Lee Morgan - Delightfulee Morgan

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:25
Size: 154.3 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Soul jazz, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1966/2007
Art: Front

[5:29] 1. Ca-Lee-So
[6:28] 2. Zambia
[5:45] 3. Yesterday
[6:14] 4. Sunrise, Sunset
[7:35] 5. Nite-Flite
[6:33] 6. The Delightful Deggie
[7:07] 7. Need I
[8:26] 8. Filet Of Soul
[7:56] 9. Zambia
[5:47] 10. The Delightful Deggie

As Lee Morgan's career moved from hard and post-bop to soul-jazz, Delightfulee serves as a further bridge in a half-and-half fashion. Four of the seven cuts feature his potent quintet with a young and emerging tenor saxophonist, Joe Henderson, as his front line mate, McCoy Tyner ever brilliant on piano, and Billy Higgins firing up the rhythm as only the drummer could. The remainder of the date consists of tracks orchestrated by Oliver Nelson featuring an 11-piece ensemble. There are two selections that feature versions of compositions with both configurations. "Zambia" is a post-bop classic in Morgan's repertoire, sporting a memorable, concise, no-nonsense melody line punctuated by Tyner's piano chords, but in big-band style, it is full and rich, maybe too much so. The easy, deep waltz "Delightful Deggie," may benefit from the orchestration. Wayne Shorter is the featured tenor on the larger group tracks, while saxophonists Danny Bank and Phil Woods (both doubling on flute, a rarity for Woods),trombonist Tom McIntosh, tuba player Don Butterfield,and French Horn icon James Buffington supply the depth. The drummer for the big-and cuts is Philly Joe Jones, and again, is quite a contrast to the smoother Higgins. Of the small ensemble cuts, the fun calypso boogaloo "Ca-Lee-So" is a postscript for Morgan's big hit "The Sidewinder," recorded three years prior. Tyner strokes out kinetic forms during "Nite Flite," and dips into deep blues for "Deggie." Morgan and Henderson's solos are always spot on. The best big-band track, "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof, is extremely hip and features a relaxed Shorter, while the worst, a somber samba take on the Beatles' "Yesterday," seems a throwaway. For some this will always be an oddball release of Morgan's, but it does suggest moving on into what would be a fruitful and successful final five years. [The RVG edition, released in 2007, features remastered sound and four bonus tracks.] ~Michael G. Nastos

Delightfulee Morgan

---

Dusty Springfield - The Very Best Of Dusty Springfield

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 55:49

Size: 127.8 MB

Styles: Blue eyed soul, AM Pop

Year: 1998

Art: Front

[2:34] 1. I Only Want To Be With You

[2:53] 2. Wishin' And Hopin'

[2:46] 3. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

[1:55] 4. Stay Awhile

[2:25] 5. Son Of A Preacher Man

[2:59] 6. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

[2:10] 7. All Cried Out

[3:01] 8. Some Of Your Lovin'

[2:46] 9. In The Middle Of Nowhere

[3:20] 10. All I See Is You

[3:32] 11. The Look Of Love

[2:16] 12. Little By Little

[3:07] 13. Guess Who

[2:58] 14. I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten

[2:30] 15. I'll Try Anything (To Get You)

[2:58] 16. Losing You

[2:30] 17. What's It Gonna Be

[2:25] 18. A Brand New Me

[3:04] 19. Give Me Time

[3:28] 20. Goin' Back

Mercury records, which controls the Phillips records catalog, has compiled this Dusty Springfield set by referring to Springfield's U.K. and U.S. chart successes from 1964 to 1967, then licensing her two biggest hits for Atlantic records, "Son of a Preacher Man" and "A Brand New Me." The result, in terms of song selection, is an excellent 20-song, 57-minute disc that includes most of her best-known material. (The major omission is "The Windmills of Your Mind," a U.S. Top 40 hit, which was on Atlantic.) The more questionable elements on the album are the sequencing and the choice of mono and stereo takes. These problems are interrelated: if the compilation producer had opted for a chronological sequencing, the drastic aural differences between the early mono tracks and the later gimmicky, extreme (and, in at least one case, apparently fake) stereo tracks would not have been such a constant distraction to the listener. (So many tracks, even from as late as 1967, are in mono, that you wonder why they didn't just make the whole album mono.) And Springfield's stylistic evolution would have been more coherent, too. Why, for example, put the 1968 "Son of a Preacher Man" its full stereo, American R&B-style glory, as the fifth track, then follow it with the 1964 "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," in boxy mono with orchestral accompaniment? Of course, you can re-sequence the album on your CD player, but you shouldn't have to. ~William Ruhlmann

The Very Best Of Dusty Springfield

---

Harold Mabern - Misty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:44
Size: 116.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2008/2014
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Dat Dere
[4:26] 2. She
[4:08] 3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:26] 4. Mabern's Boogie
[5:04] 5. The Way We Were
[4:13] 6. Unforgetable
[3:45] 7. You Don't Know What Love Is
[5:12] 8. A Child Is Born
[3:39] 9. Wail Bait
[4:12] 10. Stolen Moments
[3:53] 11. Wayne's Blues
[4:53] 12. Misty

Harold Mabern is one of many American jazz artists who have found a lucrative market for their recordings in Japan. This solo piano date is one of his very best efforts, opening with a hard-driving take of Bobby Timmons' hard bop masterpiece "Dat Dere," then following it with a thoughtful rendition George Shearing's unjustly obscure ballad "She." The pianist's breezy hard bop treatment of "You Don't Know What Love Is" makes one forget that it began life as a bittersweet ballad. Mabern's upbeat performance of Quincy Jones' "Wail Bait" provokes memories of Bud Powell when he was healthy. Erroll Garner's "Misty" has long been one of the most requested tunes in night club settings, though Mabern's percussive setting is quite different from the usual low-key approach. Mabern also includes a pair of originals, including his brisk "Mabern's Boogie, which would have been right at home during the genre's heyday, along with his dazzling, hard-charging "Wayne's Blues." ~Ken Dryden

Misty

---

Perez Prado - The Peanut Vendor

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:01
Size: 57.3 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[2:38] 1. The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero)
[2:22] 2. Guaglione
[3:17] 3. Guantanamera
[2:29] 4. Perfidia
[2:47] 5. Mambo No. 5
[2:25] 6. Cerezo Rosa (Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White)
[2:19] 7. Mambo Jambo (Que Rico El Mambo)
[2:04] 8. Mambo No. 8
[2:17] 9. María Bonita
[2:18] 10. Patricia

Though diminutive in stature, Pérez Prado was a giant in the world of post-war popular music. Dubbed "The Mambo King," he reigned supreme as one of the most influential pop orchestra leaders of the early 1950s. As the mambo rhythm spread across the continents, a society emerged from the dark years of World War II to shed it's inhibitions and embrace the frenzy of this Afro-Cuban beat.

Prado's conception of the mambo began to develop in 1943. He later said that four, five, and sometimes six musicians would often play after hours jam sessions on the tres (a small Cuban guitar) and the resultant cross rhythms and syncopation give him the idea. Jazz writer and critic Ralph J. Gleason reported that "Prez" talked to him about the mambo as being an Afro-Cuban rhythm with a dash of American swing. According to Prado, the mambo is "more musical and swingier than the rhumba.[2] It has more beat." He also explained, "I am a collector of cries and noises, elemental ones like seagulls on the shore, winds through the trees, men at work in a foundry. Mambo is a movement back to nature, by means of rhythms based on such cries and noises, and on simple joys."

The Peanut Vendor

---

Louis Smith & Jodie Christian - The Very Thought Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:33
Size: 152.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Cool jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. My Ideal
[9:23] 2. Don't Take Your Love Away From Me
[5:16] 3. Mihoko's Tune
[5:55] 4. I Will Wait For You
[6:12] 5. But Not For Me
[8:55] 6. A Cottage For Sale
[8:33] 7. The Very Thought Of You
[7:28] 8. A Child Is Born
[9:35] 9. I Should Care

Louis Smith (trumpet); Jodie Christian (piano).

Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Christian was one of the co-founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) along with pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. He and Abrams were also part of the Experimental Band. He worked at Chicago's Jazz Showcase club, and performed with Eddie Harris, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Roscoe Mitchell, Buddy Montgomery and John Klemmer. Christian led a group on albums. He died on February 13, 2012, aged 80, in Chicago.

Edward Louis Smith (born May 20, 1931, Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American jazz trumpeter. While studying at the University of Michigan, he played with visiting musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Thad Jones and Billy Mitchell, before going on to play with Sonny Stitt, Count Basie and Al McKibbon, Cannonball Adderley, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham and Zoot Sims.

He began his career with two albums for Blue Note Records. The first, Here Comes Louis Smith, originally recorded for the Boston based Transition Records, featured Cannonball Adderley (then under contract to Mercury) playing under the pseudonym "Buckshot La Funke", Tommy Flanagan, Duke Jordan, Art Taylor and Doug Watkins. Smith's initial music career was brief; he became a teacher at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor's public school system, but later recorded for the SteepleChase label. Smith suffered a stroke in 2006, and is seen occasionally enjoying live jazz in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area, but has not returned to performing.

The Very Thought Of You

---

Steve Miller Band - 2 albums: Live At The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, April 28th 1968 (double CD) / The Joker

Sometimes I wonder why archivists bother releasing early recordings like these. First and foremost, it should be mentioned that Steve Miller has been around since the '60s as an impeccably talented blues guitarist. In fact, the blues are where he cut his teeth, and in Chicago of all places. It wasn't until 1966 that he moved to San Francisco and became part of the psychedilic rock movement. But it's not this era of his music that most people know and love the Steve Miller Band. In fact, a lot of casual fans of his music don't know of this era of the band at all.

The Steve Miller Band most people know and love came about in 1973 with the release of 'The Joker', one of his best and most-beloved albums. The two albums he's best known for are 'Fly Like an Eagle' and 'Book of Dreams'--arguably his best albums ever recorded--and it's these three albums that have overshadowed his entire career. So why the sudden gust of Steve Miller (Blues) Band nostalgia? Is it their big 2014 tour with Journey? Who knows?

Unless you're an absolutely die-hard fan of Steve's early work, don't even bother with this album. It's not a Capitol Records release, which sends up red flags that it's a bootleg recording. Put the CD into your stereo system, and the sound quality that will soon emit confirms your suspicions. Barely audible at a "normal" decible level, you REALLY need to crank the knob if you want to hear Steve's vocals.

Then there's the hum, the ever-present hum of the Carousel Ballroom's PA system. My guess is our bootlegger held the microphone of his tape recorder right up to the speaker system and started recording. Somewhere in the midst of track 8 on the first disc is where that first side ran out, because the audio cuts out completely.

The band was on fire that night, and the quality of their performance is the only thing that shines on this album. The jams that took place that night were pretty epic; the crime here is that a proper release was not done. Who knows exactly how long this recording has been sitting, but I'm sure the audio could have been cleaned up and remastered, the levels could have been balanced better, and that God-awful PA hum could have been removed completely. I know we can all learn to live with the hum, but it just murders the last two songs on disc 2. ~Kirk A. Gauthier

Album: Live At The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, April 28th 1968 (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Album Rock
Year: 2014

[ 3:29] 1. I Got My Eyes On You
[ 5:33] 2. Born In Chicago
[ 3:46] 3. Highway Child
[ 2:48] 4. Fannie May
[ 6:53] 5. Got Love If You Want It
[ 4:38] 6. Steppin' Stone
[12:07] 7. Blues With A Feeling
[ 8:22] 8. Worry About My Baby
[ 4:35] 9. Look On Yonder Wall

Live At The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, April 28th 1968 (Disc 1)

---

Album: Live At The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, April 28th 1968 (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:23
Size: 94.7 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[ 6:30] 1. Mercury Blues
[ 9:17] 2. Living In The Usa
[18:06] 3. Song For Our Ancestors
[ 7:29] 4. Key To The Highway

Live At The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, April 28th 1968 (Disc 2)

---

Album: The Joker
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:54
Size: 82.2 MB
Styles: Album rock
Year: 1973
Art: Front

[4:33] 1. Sugar Babe
[2:23] 2. Mary Lou
[5:41] 3. Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma
[3:21] 4. Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash
[4:23] 5. The Joker
[2:09] 6. The Lovin' Cup
[4:04] 7. Come On In My Kitchen
[4:36] 8. Evil
[4:40] 9. Something To Believe In

The Joker is, without question, the turning point in Steve Miller's career, the album where he infused his blues with a big, bright dose of pop and got exactly what he deserved: Top Ten hits and stardom. He also lost a lot of fans, the ones who dug his winding improvs, because those spacy jams were driven by chops and revealed new worlds. The Joker isn't mind-expanding, it's party music, filled with good vibes, never laying a heavy trip, always keeping things light, relaxed and easygoing. Sometimes, the vibes are interrupted, but not in a harsh way -- the second side slows a bit, largely due to the sludgy "Come in My Kitchen" and "Evil," the two songs that were recorded live but lacking any kinetic energy -- but for the most part, this is all bright and fun, occasionally truly silly, as on "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma." This silliness, of course, alienated old fans all the more, but that sense of fun is both the most appealing thing about The Joker and it set a touchstone for the rest of his career. Here, it's best heard on the terrific opener "Sugar Babe" and, of course, the timeless title track, which is sunny and ridiculous in equal measure. If nothing else is quite up to that standard in terms of songs -- certainly, it's not as jammed-pack as its successor, Fly Like an Eagle -- The Joker nevertheless maintains its good-time vibe so well that it's hard not to smile along...provided you're on the same wavelength as Miller, of course. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Joker

---

Dave Stryker - All The Way

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:27
Size: 133.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[8:31] 1. I Got Rhythm
[8:06] 2. All The Way
[8:01] 3. All Or Nothing At All
[6:05] 4. God Bless The Child
[5:15] 5. Dearly Beloved
[8:40] 6. Brother Can You Spare A Dime
[5:47] 7. A Lazy Afternoon
[7:58] 8. The Touch Of Your Lips

Not as well known as he should be, guitar man Dave Stryker's most recent claim to fame has been as part of saxophonist Javon Jackson's new combo. Before that he spent some time in the group of the soulful Stanley Turrentine. Throughout all this work as a sideman, Stryker had also been honing his skills as a leader for the Danish SteepleChase label beginning with 1990's Strike Zone. With All the Way, the guitarist's eighth date for the label, Stryker takes a dramatic step forward that pays off well and will hopefully bring him a wider audience base.

What has marked all of Stryker's previous SteepleChase sides has been his penchant to not repeat formats or ideas. Each session sports a different group of musicians and the material covers new ground. A brazen move, Stryker finally decided to record with just a bassist and drummer, making him the lead player and exposing himself for all the world to hear. The liners even mention how rarely this format has been used in the past, with this writer's memory bringing up only Grant Green's transcendent Green Street as a precursor. That Stryker manages to make this work is as much a credit to him as the other players involved, namely bassist Scott Colley and drummer Bill Stewart. All three men are masters to the point that they're able to execute whatever their creative minds tell their hands, fingers, or feet to do.

Things get underway with "I Got Rhythm" and it's saying a lot to suggest that Stryker and crew speak volumes on what has been a jazz musician's war-horse for umpteen years. Standards, if you haven't guessed it, are the order of the day, with the relaxed Latin groove of "All or Nothing at All" especially sumptuous. Another highlight is yet one more recent take on the meaty and satisfying "A Lazy Afternoon." Throughout, Stryker speaks with a distinctive guitar tone that has a processed sound (i.e. Abercrombie or Metheny) but is very warm and full enough to support this modest grouping. Bassist Colley is solid as ever and Stewart's quirky and yet highly effective drumming marks him as one of the few innovators on the instrument today. Cutting to the chase, these three make great music that will certainly endure long enough to see this one eventually become a classic of the guitar trio format. ~C. Andrew Hovan

Dave Stryker- guitar, Scott Colley- bass, Bill Stewart- drums.

All The Way

---

Various - A Tribute To Charlie Parker

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 88:12
Size: 201.9 MB
Styles: Assorted jazz styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[ 2:06] 1. Charlie Parker - Scrapple From The Apple
[ 7:55] 2. Grant Green - Cool Blues
[ 6:30] 3. Louis Smith - Au Privave
[ 6:15] 4. Paul Chambers - Chasin' The Bird
[ 5:25] 5. Stanley Turrentine - The Jumpin' Blues
[15:14] 6. Art Blakey - Moose The Mooche
[ 9:32] 7. Clifford Jordan - Billie's Bounce
[ 4:39] 8. Buddy Rich - Now's The Time
[ 3:08] 9. Roy Ayers - Donna Lee
[ 1:56] 10. Carmen Mcrae - Yardbird Suite
[ 4:10] 11. Elvin Jones - Anthropology
[ 4:10] 12. Ernie Andrews - Parker's Mood
[ 5:46] 13. Howard Roberts - Relaxin' At Camarillo
[ 3:48] 14. Michel Camilo - My Little Suede Shoes
[ 7:32] 15. Jim Hall - Scrapple From The Apple

In terms of his global influence and enduring legacy, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker was unquestionably one of the most important artistic figures of the 20th century. Almost sixty years after his premature demise Parker's musical DNA can be detected almost everywhere jazz is played. Parker's music—and in no small measure his myth—has inspired countless jazz musicians but it has also inspired authors, painters, film makers and a surprising number of poets.

A Tribute To Charlie Parker

---

James Williams - Magical Trio 2

Styles: Hard Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:42
Size: 123,2 MB
Art: Front

( 3:41)  1. Bohemia After Dark
( 6:41)  2. Too Late Now
( 6:12)  3. A Portrait of Elvin
( 6:14)  4. Roadlife
( 7:29)  5. In the Open Court
( 8:37)  6. You Are Too Beautiful
(10:02)  7. Lullabye of the Leaves
( 4:41)  8. Bohemia After Dark (Alternate Take)

The second of pianist James Williams' three Magical Trio releases features him interacting with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Elvin Jones on trio renditions of three of his originals (including "A Portrait of Elvin") plus four fresh standards. The spontaneous results are quite stimulating and the matchup between these masterful musicians (who do not play together very often) on the straightahead set is quite successful. ~ Scott Yanow 

Personnel:  James Williams – piano;  Ray Brown – bass;  Elvin Jones - drums

Magical Trio 2

---

Linda Lawson - Easy To Love

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:03
Size: 104,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:28)  1. Are You With Me
(3:19)  2. Where Flamingos Fly
(2:42)  3. But Beautiful
(2:47)  4. Me And My Shadow
(3:17)  5. You Don't Know What Love Is
(1:49)  6. Easy To Love
(3:18)  7. Meaning Of The Blues
(2:45)  8. Mood Indigo
(3:01)  9. Like Young
(2:39) 10. Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo
(3:01) 11. Make The Man Love Me
(2:52) 12. Up Pops Love
(2:31) 13. Somehow
(2:48) 14. More Than Never
(2:51) 15. Salty, Salty Is The Sea
(2:49) 16. Never Like This

Born Linda Gloria Spaziani in Ann Arbor, Mich in 1936, Linda Lawson began her music career at the top, singing at The Sands in Las Vegas and, in 1957, making singles for the Verve label with an orchestra arranged and conducted by no less than Henry Mancini. She seemed set to make a considerable impact in music, but instead decided to focus on an acting career and by 1960 was busy in movies and on TV, where her rising profile led to "Introducing Linda Lawson", her debut album as a singer. Recorded in 1960, with an orchestra arranged and conducted by the gifted Marty Paich and packed with the finest West Coast jazz talent, her performance suggested that a successful career in music was hers for the taking. But acting remained her first love and these recordings are the only examples of her notable musical ability. In them she combined the highly complementary skills of singing and acting, splendidly uniting them to tackle the range of high-quality and demanding material chosen for these sessions. That she did it with persuasive aplomb is abundantly clear from the results. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Lawson-Love-22-Arranged-Conducted-Introducing/dp/B00D5O7ZQK

Featuring: Linda Lawson (vcl), with orchestras arranged & conducted by Marty Paich & Henry Mancini, featuring Jack Sheldon (tp), Frank Rosolino (tb), Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bill Perkins (saxes), Jimmy Rowles (p), Joe Mondragon (b), Mel Lewis (d).

Many thanks to a great friend of our blog for this album!

Easy To Love

---

Maria Vincent & The Millionaires - She'll Be Gone

Styles: Vocal, Rock
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:35
Size: 94,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. Walkin' Blues
(2:59)  2. Easy Easy Baby
(2:14)  3. I Love You Honey
(3:41)  4. Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens
(3:11)  5. Rock This Joint
(2:57)  6. She'll Be Gone
(2:41)  7. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
(3:37)  8. Them There Eyes
(3:08)  9. I'll Wait for You
(2:51) 10. Hook Line & Sinker
(3:08) 11. No More Love
(2:58) 12. House of Blue Lights
(3:39) 13. Promises Promises Promises

Maria Vincent & The Millionaires, a swingin\' six-piece, are one of the hottest bands on the Rhythm & Blues, Rock \'n\' Roll and Swing scenes. Their sound is based around the early 1950s when Rock \'n\' Roll emerged of Rhythm & Blues via great artists such as LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Louis Jordan & Wynonie Harris  hence their popularity on all 3 related scenes, and appearances at high-profile events including The Rhythm Riot, Hemsby Rock & Roll and the Colne & Burnley Blues Fests. \"She\'ll Be Gone\" is their second studio album, and it suceeds magnificently in capturing the sound of the birth of Rock \'n\' Roll, when the Big Beat, the swingin\' saxophone, and the jump blues sound still dominated.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mvmillionaires

Personnel: Maria Vincent (vocals);  Zdravkovic (guitar); Richie "Rich" Vincent (double bass).

She'll Be Gone

---

Bill Jennings - Stompin' With Bill

Styles: Guitar Jazz,  R&B
Year: 1950
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:00
Size: 94,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. Stompin' With Bill
(3:04)  2. Lonesome Traveller
(2:47)  3. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
(2:51)  4. Alexandria, Va. - Previously Unreleased Take
(2:43)  5. Stompin' With Bill (Alt)
(3:11)  6. St. Louis Blues
(2:48)  7. Frankie & Johnny Boogie
(2:30)  8. Real Choice Blues
(2:28)  9. I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart
(2:24) 10. Temptation
(2:40) 11. Flat Foot Floojie
(2:21) 12. Roll On
(3:29) 13. Bittersweet
(1:22) 14. Ray's Blues (Take 1)
(3:35) 15. Ray's Blues (Take 2)

These five titles (circa mid-'50s) by guitarist Jennings originally came from the Gotham label. The disc also has five Ray Bryant Trio, two Tiny Grimes (g), one Billy Davis, and one Gay Crosse from the same period and the same source. The quality varies but all the music is rare, and there are interesting moments in much of it. ~ Bob Porter  http://www.allmusic.com/album/stompin-with-bill-mw0000262689

Stompin' With Bill

---

Hank Crawford - Memphis, Ray & A Touch Of Moody

Size: 177,6+166.9 MB
Time: 76:28+71:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998/2009
Styles: Jazz: Mainstream Jazz, Soul Jazz
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Boo's Tune (6:36)
02. Angel Eyes (6:31)
03. Four Five Six (5:05)
04. The Story (4:40)
05. Dat Dere (4:50)
06. Misty (5:30)
07. Sister Sadie (4:36)
08. Don't Cry Baby (4:19)
09. Sweet Cakes (3:36)
10. You've Changed (3:17)
11. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand (3:51)
12. Sherri (Sherry) (4:36)
13. The Peeper (3:06)
14. But On The Other Hand (5:00)
15. Stoney Lonesome (5:40)
16. What Will I Tell My Heart (5:08)

CD 2:
01. Blueberry Hill (3:21)
02. I Left My Heart In San Francisco (2:41)
03. Stormy Weather (3:14)
04. Sweet Slumber (2:49)
05. If I Didn't Care (2:43)
06. Stardust (3:54)
07. Any Time (2:40)
08. Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) (2:43)
09. Time Out For Tears (2:55)
10. I'm Getting Senimental Over You (3:17)
11. There Goes My Heart (3:12)
12. Have A Good Time (2:53)
13. Dig These Blues (4:30)
14. Don't' Get Around Much Anymore (4:59)
15. Banana Head (2:56)
16. H.C. Blues (2:46)
17. It's A Sin (2:33)
18. Hollywood Blues (3:17)
19. Baby Won't You Please Come Home (5:44)
20. New Blues (4:21)
21. Bluff City Blues (3:49)

This excellent two-disc set brings back four (!) of the best and earliest of Crawford's long out-of-print Atlantic LPs: his debut, More Soul (1960); his third, From the Heart (1961); his fourth, Soul of the Ballad (1963); and his sixth, Dig These Blues (1964). It's a remarkably cohesive, swinging set of first-rate soul jazz, blues and soulful ballads.

More Soul starts it all off with a straight-ahead, fun-filled set of seven solid swingers (even "Misty" swings here). Crawford's well-constructed septet features an alto/tenor/baritone/two trumpet frontline. David "Fathead" Newman shines on tenor, Leroy Cooper grinds on baritone and the trumpeters take several nice spots. But Crawford testifies : he jumps, soars, swoops and glides, never resorting to pretense or showiness. He means what he says and it sounds good.

The same group returns for the great From the Heart, a slowed-down, low-down set of nine blues. Guitarist Sonny Green turns out on three tracks, doing Crawford's sound up Basie style. Crawford, covering soulful standards like "Dat Dere" and "Sister Sadie" on his previous outing, explores more of his own blues here: "Sweet Cakes," "Sherri," "The Peeper" and "Stoney Lonesome."

Soul of the Ballad is a sax-and-strings affair that seems a little out of place here. Nevertheless, Crawford invests warm gusto in a set of too-familiar ballads, arranged by Marty Paich in the same country-soul style he was helping Ray Charles popularize at the time. The excellent Dig These Blues returns Crawford to more familiar ground, digging deep in on some good blues, and Crawford sitting in on piano for the noir blues of "Bluff City Blues" and "The Crazy Saloon."

Memphis, Ray and a Touch of Moody, despite its odd title (referring to Crawford's birthplace, his musical benefactor and, presumably, the saxophonist's affinity for James Moody), offers a satisfying portrait of one of jazz's most soulful alto players and a heaping helping of delicious soul jazz at its best. Recommended. ~Douglas Payne

Personnel: Hank Crawford: alto sax, piano; David "Fathead" Newman, Abdul Baari, Wilbur Brown, Wendell Harrison: tenor sax; Leroy Cooper, Howard Johnson: baritone sax; Phillip Guilbeau, Oliver Beener, Marcus Belgrave, Julius Brooks, Jimmy Owens: trumpet; John Hunt: trumpet, fluegelhorn; Edgar Willis, Ali Mohammed, Charlie Green: bass; Milt Turner, Bruno Carr: drums; Sonny Forrest: guitar; The Marty Paich Orchestra.

Memphis, Ray & A Touch Of Moody CD 1
Memphis, Ray & A Touch Of Moody CD 2

---

Estrela Guia - Acustico Equilibrio

Size: 135,5 MB
Time: 58:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Art: Front

01. Madame Zajj (4:06)
02. Oreade (6:27)
03. Nos Teus Braços (7:31)
04. Aquela Mulher (4:40)
05. Alma (7:15)
06. Caminhando Em Voce (2:32)
07. De Quem A Voz (4:51)
08. Roger (5:29)
09. Samba Da Minhaturizada (5:08)
10. Mercy, Mercy Me (6:16)
11. Easy (3:43)

The album includes 11 tracks of a heavenly fusion between bossa nova, jazz samba, & lounge, a combination balanced between the past & present. The entire album was richly recorded with acoustic instruments, characterized by a studied research of vintage sounds that leave a work that is extremely enjoyable, & refined.

Veronica Farnararo - Vocals
Daniele Santimone - Guitar
David Falconi - Piano
David Garattoni - Bass
Roberto Rossi - Drums
Massimo Greek - Trumpet And Flugelhorn

Acustico Equilibrio

---

Trey Wright - Songs From Oak Avenue

Size: 127,0 MB
Time: 54:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. Boomerang (4:39)
02. Teddy Baffle (5:00)
03. Sitting Still (4:35)
04. Joni (7:49)
05. Untitled (6:18)
06. Chance Of Snow (6:02)
07. I've Been Meaning To Tell You (6:50)
08. The Way Forward (6:54)
09. Don't Panic (6:44)

Personnel:
Trey Wright (guitar)
Marc Miller (upright bass)
Marlon Patton (drums)
Sam Skelton (saxophone, track 1)
Mace Hibbard (saxophone, tracks 4 & 6)

Trey Wright is a jazz guitarist, composer and recording artist based in Rosewll, GA. Initially inspired by the blues, Trey was exposed to jazz early in his development by a private instructor. While studying Sociology at the University of Georgia, Wright furthered his study of jazz improvisation with pianist and composer Steve Dancz. In 1994, he co-founded the Athens/Atlanta based jazz band Squat. The group is a six-time winner of Best Jazz Band at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards and has been a featured artist at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Bel Chere, The Twilight Athens Jazz Festival, the Cherry Blossom Festival, Harvest Midtown and Athfest. Several of Trey’s compositions with the group have received international airplay and have been featured on Sirius/XM radio and NPR’s All Things Considered.

Trey also performs freelance in the Athens and Atlanta area and has performed with Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets), John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Corey Christiansen and Darmon Meader of the New York Voices. Trey has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz A Vienne and the World Sacred Music Festival in Bangalore, India. As a solo guitarist and with his trio, Trey has been a featured performer at the Athens Music and Arts Festival, The Lake Oconee Jazz Festival and the Atlanta Jazz Festival. In early 2008, Trey began playing with the Georgia Symphony Jazz Orchestra.

In December of 2002, Trey completed a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at Georgia State University and he currently teaches Applied Jazz Guitar, Jazz Theory and Composition, Jazz Guitar Ensemble, Jazz History, Jazz Improvisation and The History of Rock at Kennesaw State University. Trey has also taught at LaGrange College, Gainesville College, the Atlanta Institute of Music and was a Jazz Artist in Residence at The University of Georgia. In addition, Trey writes a column on Jazz Harmony for the Guitar for the quarterly print magazine Just Jazz Guitar.

In 2006, Trey released his first CD Where I’m Calling From, receiving rave reviews and airplay throughout the United States, New Zealand, England, Australia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, Scotland and The Netherlands. The Trey Wright Trio released Thinking Out Loud in the summer of 2009 on Blue Canoe Records. In 2010, The CD was included in the first round of Grammy Nominations/Entries for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. In the fall of 2012, the Trey Wright Trio’s version of Thom Yorke’s “Analyze” was included on the compilation Head Radio Retransmissions: A Tribute to Radiohead on the German label ESC records. Trey’s long awaited collaboration with Grammy winning saxophonist Mace Hibbard The Hibbard/Wright Project was released in May 2013.

Songs From Oak Avenue

---

Jeff Cascaro & Hr-Bigband - Soul Town: The Live Concert

Size: 58,4 MB
Time: 25:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Soul Vocals
Art: Front

01. Gettin' Started & Roots (Live) (5:56)
02. Inner City Blues (Live) (6:13)
03. Waiting (Live) (4:13)
04. How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (Live) (3:53)
05. The Other Man (Live) (5:02)

Jeff Cascaro, born in 1968, started his career at the young age of 18 as the winner of a youth jazz contest. He gained experience as a background singer and guest musician with the NDR and Rias Big Bands, as well as with German stars like Ute Lemper, die Fantastischen Vier, Sasha, Joe Sample of the Crusaders, Götz Alsmann, Klaus Doldinger's band Passport, the Guano Apes, and Paul Kuhn – just to name a few, as they stand for Cascaro's wide spectrum in music of different genres. One thing that has never changed about him is that he unmistakebly wears his heart right next to his soul. Since 2000 the versatile practicioner also works academically: he is a professor of jazz singing at the "Franz List" Conservatory in Weimar.

Soul Town

---

Duduka Da Fonseca Trio - Jive Samba

Size: 124,7 MB
Time: 53:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Art: Front

01. Jive Samba (4:27)
02. Lucky Southern (5:12)
03. Sco's Bossa (6:38)
04. Recorda Me (5:04)
05. Peresina (6:43)
06. Clouds (6:34)
07. Pensativa (6:00)
08. Speak Like A Child (4:25)
09. El Gaucho (4:11)
10. Samba Yantra (4:36)

Personnel:
Duduka Da Fonseca: drums
David Feldman: piano
Guto Wirtti: acoustic bass
Paulo Levi: tenor saxophone

• Master drummer Duduka Da Fonseca and his Rio-based Trio, interpreting Brazilian Samba Jazz compositions by North American jazz icons Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and others.

• Duduka Da Fonseca has been hailed as one of the leading drummer/band leaders in Brazilian Samba Jazz, re-uniting here with his Brazil-based Trio for their third ZOHO CD release, in ten exquisite arrangements, including "Jive Samba", "Sco's Bossa" and "Speak Like a Child".

• Since his arrival in New York in 1975, Da Fonseca has performed with, and has appeared as a sideman on over 200 CDs, with North American jazz greats Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell, John Scofield, Gerry Mulligan, Claudio Roditi, Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano and many more.

• Da Fonseca has toured internationally with Brazilian legends Antonio Carlos Jobim and singer Astrud Gilberto, and formed the outstanding Brazilian jazz group Trio da Paz with guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta.

Jive Samba

---

Heather Powell - A Haze Of Grays And Blue

Size: 100,2 MB
Time: 36:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Adult Contemporary, Jazz Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Unexpected (3:32)
02. Black And White Thinking (3:50)
03. Remember The Love (3:33)
04. Blue Light (3:34)
05. Awaken (4:02)
06. Wishing (3:38)
07. Falling (3:10)
08. Distant One (3:49)
09. Unstoppable (3:26)
10. See Me (4:10)

Are you ready for something unexpected from the Big Apple? Well, for fans of Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, and Kelly Clarkson we've got the latest from Heather Powell, A Haze of Grays and Blues.

Opening the album is Unexpected, a grooving little song about meeting up for a night of fun and “unexpected bliss” - a real night on the town kind of track. Following this jiving and romantic track is the harder and grittier Black and White Thinking. This song is filled with many darker tones and lyrics, without overshadowing the groove of the song.

Skipping along to the center pieces of the album, Awaken Me sounds like something you'd hear in an old, dark club. Something from the classic silver screen. Awaken Me, with its gentle rhythm section and cocktail of horn melodies, transports you through time.

Following this is what may be simply the most beautiful song of Powell’s, Falling, a simple and soft song about someone falling in love. It wraps you up from the intro with a dazzling string section that then carries you throughout the duration of the song. Then comes Unstoppable, a track that sounds like Powell reminiscing about days past, boys, books, pizza, and beer. Powell somehow makes beer and pizza sound sweeter than ever in this soft, easy listener.

Finally to sum up A Haze of Grays and Blue is See Me, a song that seems to be about not letting herself just be a dream to someone and pleading to them to just “see me". See Me proves to be the most vocally pleasing song on the album, with Powell really pushing out some very over the tops lines and beautiful vibrato over top of all this shiny music that’s happening in the background.

A Haze of Grays and Blue is a fantastic and well produced album, likely suited for an older crowd, or fans of Dion, Streisand, and Clarkson.

A Haze Of Grays And Blue

---

Howard Roberts - Guilty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:14
Size: 57.8 MB
Styles: Cool jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 1967/2014
Art: Front

[1:59] 1. Watch What Happens
[2:14] 2. Ode To Billie Joe
[2:01] 3. Triste
[2:13] 4. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
[2:46] 5. The Look Of Love
[2:16] 6. Yellow Days
[2:13] 7. Walk Tall
[1:56] 8. You And I (Voce E Eu)
[2:19] 9. O Barquinho (Little Boat)
[2:47] 10. Wait Until Dark
[2:27] 11. Up, Up And Away

Dave Grusin - Organ, Chuck Berghofer - Bass, Al Hendrickson, Jack Marshall - Guitar, John Guerin - Drums, Paulo Fernando de Magalhaes, Larry Bunker - Drums and Percussion, Claudio Miranda - Drums and Percussion, Vic Feldman - Electric Piano and Percussion.

"Despite being locked away in the Hollywood studios for almost 3 decades, Howard Roberts remained a true giant of jazz guitar. His early albums for Verve (Good Pickins and Plays Guitar) showed his heavy debt to Tal Farlow and Barney Kessel. The series of recordings he made for Capitol some 5 years later, however, revealed a fully rounded, complete player with his own , unique, identity. True, the Capitol sessions were, taken collectively, rather more commercially biased with shorter tracks and less improvisation. At the same time, however, Roberts had learned the art of saying more with less, and notched up the intensity of his playing several degrees. Other influences had also crept in, noticeably blues, which now characterized his work.

Guilty

---

Atsuko Hashimoto - ...Until The Sun Comes Up

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:26
Size: 147.5 MB
Styles: Organ jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[6:05] 1. All Or Nothing At All
[5:44] 2. Soul Station
[5:52] 3. So In Love
[8:22] 4. Moon River
[6:08] 5. What A Wonderful World
[6:20] 6. Blues For Naka
[4:18] 7. You Are My Sunshine
[6:30] 8. Cherry
[4:18] 9. Your's Is My Heart Alone
[5:46] 10. The Good Life
[4:56] 11. Hallelujah, I Love Her So

Jazz organists often have a tendency to gravitate toward the funkier side of things, and have done so since the glory days of Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff. Organist Atsuko Hashimoto, on the other hand, seems to have focused more tightly on developing her sense of swing, and it pays off mightily on this, her first album for the venerable Capri label. The program is a mix of originals and truly well-worn standards, and what may be most impressive about the album is her ability to bring freshness and energy to some of these chestnuts through sheer energy and the elephantine power of her swing; listen, for example, to her renditions of both "Cherry" and "Yours Is My Heart Alone." Not only are her solos amazing for their joyful inventiveness, but the rhythmic power she generates along with her sidemen Graham Dechter (guitar) and Jeff Hamilton (drums) is like a force of nature. Elsewhere she takes brisk, no-nonsense midtempo renditions of "So in Love" and "Moon River" and turns them into something brand new. The group's arrangement of "It's a Wonderful World" is the album's sole disappointment, a predictably sappy rendition that is just barely redeemed by yet another brilliantly constructed organ solo. The album ends on a very high note, with the joyfully gospel-flavored "Hallelujah I Love Her So." This is a brilliant and thrilling album. ~Rick Anderson

Recording Date: August 8, 2010 & August 9, 2010

...Until The Sun Comes Up

---