mar," "Saudade de Itapoã") with less successful compositions, but which also had superior musical qualities, like the haunting, mysterious "O Vento." The inlay has all Portuguese lyrics. ~Alvaro Neder

Cancoes De Caymmi