Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns - Foolers' Gold

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:02
Size: 123.7 MB
Styles: New Orleans jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Catch Em Young
[4:28] 2. Don't Start With Me
[4:15] 3. My Man
[3:30] 4. It's The Rhythm In Me
[2:48] 5. I'll Wait For You
[5:30] 6. Midnight On The Bayou
[3:38] 7. Foolers' Gold
[4:28] 8. Young Woman's Blues
[4:58] 9. Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down
[3:42] 10. Organ Grinder
[3:29] 11. Miss Otis Regrets
[3:30] 12. The Fragrance Of Your Charms
[2:58] 13. Do Right
[3:31] 14. I Believe In Music

U.K. reviewer Allan Wilkinson wrote of the album, “a couple of self-penned numbers from Lake...just go to prove, along with the rest of this gem of a record, that no flood nor new century can subdue the spirit of New Orleans.” Her sophomore effort with the Little Big Horns, Foolers Gold was released in September of 2013. It mixes the extraordinary traditional jazz mastery she demonstrated on Lucky Devil with a bold, contemporary sensibility all her own. Foolers Gold promises to once again evoke the words of Dan Baum when he wrote in the New Yorker: “Meschiya Lake rocks back on her heels, lifts her chest, and opens her throat like an air raid siren to croon in a thrilling pre-microphone style that...can make you feel by turns as though you were shivering around a campfire in a railroad yard or drinking in a Budapest nightclub in 1938."

Foolers' Gold

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The Ray Bryant Trio - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:01
Size: 80.2 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Soul jazz
Year: 1957/1993
Art: Front

[4:50] 1. Golden Earrings
[3:19] 2. Angel Eyes
[4:59] 3. Blues Changes
[4:34] 4. Splittin'
[5:02] 5. Django
[4:51] 6. The Thrill Is Gone
[4:00] 7. Daahoud
[3:22] 8. Sonar

Pianist Ray Bryant solidified his reputation with this outstanding 1957 trio release. It displayed his facility with the blues, speed, gospel influence, and interpretive abilities on such songs as John Lewis' "Django" and Clifford Brown's "Daahoud." It also contained Bryant's funky originals "Splittin" and "Blues Changes," and was punctuated by Ike Isaacs' careful bass work and Specs Wright's loose, in the groove drumming. This set has recently been reissued by Fantasy, and the remastering provides a fine sonic framework for Bryant's heady, unpredictable, and often exciting playing. ~Ron Wynn

The Ray Bryant Trio

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Jeanie Bryson - Tonight I Need You So

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:07
Size: 142,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Simple Song
(5:19)  2. Honeysuckle Rose
(4:22)  3. Tonight I need You So
(5:20)  4. Willow Weep For Me
(5:43)  5. I Don't Want To Fall
(5:08)  6. Moonlight in Vermont
(6:58)  7. Two-Hump Ride
(6:02)  8. The Face I Love
(5:08)  9. Solamente Tu
(4:29) 10. What Can A Miracle Do?
(3:02) 11. Too Thy To Say
(6:09) 12. Skydive

Bryson's soft warm voice at times recalls Maxine Sullivan and on "Solamente Tu" she comes very close to the fragility of Astrud Gilberto. There are a few memorable selections on her second Telarc disc, most notably the exuberant "Simple Song" (which has some jubilant playing from altoist Paquito D'Rivera), a sensuous "Honeysuckle Rose" and a fine version of "Skydive." Unfortunately the set also has an excess of forgettable poppish material that weighs down the content somewhat. However Bryson mostly overcomes the material and her likable and easygoing style compensates. This release is not essential but is enjoyable. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/tonight-i-need-you-so-mw0000114090

Personnel: Jeanie Bryson (vocals); Don Braden (tenor saxophone); Paquito D'Rivera (alto saxophone); Claudio Roditi (trumpet); Jay Ashby (trombone); Ted Brancato, Danilo Perez (piano); Vic Juris (guitar); Christian McBride (acoustic bass); Ron Davis, Ignacio Berroa (drums); Rudy Byrd (percussion).

Tonight I Need You So

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Jan Lundgren - Cooking! At The Jazz Bakery CD 1 And CD 2

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:56 (CD 1)
Size: 117,4 MB (CD 1)
Time: 49:09 (CD 2)
Size: 113,2 MB (CD 2)
Art: Front

CD 1
(0:33)  1. Introduction
(4:02)  2. Our Delight
(4:46)  3. Bruz
(4:13)  4. Social Call
(4:39)  5. Little Niles
(5:46)  6. Nica's Tempo
(5:15)  7. Early Autumn
(5:48)  8. Bohemia Ater Dark
(4:32)  9. Milestones
(5:41) 10. Webb City
(5:36) 11. Four

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CD 2
(5:52)  1. Hot House
(4:27)  2. On a Misty Night
(4:51)  3. Lady Bird
(5:06)  4. If You Could See Me Now
(5:02)  5. Sister Sadie
(5:03)  6. Relaxin' at Camarillo
(5:02)  7. Confirmation
(5:06)  8. Groovin' High
(6:54)  9. Moanin'
(1:41) 10. Varmlandsvisan

A talented Swedish pianist, Jan Lundgren has on various occasions showed that he is quite versatile. On this two CD set, Lundgren sticks to bebop, playing in a style influenced by Bud Powell but filled with his own individual approach. Recorded live at Los Angeles' famed Jazz Bakery in a trio with bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Joe La Barbera, the 20 selections were all performed on the same night. Despite being first takes, there are no obvious missteps and the music is quite impeccable. Lundgren revives a variety of bop-oriented songs (mostly from the 1940s and '50s and ranging from Tadd Dameron to Randy Weston and Horace Silver), swings hard, and never runs out of melodic ideas. It is a particularly impressive outing and one of Jan Lundgren's finest recordings to date. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/cooking-at-the-jazz-bakery-mw0000046454

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Joe La Barbera (drums).

Cooking! At The Jazz Bakery CD 1

Cooking! At The Jazz Bakery CD 2

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Zoot Sims With Scott Hamilton - It Had To Be You

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:45
Size: 155,2 MB
Art: Front

(10:44)  1. It Had To Be You
(10:25)  2. Gone With the Wind
(10:48)  3. Indiana
( 7:06)  4. Easy Living
( 9:56)  5. Sunday
(10:38)  6. Broadway
( 8:04)  7. Just You, Just Me

Recorded four months before his death and three days after what was thought to have been his final recording, this jam-session CD is notable not only as the last Zoot Sims record but the only one to team him with fellow tenor Scott Hamilton. Since Zoot was one of Hamilton's idols, the Swedish concert was a happy affair. Joined by pianist Claes Crona, bassist Arne Wilhelmsson, and drummer Per Hulten, the two tenors battle it out (with mutual respect) on lengthy versions of such standards as "Gone With the Wind," "Indiana," "Sunday," and "Just You, Just Me." A historic encounter that lives up to expectations and shows that Zoot Sims never did decline. 

~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/it-had-to-be-you-mw0000446416

Personnel: Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Scott Hamilton, tenor sax; Claes Crona, piano; Arne Wilhelmsson, bass; Per Hultén, drums

It Had To Be You

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Junko Onishi - Baroque

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:48
Size: 171,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:04)  1. Tutti
( 5:51)  2. The Mother's (Where Johnny Is)
(19:41)  3. The Threepenny Opera
( 4:47)  4. Stardust
(10:45)  5. Meditations for a Pair of Wire Cutters
( 9:48)  6. Flamingo
(10:24)  7. The Street Beat/52nd Street Theme
( 4:26)  8. Memories of You

The world has been a slightly less happy place since Junko Onishi's last record. After establishing herself as one of the finest young jazz pianists around with her debut, Wow (EMI, 1993), Onishi released a string of fine Blue Note recordings: Live At The Village Vanguard Volume 1 and Volume 2 (both 1994); the superb Cruisin' (1994), featuring her majestic "Eulogia"; and Piano Quintet Suite (1995).

With Fragile (Blue Note, 1999) a virtual rock covers album that took on Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Righteous Brothers Onishi's recorded output all but vanished in the U.S., while the pianist reportedly released a number of CDs in Japan. Now on Verve, Onishi is back with another unpredictable but typically excellent effort. A more lavish-sounding record than the rock n' raw Fragile, Baroque gives Onishi the opportunity to showcase her formidable compositional and arranging skills. Working with durable and longtime band members Rodney Whitaker and Reginald Veal, (bass), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), and fellow former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra band mate Herlin Riley (drums) along with stellar guests Nicholas Payton (trumpet) and woodwind/reed phenom James Carter Baroque is Onishi's show, yet every musician shines brightly. Riley and Gordon solo engagingly in avant-garde fashion on the album's obvious highlight, "The Three Penny Opera," which, according to the liners, features a piano solo based a musical score by Onishi's mentor and friend, the great Jaki Byard. This Onishi original is both a surprise and a revelation, with all the musicians allowed to stretch more than on her previous recordings. 

As evidenced by the album's opener, "Tutti," Onishi's style has now allowed for a more improvisational approach. In some of her earlier records, her classical training sometimes kept things rather tight. But on numbers like bassist Charles Mingus' notoriously difficult "Meditations for a Pair of Wire Cutters," the pianist seems to have taken a page from the composer's book, allowing her seasoned fellow musicians room to interpret more freely. Onishi gives herself two beautiful unaccompanied piano showcases on Baroque: Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" and Eubie Blake's "Memories of You." Both are fresh takes, technically impressive, and inventive without fussiness. Baroque's expansiveness and variety make for what could be Onishi's most purely entertaining CD to date. ~ Keith Henry Brown  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/baroque-junko-onishi-verve-music-group-review-by-keith-henry-brown.php

Personnel: Junko Onishi : piano; Rodney Whitaker: bass; Reginald Veal: bass; Wycliffe Gordon: trombone; Herlin Riley: drums; Nicholas Payton: trumpet; James Carter: tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, flute; Roland Guerrero: congas.

Baroque

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Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - The Soulful Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:31
Size: 172.9 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. The Sin-In
[2:43] 2. Stand By Me
[2:42] 3. Knock On Wood
[7:28] 4. The Soulful Blues
[2:42] 5. Ebb Tide
[3:32] 6. Summertime
[6:13] 7. Gettin' Up
[3:17] 8. The In Crowd
[8:37] 9. If I Were A Bell
[7:15] 10. Song For My Father
[6:41] 11. Speak Low
[3:44] 12. Unchained Melody
[9:02] 13. Nasty
[7:09] 14. Four Bowls Of Soup

Soulful Blues combines Johnny Smith's Ebb Tide LP from 1967 and Nasty from 1968 onto one CD of decent soul-jazz, albeit often sounding predictably like what you'd expect Prestige soul-jazz from this era to sound like. For Ebb Tide, Smith came right out and declared it in the liner notes: "I'm thinking more commercially and I don't care what the critics say." That meant covering soul hits like "Knock on Wood," "Stand By Me," and "The 'In' Crowd," presumably, in addition to throwing in standards like the title cut and "Summertime," as well as three Smith originals. So what does this critic say? Good job, Johnny! This is superior organ-soul-jazz with a feistier edge than much of the genre, evident right from the opening "The Sin-In," which has riffs worthy of a TV detective show and some fine stuttering keys from the leader. The feistiness in this combo is in large part down to drummer John Harris, who really bashes it out; on "Knock on Wood," for instance, he sounds rather more like a rock drummer than a jazz drummer. Prestige stalwart Houston Person is on hand with tenor sax, while Virgil Jones' trumpet lends the arrangements some good complementary color. In some respects this is more of the same as far as mid- to late-'60s soul-jazz goes, particularly in repertoire ("Summertime" certainly isn't the most imaginative cover choice), but there's a brash energy that makes it a cut or two above the norm for the genre. On the quartet session comprising Nasty, Smith was accompanied by a young John Abercrombie on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, and Prestige mainstay Houston Person on tenor sax. With the exception of "Unchained Melody," the musicians gave the tunes space, with all of the other five tracks clocking in at about seven to nine minutes. Yeah, in a sense it's more run-of-the-mill Prestige late-'60s soul-jazz: quite fine grooves, a dependable yet somewhat predictable house sound, and a reliance upon cover versions for much of the material (two-thirds of the songs, in this case). It's solidly executed, though, in a lean fashion that, to its credit, runs counter to the more excessive arrangements that were creeping into soul-jazz around this time. Smith hits a comely slow-burn groove on his version of Horace Silver's classic "Song for My Father," does a surprisingly swaggering and infectious job with the overdone "Unchained Melody," and gets down into his funkiest and bluesiest mode on the title cut, a nine-minute original composition. ~Richie Unterberger

The Soulful Blues 

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Sue Raney - Heart's Desire: A Tribute To Doris Day

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:00
Size: 116.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:23] 1. Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
[2:53] 2. Sentimental Journey
[4:05] 3. I May Be Wrong
[4:28] 4. Secret Love
[3:09] 5. Everybody Loves A Lover
[3:38] 6. It's Magic
[2:14] 7. Put'em In A Box, Tie'em With A Ribbon
[4:04] 8. My Dream Is Yours
[3:52] 9. Lullaby Of Broadway
[4:08] 10. I'll Never Stop Loving You
[2:28] 11. Shanghai
[3:49] 12. With A Song In My Heart
[2:35] 13. Love Me Or Leave Me
[5:10] 14. Heart's Desire

A wonderful record come true, recorded in Hollywood at the legendary Capitol Studio A, it was cut featuring the same hallmark sound that made Capitol a world-wide celebrity between the classic labels in jazz. Backed by a large ensemble -including brass, reeds, rhythm and strings- singer Sue Raney performs here as touchingly as if she were back in 1957, when Capitol Records made the teenage Sue its newest Cinderella, and her idol Doris Day was America’s favourite singing sweetheart on film. Her partner on this CD is two-time Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Alan Broadbent, who can evoke the mellow big band swing of Doris Day’s early years with Les Brown, making her classic repertory sound like a swirling cloud of memories.

“Sue has a lot of wisdom to show for those fifty years on record, and as this beautiful album proves, she’s still in her prime.” ~ James Gavin

Chuck Berghofer (b), Joe LaBarbera, Clayton Cameron (d), Gary Foster, Lanny Morgan (as, fl), Terry Harrington, Bob Sheppard (ts, cl), John Mitchell (bars, bcl, bassoon), Jim Walker (fl), Earl Dumler (oboe), Charlie Davis, Carl Saunders, Larry McGuire (tp, flgh), Carmen Fanzone (flgh), Andy Martin, Bruce Otto, Charlie Morillas (tb), Rick Todd, Suzette Moriarty (frh), Charlie Bisharat (violin concertmaster), Kevin Connolly, Julian Hallmark, Joe Ketendjian, Mike Markman, Horia Moroaica, Michele Richards, Norm Hughes, Christine Wu, John Wittenberg, Julie Rogers, Armen Garabedian, Sara Parkins, Joel Pargman, Cameron Patrick, Josefina Vergara, Roger Wilkie (violin), Nancy Roth, Harry Shirinian, Jorge Moraga, Danny Seidenberg, Andrew Duckles (violas), Larry Corbett, Cameron Stone, Miguel Martinez, Vanessa Freebairn- Smith, Armen Ksajikian (cellos), Lou Ann Neill (harp).

Heart's Desire: A Tribute To Doris Day

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Jim Snidero - Standards Plus

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:40
Size: 132.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[6:51] 1. You And The Night And The Music
[6:01] 2. Long Ago And Far Away
[8:18] 3. Round Midnight
[6:29] 4. Twilight Waltz
[7:27] 5. Along Came Betty
[6:49] 6. You're My Everything
[4:34] 7. Bluesville
[4:47] 8. What's New
[6:21] 9. Without A Song

After three albums each for the Dutch Criss Cross label and the Italian Red label, this is Maryland born alto player Jim Snidero's first recording for a domestic label. It is also his first album where standards predominate, and where he didn't compose any of the tunes. When asked what prompted him to take this route, he said "There was no real reason. It was simply something I had never done and wanted to do."

Snidero's boppish style comes through the strongest on "You and the Night and the Music" and "Without a Song." But he shows that he can "play pretty" on tunes like "Long Ago and Far Away." Pretty, but not sugary. Even his softer sounds reveal the Cannonball Adderley influence, coupled with the John Coltrane passion. The standards not only include pages from the Great American Songbook, but jazz standards like Cedar Walton's "Twilight Waltz" and Benny Golson's bop masterpiece "Along Came Betty." Snidero's musical confreres on this outing are top-notch. Mike LeDonne, Dennis Irwin, and Kenny Washington all have well established credentials as among the very best in the jazz world. LeDonne's piano makes a very important contribution to the success of the album. Listen to him on "Along Came Betty" and Bob Haggard's poignant "What's New." There's excellent soloing by all throughout, but more important, the ensemble playing is outstanding. A characteristic which sets Snidero apart from contemporary sax players is his ability to stay true to his bop heritage, but not let it dominate everything he plays. When he puts the horn in his mouth, what comes out the other end is not the same every time, there's real variety. Snidero is an under-recognized player at the height of his creative energies. This album should go a long way in giving him the recognition he has earned and deserves. ~Dave Nathan

Standards Plus

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Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis & Johnny Griffin - Blues Up And Down

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:09
Size: 179,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:29)  1. Camp Meeting
(5:10)  2. Blues Up And Down
(7:34)  3. Nice And Easy
(3:57)  4. Oh,Gee
(7:00)  5. Walkin'
(4:42)  6. Leapin' On Lenox
(4:56)  7. Layin' On Mellow
(6:56)  8. Last Train From Overbrook
(8:00)  9. Hey, Lock!
(5:29) 10. Midnight At Minton's
(4:26) 11. Second Balcony Jump
(6:41) 12. I' Ll Remember April
(7:41) 13. Good Bait

Tandem tenor teams enjoy an illustrious history in improvised music: Herschel Evans and Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas, Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, Fred Anderson and Kidd Jordan, the list goes on. One duo that often doesn’t get its fair share in terms of prestige and influence is the one documented so generously on this disc. “Jaws” and “Griff” easily rank with the aforementioned pairs and the albums on this two-fer bear out their case for inclusion in bold relief. Their jointly fronted quintet was one of the hardest blowing in the business during 1960s and this was due in no small part to their regular sidemen, Mance, Gales and Riley. On the first album gathered here Mance sits out and relinquishes his stool to the somewhat less at ease Mayers, but the group circumvents any stumbling blocks posed by the change in personnel and commences to setting into their signature brand of hard charging swing. Griffin was (and still is) widely regarded as one of fastest players in jazz and he doesn’t disappoint on this date blowing rapid-fire rings around the rich-toned phrasings of Davis. But what Davis sacrifices in the way of speed he more than compensates for in terms of depth of sound. 

The tunes are largely blues-based originals with the title track, a favorite of Ammons and Stitt, tossed in for compositional variety. On the second date recorded nine months earlier Mance is a member of the group and the rhythm section sounds slightly more in tune with one another. With a tightened rhythmic garrison behind them Griffin and Davis seem even more committed to showing off all their instruments have to offer in the way of toe-tapping swing and spirit. Leaping headlong into tight harmonies, nimble unison phrases and vigorous solo passages each man revels in the moment and goads his partner to new expressive heights over successive choruses. 

No egos or arrogance, just good old fashioned, visceral blowing. Listeners with the least bit of love for the tenor saxophone owe it to themselves to procure this disc and the others available by this top-flight twosome at earliest convenience. ~ Derek Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/blues-up-and-down-eddie-lockjaw-davis-fantasy-jazz-review-by-derek-taylor.php

Personnel: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Johnny Griffin (tenor saxophone); Lloyd Mayers (piano); Larry Gales (bass); Ben Riley (drums); Junior Mance (piano).

Blues Up And Down

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Joan Chamorro & Magali Datzira - Joan Chamorro presenta Magali Datzira

Styles: Vocal, Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:22
Size: 143,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Someone to Watch Over Me
(4:25)  2. Honeysuckle Rose
(3:08)  3. Bye Bye Love
(5:38)  4. Insensatez
(3:29)  5. Softly As in a Morning Sunrise
(4:23)  6. Nature Boy
(3:16)  7. Give Me a Break
(2:19)  8. Georgia on My Mind
(3:39)  9. Alone Together
(5:07) 10. Just a Closer Walk with Thee
(3:45) 11. Love Is Here to Stay
(5:37) 12. 'Round Midnight
(3:39) 13. Wade in the Water
(4:57) 14. I Fall in Love Too Easily
(3:37) 15. Unchain My Heart

Magalí Datzira is a double bass player and a vocalist. In the second CD-DVD of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, which she took part in the recording of when she was only 13 years old, she started to sing and we were able to glimpse an original and very personal voice. She has a very particular way of approaching tempo and melodies, reading them in a special way and confronting a score as if compass bars did not exist ~ Joan Chamorro

I wanted this to be an assorted album: a combination of different rhythms, different voices and textures… a variety that essentially represents the different tonalities of one and the same color. ~ Magalí Datzira

It is impossible to remain indifferent whilst listening to Magalí singing. Her voice is special, uniquely beautiful, and combines sweetness and character in a balanced way, instinctively, I would say. http://jazztojazz.bandcamp.com/album/joan-chamorro-presenta-magali-datzira

Personnel: Magalí Datzita - vocal, bass; Joan Chamorro - saxophones, bass; Andrea Motis - trumpet, vocal; Ignasi Terraza – piano; Josep Traver – guitar; Esteve Pi – drums; Scott Robinson, Perico Sambeat – saxophones; Josep M. Farràs – trumpet; Víctor Correa – trombone; Curro Gálvez – bass; Orchestra - Sant Andreu Jazz Band

Joan Chamorro presenta Magali Datzira

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The Manhattan Transfer - The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:25
Size: 107,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:07)  1. Tuxedo Junction
(3:40)  2. Boy From New York City
(3:56)  3. Twilight Zone
(4:27)  4. Body And Soul
(3:27)  5. Candy
(3:49)  6. Four Brothers
(5:59)  7. Birdland
(2:58)  8. Gloria
(2:21)  9. Trickle Trickle
(3:12) 10. Operator
(2:46) 11. Java Jive
(3:47) 12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
(2:55) 13. Chanson D'Armour

There's no annotation to speak of on this 12-track collection, but little is needed, as this particular group's work speaks for itself. This is a smooth and impressive cross-section of the renowned vocal group's work across the first six years of its successful "reincarnation" nothing of the original late-'60s quartet is here, apart from the newer group's successful reworking of "Java Jive" near the end of the disc. But basically this album moves from strength to strength, in something of a jumble in terms of original release order the live "Tuxedo Junction," the hit single "Boy from New York City," their stylized homage to Marius Constant's (not Bernard Herrmann, as erroneously listed on the composer's credit) "Twilight Zone" theme, the soaring "Body and Soul," the doo wop homage "Gloria," etc. There are no personnel or detailed recording data, but the release dates and original album information make it easy for anyone who wants more of what they hear to track down the original Atlantic albums and CDs. ~ Bruce Eder  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-manhattan-transfer-mw0000194748

Manhattan Transfer: Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Laurel Masse, Cheryl Bentyne (vocals).

The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

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P.J. Perry - Worth Waiting For

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:02
Size: 156,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. I Cried for You
(3:44)  2. Stardust
(5:07)  3. You'd Be So Easy to Love
(4:31)  4. Blue and Sentimental
(5:24)  5. Poor Butterfly
(3:32)  6. Blue Daniel
(4:18)  7. The Star-Crossed Lovers
(4:36)  8. Namely You
(6:22)  9. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(7:17) 10. My Old Flame
(3:23) 11. Dig
(5:40) 12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(4:38) 13. My Ideal
(4:31) 14. Never Let Me Go

A top Canadian altoist who is still relatively unknown in the United States, P.J. Perry is a bop-oriented veteran who occasionally resembles Sonny Stitt. However Perry's sounds on both alto and tenor are fairly original and he has the bop vocabularly down pat, with few hints of later developments. Joined by a top-notch rhythm trio for this set of swing and bop standards (pianist Kenny Barron who takes "Star Crossed Lovers" as an unaccompanied feature, bassist Chuck Deardorf and drummer Victor Lewis), P.J. Perry is an underrated but major player who deserves to be discovered by straightahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/worth-waiting-for-mw0000678276

Personnel: P.J. Perry (alto & tenor saxophones); Kenny Barron (piano); Chuck Deardorf (bass); Victor Lewis (drums).

Worth Waiting For

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Mark Isham + Kate Ceberano - Bittersweet

Size: 119,6 MB
Time: 51:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. My One And Only Love (4:25)
02. Skylark (4:06)
03. In A Sentimental Mood (4:53)
04. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (4:20)
05. In My Solitude (4:27)
06. Night And Day (5:02)
07. I Wanna Be Loved (6:45)
08. Easy Living (4:14)
09. Lush Life (4:15)
10. Do It Again (4:09)
11. Every Time We Say Goodbye (5:08)

Although best known as a trumpet player, Mark Isham is actually an immensely gifted multi-instrumentalist—a virtual study in contrasts depending on what the musical situation requires. I’d heard of Isham back in the late ‘70s when he’d joined the Rubisa Patrol album with Art Lande. Next thing you know it’s 1980 and Isham had just released the groundbreaking first Group 87 album, an Lp that paved the way for both a new brand of cinematic American rock fusion sound as well as starting a number of new careers for all the members. You can read my interview with Mark Isham from 2000 where he discusses the Group 87 album in depth. And you can also read my liner notes printed with the first ever CD reissue of Group 87 released by One Way Records back in 2000. Now nearly 30 years after the original release of Group 87, Isham picks up his trumpet and returns to his jazzy roots sound with his 2009 CD, Bittersweet—an album that sizzles with a smokey, late night jazz club sound and vibe. Recording with singer Kate Ceberano and jazz legends Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Pete Erskine (drums) and Tom Warrington (acoustic bass), Isham’s horn revisits the golden age of jazz with timeless updates of song classics form the pen of Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Billy Strayhorn—in other words pure jazz classics. Even though she’s being billed as part of the duet album with Isham, the vocals of Ms. Ceberano has a great effect on all these players here, who each really rise to the occasion. Mastered by Bernie Grundman, the CD release on Isham’s Earle Tones imprint presents a state of the art look back at the classic jazz sound of yesteryears. So, you might be thinking, will Mark Isham ever get back to making the kind of music he made his breakthru with on the 1980 Group 87 album? Well part of the answer to that is a resounding yes, especially after giving a good listen to Isham’s 2009 soundtrack to the Crash movie released by Lions Gate Records. This is the kind of experimental neo-rock based album in the guise of a soundtrack that Isham does best. Although missing Group 87 genius guitarist Peter Maunu and New Age keyboardist / bassist Patrick O’Hearn, (not to mention the great G-87 engineer Ed E. Thacker or the budget of Columbia Records producer Bobby Colomby), Crash nevertheless features a fine pairing of Isham and his co-composer on this CD, Cindy O’Connor. Compared to the jazzy vocal vibe of Bittersweet, the Crash CD is a great instrumental electronica album that sounds more like Vangelis or William Orbit than say, Herb Alpert? Anyone who dug the two Group 87 albums should take a listen to Isham’s Crash soundtrack. Though sadly not as well recorded as the trendsetting Group 87 album, (not too many albums comes close) Crash is pretty darn good and is nevertheless a modern masterpiece of instrumental electronic soundtrack music that adds to Isham’s reputation as being among the great soundtrack composers of the past fifty years.

Bittersweet

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Brian Kellock Trio - Something's Got To Give

Size: 133,7 MB
Time: 58:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz: Straight-Ahead/Mainstream
Art: Front

01. They Can't Take That Away From Me (11:33)
02. The Way You Look Tonight ( 5:39)
03. I Won't Dance ( 8:13)
04. I Concentrate On You ( 4:36)
05. The Continental ( 4:17)
06. Fred's Revenge (Part 1) ( 2:58)
07. Isn't This A Lovely Day ( 6:17)
08. Change Partners ( 6:18)
09. Fred's Revenge (Part 2) ( 2:00)
10. Something's Got To Give ( 6:10)

A graduate of Scotland's Edinburgh University, Brain Kellock has worked and/or recorded with several jazz notables including Herb Geller, Art Farmer and Sheila Jordan. Now he has released his own album which gives a major nod to Fred Astaire. This album honors Fred Astaire not for his work as a dancer, but as a singer. Astaire probably introduced to the public more entries in the Great American Popular Songbook than any other performer. He was especially favored by Cole Porter. The play list also includes a two-part piece dedicated to Astaire written by bassist Kenny Ellis and drummer John Rae.

Perhaps the characteristic that singles out Kellock's trio from others is the very active work of John Rae on drums. He is no passive timekeeper, but has a lot to say on almost every cut including his alternating rim shots accentuating Kellock's work on "The Continental". Drumming aside, the star of the show is Kellock as it should be. His light, but harmonically inventive playing, gives some new life to these oft played classics. His imagination shines through on such tunes as "Isn't This a Lovely Day". As he plays, one can almost see Astaire and Ginger Rogers floating over the dance floor to this tune in the 1935 film Top Hat. Another winner is his different arrangement of "Something's Got to Give". Usually played at a quick pace, Kellock holds back, playing it slow and soft allowing full exposition of all the tune's crooks and crannies which are lost when played quickly. This arrangement also allows for an agreeable interlude by Ellis. With his dazzling arpeggios, Kellock's virtuosity is put on full display on "They Can't Take away from Me".

The members of the trio have been with each other for quite a spell. They started off in 1988 as the rhythm section for the Scottish band, the John Rae Collective. Their mutual familiarity comes through on their first album which is recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Personnel: Brian Kellock - Piano; John Rae - Drums; Kenny Ellis - Bass

Something's Got To Give

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Laura Jurd - Human Spirit

Size: 108,4 MB
Time: 46:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Vocals, Trumpet
Art: Front

01. Opening Sequence Verificar (2:03)
02. She Knew Him (5:38)
03. Brighter Days (6:25)
04. Prelude (1:51)
05. Pirates (3:56)
06. Blinded (5:33)
07. Human Spirit (6:41)
08. More Than Just A Fairytale (8:33)
09. Closing Sequence (5:38)

From the opening minute or so all the elements are in place: the metallic electric guitar of Alex Roth, the punchy drums of Corrie Dick, the highly expressive, ever so slightly smeared trumpet tone of Laura Jurd, and the rich, gruff brass choir of Chris Batchelor on trumpet, Colm O’Hara on trombone and Mick Foster on bass saxophone, with vocalist Lauren Kinsella placing her words precisely along the melody line and mixed in with the brass.

There is a lot packed into the one minute 49 seconds of the Opening Sequence, and that, too, is preparation for what is to come: as a composer Laura Jurd doesn’t rest on just one melody and a few chords, she seems to treat a song as a suite.

Take She Knew Him, there is perky opening riff for voice, trumpet and drums, which then slows into a brass chorale of sorts, the perkiness morphed into sobriety, before the opening riff returns in enriched form and we get the leader’s first real trumpet solo, all rising lines and dirty-toned, bent notes, before the whole thing turns into stadium rock with Roth adding the extra grunt. What sounds like a final chord from Roth turns into an extended ending with a bass saxophone solo over it, which then turns out not to be the end at all – we’re back to the perky opening melody.

Brighter Days contains some gorgeous jazz-folk brass writing and a great nonsense-scat intro from Kinsella (at least I’m assuming it’s nonsense – it could be Gaelic!); Pirates has a rumbustious ska beat and loads of intersecting melody lines which stretch into simultaneous solos; Blinded has more of Jurd’s instinctive writing, with the horns patterns dancing around Kinsella’s vocal storyline.

The title track has a bright brass declamatory opening, then sets Kinsella’s vocal line over a lumpy rhythm which then broadens into a rich, rock section before breaking up again into overlapping riffs and lots of space. Roth has great fun punching out the power chords on the richer chorus sections before adding spiky comments to a juddering Batchelor solo, and some more of Kinsella’s admirable nonsense-scat. It all ends in a kind of Zappa-meets brass band chaos.

More Than Just A Fairytale has a distinctly Arthurian legendary feel to its brass section parts, albeit set over funky rhythm groove. An example of the range of Laura Jurd’s writing – she can do most things, I reckon.

And so this album goes on, packing an awful lot into a tight 46 minutes. It’s another substantial addition to modern British jazz from one of the most interesting composers and band leaders currently working here. ~Peter Bacon

Human Spirit

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Lowell Hopper - Soulful Feeling

Size: 108,6 MB
Time: 46:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Smooth Jazz, Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Soulful Feeling (5:39)
02. Live And Learn (4:55)
03. All Night Cruise (Version 2) (5:19)
04. Picture This (5:13)
05. Could Be True Love (4:18)
06. Dream Come True (5:00)
07. Bay View (Version 2) (5:49)
08. Breakthrough (4:46)
09. Inspiration (1:25)
10. Listen To Your Heart (4:27)

Lowell Hopper is a “soul-jazz” guitarist known for his heavy use of 1970s- and 1980s-style musical nuances. Currently based in Panama City, Florida, Lowell has a distinct funky-jazz style that is a product of performing with a variety of rock, RnB, blues, and fusion jazz bands over the years. Besides playing electric and classical guitars, Lowell is well versed on keyboards, four- and five-string electric basses, and produces as well. He performs regularly in jazz/funk bands in northern Florida.

Soulful Feeling

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Elizabeth Edwards - House Of Mirrors

Size: 89,6 MB
Time: 38:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Country Pop
Art: Front

01. When Grace Rains (3:30)
02. House Of Mirrors (3:06)
03. Cut Me Loose (3:25)
04. Child Of Light (3:52)
05. Something Real (4:19)
06. Clean (3:04)
07. Thank You (2:57)
08. Where Did Beautiful Go (4:34)
09. Power To Change (3:43)
10. When I'm With You (6:09)

Elizabeth Edwards is known for her graceful melodic style, her rich lyrics and beautiful vocals but it’s her message of hope and transformation in songs like Surrender to Win, Orchid In the Rain and Clean that have garnered her a loyal fan base.

As an award winning singer songwriter Edwards was chosen to participate in the Lilith Fair’s talent search hosted by Bill Graham Presents and Alice Radio 97.3 in San Francisco. She’s opened for the late Dan Fogelberg and other songwriting legends such as Jesse Colin Young. She has worked with comedian Mark Lundholm on several occasions and recently performed with Richie Supa, Kasim Sulton, and Randi Fishenfeld at the RIR Festival in South Florida.

She’s performed at the world famous Bluebird Café in Nashville TN and many other coffeehouses and songwriter haunts. She’s toured the country’s college campuses and was awarded a grant by The State of California Arts Council as an Artist in Residence where she taught songwriting to kids who were working hard to overcome life challenges in order to graduate.

House Of Mirrors

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Linda Presgrave - Along The Path

Size: 167,8 MB
Time: 72:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. Along The Path (7:33)
02. Where East Meets West (Macau) (5:22)
03. Harbor Lights (Hong Kong) (5:00)
04. Asakusa View (Tokyo) (7:39)
05. Colors Of Collioure (5:46)
06. Bird Of Ceret (7:13)
07. You Just Never Know (6:19)
08. Blues For A Rainy Night (7:38)
09. Place Picasso (7:14)
10. Bird Of Ceret (The Story) (3:47)
11. Universal Freedom (8:36)

Pianist Linda Presgrave has been a well respected presence in the New York jazz arena for 16 years now, so much so that she attracted the inimitable Harvie S to her ensemble and, man, does he ever insert a number of great solos throughout the session! Then there's Allison Miller who understands exactly where the volume adjustments for her voices on the traps should go: sometimes brushy and mellow, other moments zippy and conversational, and every so often bashing hell out of 'em so the listener knows where the emphases lie. Presgrave herself is constantly arriving from bucolic fields in solidly baroque jazzifications, many times even magisterial, oft mindful of olden Richie Beirach (his early ECM content), Art Lande, and Dave Brubeck. No matter where the rest of the combo may wander, she always has firm control but in the pleasantest of ways.

The horns are essential to Along the Path. Without 'em, the gig would have lost a distinctive top end. Stan Chovnick (Presgrave's husband) is the mainstay and stalwart on soprano sax, Todd Herbert pitching in on tenor, Vincent Herring on alto (and particularly azure on Blues for a Rainy Night). On only one cut, Place Picasso, do all three join together, interlocking for the melodic refrain before taking wing in succession for the blowingest section of the CD…including Miller's upstart segues between passages in the fiery interchanges. As matters progress, Presgrave's comping is always bright and illustrative, her solos a logical progression from them, the combination of the two the environment the group walks through.

Save for one cut, the entirety of Path is instrumental, 90% written by Presgrave, but I wasn't too enthralled with MJ Territo's vocals on Bird of Ceret. She flattened things out too much, took the sky out of the song, compressed the dynamics. Following it, however, is the CD's closer, Universal Freedom, written by Chovnick and a track demanding the most from Presgrave, to which she responds marvelously, with ardor and vivacity. It's also the number on which Chovnick most fully spreads his wings, on his own and while trading off with Herbert before ushering the drum kit in, in a dramatic solo (there's very good reason Miller was chosen for three of Linda's past six releases). Though Path may titularly address two geocultural environments, I listened to the entirety as one long piece of multiple movements, more in the way of a Paul Winter set of pastiches rather than, say, Brubeck's more eclectic colorations. I suspect you'll do the same. ~by Mark S. Tucker

Along The Path

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Bettye Lavette - Worthy

Size: 101,5 MB
Time: 44:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues Soul, R&B
Art: Front

01. Unbelievable (3:15)
02. When I Was A Young Girl (3:40)
03. Bless Us All (2:49)
04. Stop (4:24)
05. Undamned (3:33)
06. Complicated (3:43)
07. Where A Life Goes (5:05)
08. Just Between You Me And The Wall You're A Fool (6:39)
09. Wait (3:40)
10. Step Away (3:04)
11. Worthy (4:08)

Bettye LaVette doesn't write her own songs, but she doesn't have to -- by the time she's finished singing a tune, LaVette has turned it into something entirely her own, an emotional statement that's original and complete. Since LaVette reminded American listeners that she was still working at the top of her game with the 2003 live set A Woman Like Me, she's been releasing a steady stream of new albums confirming her status as one of the strongest and most individual interpretive vocalists in the 21st century. LaVette's first studio album after A Woman Like Me was the outstanding I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, produced by Joe Henry, and for 2014's Worthy, LaVette has teamed up again with Henry and several of the same musicians who played on those sessions. Henry is a producer whose approach is less about studio technique and more about setting a mood and letting artists go where they will, and LaVette is the sort of artist who responds best to this treatment; on Worthy, LaVette sings with strength and passion, but she understands dynamics, knowing when to go full-out and when to rein herself in, and her tough but thoughtful approach to the material is powerfully effective and full of keen emotional intelligence and her soulful, sweet and sour voice. Worthy finds LaVette covering songs by the Beatles ("Wait"), the Rolling Stones ("Complicated"), Bob Dylan ("Unbelievable"), and Beth Nielsen Chapman (the title cut), but if LaVette doesn't necessarily make you forget the originals, each time she takes them to a place that's clearly of her own making. LaVette discovers something fresh and deeply personal in every number here, and the backing band on these sessions (including Doyle Bramhall II on guitar, Chris Bruce on bass, and Patrick Warren on keyboards) works with her beautifully, with a give and take that's a master class in how to accompany a vocalist. Worthy is another impressive release from an outstanding singer, and if it follows the pattern of some of her recent albums, nothing here sounds rote; this is the sound of an artist doing what she does best, and she is far more than worthy of this great music. ~Review by Mark Deming

Worthy

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