Various - American Graffiti (Highlights)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:43
Size: 109.3 MB
Styles: Oldies
Year: 1973/1998
Art: Front

[2:09] 1. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around The Clock
[2:16] 2. Del Shannon - Runaway
[2:17] 3. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
[2:14] 4. Buddy Holly - That'll Be The Day
[2:18] 5. Chuck Berry - Almost Grown
[2:37] 6. The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[2:06] 7. The Diamonds - Little Darlin'
[2:07] 8. The Regents - Barbara Ann
[2:00] 9. The Crickets - Maybe Baby
[2:24] 10. Fats Domino - Ain't That A Shame
[2:38] 11. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
[3:20] 12. The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:42] 13. The Five Satins - To The Aisle
[2:39] 14. The Del Vikings - Come Go With Me
[1:55] 15. Johnny Burnette - You're Sixteen
[1:50] 16. The Clovers - Love Potion No. 9
[2:35] 17. The Skyliners - Since I Don't Have You
[2:39] 18. The Platters - Only You (And You Alone)
[2:42] 19. The Spaniels - Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight
[2:05] 20. The Beach Boys - All Summer Long

In 1998, the original two-album set gets reduced to a single compact-disc selection to coincide with the 25th anniversary re-release of the original motion picture American Graffiti -- hence this best-of compilation, a curious release in and of itself. Still utilizing voice-overs from the late disc jockey Wolfman Jack, who had a memorable cameo in the movie, American Graffiti Highlights: 25th Anniversary Edition pares the original two-disc set down to highlights from Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode," "Almost Grown"), Buddy Holly ("That'll Be the Day," "Maybe Baby"), the Platters ("Only You," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), great rocking one-shots from Fats Domino, Del Shannon, Johnny Burnette, Bill Haley, and the Beach Boys, and plenty of great doo wop from the Spaniels, the Skyliners, the Clovers, Dell Vikings, the Five Satins, the Flamingos, the Regents, and the Diamonds. Even in this truncated 20-track form, this is still one great little oldies compilation to add to the collection. ~Cub Koda

American Graffiti (Highlights)

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Wynton Marsalis - Standards And Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 71:12

Size: 163.0 MB

Styles: Trumpet jazz

Year: 2007

Art: Front

[5:08] 1. When It's Sleepy Time Down South

[4:07] 2. Stardust

[7:13] 3. Embraceable You

[6:16] 4. Reflections

[5:42] 5. After You've Gone

[2:53] 6. The Seductress

[6:16] 7. My Ideal

[5:59] 8. Spring Yaoundé

[5:08] 9. Melancholia

[2:48] 10. Where Or When

[5:54] 11. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry

[5:04] 12. April In Paris

[5:20] 13. I Can't Get Started

[3:19] 14. Flamingo

Drawing from previous Columbia albums that were originally released between 1983 and 1999, this compilation serves as a best of collection when it comes to jazz’s traditional partnership with the romantic song. It’s a love-fest. What’s more, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis shares his passion for these fourteen chestnuts with his audience fluently, readily and sincerely.

Whether it’s the open horn on “Embraceable You” with piano trio or the muted Louis Armstrong tribute on “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” Marsalis lays it down accurately. He gets his point across. With strings, as on “Stardust,” he’s in ecstasy, just sitting back comfortably and letting the emotion flow.

The trumpeter has been criticized for several decades. That kind of discussion seems to follow fame like a lost dog on a country road. Just when you think it’s gone, you see it again over your left shoulder. Marsalis never deserved most of the criticism that was shoveled his way. Not for his trumpet playing, that is. He remains one of the best there is. Technically brilliant, rich in tone, fluid in seamless transition and conservative in his approach to improvisation, he marks the center of what jazz is.

Standards And Ballads   

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Linda Ronstadt - Hummin' To Myself

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 36:58

Size: 84.6 MB

Styles: Vocal, Standards

Year: 2004

Art: Front

[4:31] 1. Tell Him I Said Hello

[2:21] 2. Never Will I Marry

[4:23] 3. Cry Me A River

[2:42] 4. Hummin' To Myself

[3:09] 5. Miss Otis Regrets

[3:33] 6. I Fall In Love Too Easily

[2:59] 7. Blue Prelude

[4:26] 8. Day Dream

[3:24] 9. I've Never Been In Love Before

[2:48] 10. Get Out Of Town

[2:36] 11. I'll Be Seeing You

Beginning with her 1983 album What's New, Linda Ronstadt broke away from the pop/rock world and collaborated with Nelson Riddle on a trilogy of traditional pop standards that were confidently performed and well-received. Riddle's satiny arrangements swirled around Ronstadt's rich voice as she played the kind of demure chanteuse who might have been headlining at a fashionable nightclub back in the day. The albums were lush and beautifully crafted but by the third album the formula had become tired and the novelty had worn thin. Twenty years later another fading rocker, Rod Stewart, recorded his own highly successful standards trilogy and perhaps it was his success that spurred Ronstadt to revisit the traditional pop catalog once again. Hummin' to Myself is basically a throwback to her albums that were throwbacks when first recorded. This time around Ronstadt and arranger Alan Broadbent dispense with the full orchestra in favor of a smaller big band-style combo and this setting actually works in her favor. As a rock vocalist, Ronstadt could growl with the best and there was a certain spark in songs like "Get Closer" that let a listener know that this pretty woman had a slightly naughty side. That spark was appropriately missing from the Riddle albums and with Hummin' she has a chance to incorporate a little of her rock bawdiness into her selection of standards. She does this to perfection on "Never Will I Marry," as Frank Loesser's jazzy tune showcases a performance that is sassy and one of Ronstadt's best covers. To a lesser extent, the title track and "Get Out of Town" have some zest to them, but even with the lighter arrangements, her reliance on ballads like "Cry Me a River" and "I'll Be Seeing You" take up the majority of space and bog down the disc. Even her down-tempo version of "Miss Otis Regrets" completely stifles the song's comedic, yet tragic, story line. Ronstadt was on to something when she dispensed with Riddle's orchestrations in favor of Broadbent's big-band arrangements, but the spunk shown in a few tunes isn't enough to fully carry the disc. However, with its different approach Hummin' to Myself is quite possibly Linda Ronstadt's most successful standards outing. ~Aaron Latham

Hummin' To Myself

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The Tom Kubis Big Band - Keep Swingin': The Tom Kubis Big Band Plays Steve Allen

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 69:04

Size: 158.1 MB

Styles: Swing, Big band

Year: 1997/2008

Art: Front

[3:41] 1. Jumpy Blues

[4:45] 2. Tango Blues

[4:30] 3. Hoagy's Indiana

[3:37] 4. Le Jazz Hot

[3:12] 5. Oh, That Face

[3:44] 6. Sultry Samba

[4:44] 7. Cold September Morning

[2:54] 8. Jump, John

[3:35] 9. In The Winter, In The Summer

[3:00] 10. Mama Used To Do The Cha Cha

[5:12] 11. Something Mysterious

[6:56] 12. You Got To Have The Blues Sometimes

[3:29] 13. Keep Swingin'

[4:22] 14. Happy Tuesday

[2:05] 15. Chittlins

[4:41] 16. Payin' Your Dues

[4:29] 17. Livin' In L.A.

Steve Allen wrote a countless number of songs in his career, most of which have been long forgotten. On two CDs (of which this is the second), bandleader Tom Kubis and his orchestra perform Kubis' arrangements of some of Allen's tunes. Although the melodies are generally not memorable, the band's performances are impeccable, reasonably inventive, and swinging. Many soloists are heard from along the way, including Kubis himself (on tenor and soprano), trumpeters George Graham, Jeff Bunnell, and Stan Martin, all three trombonists, guitarist Grant Geissman, altoist Sal Lozano, and Rusty Higgins on tenor. Jack Sheldon guests on "Tango Blues" (which he sings) and "Chittlins," while Steve Allen himself sings the humorous if downbeat "Livin' in L.A." ~Scott Yanow

Keep Swingin': The Tom Kubis Big Band Plays Steve Allen

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Cyrus Chestnut - Earth Stories

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:52
Size: 112,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Decisions, Decisions
(6:12)  2. Grandmama's Blues
(4:05)  3. My Song in the Night
(3:34)  4. Nutman's Invention #1
(4:20)  5. Blues from the East
(6:06)  6. Cooldaddy's Perspective
(4:30)  7. Maria's Folly
(6:28)  8. East of the Sun (And West of t
(2:28)  9. Gomez
(4:34) 10. Whoopi
(2:47) 11. In the Garden

Cyrus Chestnut's third Atlantic CD continues to showcase his tremendous growth as a thought-provoking pianist and composer. "In the Garden" is an inspirational solo indicating his gospel roots. "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" proves his ability to create a novel trio arrangement of a standard tune covered by numerous musicians. The remaining tracks include a number of outstanding originals, especially the reflective "My Song in the Night" and the playful "Maria's Folly." ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/earth-stories-mw0000181948

Personnel: Cyrus Chestnut (piano); Antonio Hart (alto saxophone); Steven Carrington (tenor saxophone); Eddie Allen (trumpet); Steve Kirby (bass); Alvester Garnett (drums).

Earth Stories

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Kenny Werner - Coalition

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:57
Size: 132,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:38)  1. Phonetics #2 (Folk Dance)
( 7:09)  2. April Blue
(10:29)  3. Flying
(12:06)  4. Swan Song
( 8:41)  5. Tune 4
(10:52)  6. Wishful Dreaming

Kenny Werner suggests that Coalition be the name of this bass-less quintet as well as the title of their debut, and the often-roiling alliance of cultures at play here fortifies the moniker on both counts. In the liner notes, he says he built the group around Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke and Puerto Rican alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón the musicians “I most wanted to learn from.” Ample leeway is given to both. Zenón’s antic, funky “Phonetics #2 (Folk Dance)” leads off, with handclaps surging into one of the saxophonist’s patented slippery-quick rhythmic excursions. Loueke’s “Flying” is more than twice the length of his duet rendition with Esperanza Spalding on his 2010 record Mwaliko, largely due to the guitarist making like Ladysmith Black Mambazo with his multitracked vocals before a succession of audacious jazz-rock solos, highlighted by Zenón and then Werner on electric piano.

Werner’s leadership is subtly exerted. The other four compositions are his and, as fans might expect, include a ballad to swoon for (“Swan Song”) and a sophisticated but zesty Afro-Latin vehicle (“Tune 4”). Werner anchors the former with a lengthy, barely accompanied rumination on acoustic piano. On the latter, he fills the seams while Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel quotes “St. Thomas” during his mezzo-soprano solo and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth roams his kit with glee. Coalition provides the latest evidence that there is no typical Kenny Werner project. The pianist-composer-improviser keeps veering forward in directions that challenge his listeners and himself. The consistent quality of his outings rewards remaining hot on his trail. ~ Britt Robson  http://jazztimes.com/articles/147623-coalition-kenny-werner

Personnel: Lionel Loueke (vocals, guitar); Benjamin Koppel (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Miguel Zenón (alto saxophone); Kenny Werner (piano, electric piano); Ferenc Nemeth (drums, percussion).

Coalition

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Le Hot Club De Nantes - La Compil'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:12
Size: 105.8 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz, Swing
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Baby Blues
[4:06] 2. Chanson Pour Les Dames
[3:32] 3. Tu Djalal
[3:05] 4. Valse A Bibiche
[4:00] 5. Chez Regine
[4:01] 6. Rhymes Gitans
[2:26] 7. Nuits De St Germain
[4:47] 8. For Sephora
[2:34] 9. Hora Lautaresca
[2:37] 10. Tchavo
[3:19] 11. Stompin' At Pirmil
[3:28] 12. My Little Boat
[5:11] 13. Caravan

Dans l'animation d'un cocktail de mariage, d'un cocktail d'entreprise ou dans un grand rendez-vous scénique, le Hot Club vous fera vibrer grâce a son style de jazz manouche très rythmé et énergique. Des musiciens sympas et sérieux, un chanteur tzigane sur quelques airs, des chansons françaises interprétées en jazz swing manouche pour faire chanter les invités, leurs compositions.

Le Hot Club de Nantes et son répertoire d’une grande diversité, allant des standards du style à leurs compositions, aux chansons françaises interprétées en jazz, sauront parfaitement éblouir vos invités.

Selon le lieu ou l’ambiance souhaitée, les musiciens trouveront le ton et le rythme juste pour l’animation de votre fête.

Parfois en trio ou en quartet, les musiciens du groupe apportent par leur talent et leur professionnalisme une ambiance chaleureuse, festive, et décontractée.

​Ils vous proposent également en plus de la formule cocktail, " le Quizz musical" pendant le diner. Une animation originale qui saura ravir vos invités. Et bien sur lors des mariages, le lancement de la soirée dansante par quelques valses, la solution parfaite pour toute la famille!

La Compil'

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Kenny Burrell - Laid Back

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:01
Size: 169.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1998/2009
Art: Front

[10:01] 1. All Blues
[ 3:27] 2. Groovin' High
[ 6:18] 3. Lament
[ 4:37] 4. You And The Night And The Music
[ 5:50] 5. Pent-Up House
[ 6:20] 6. So Little Time
[ 5:36] 7. Listen To The Dawn
[ 3:44] 8. St. Thomas
[ 6:00] 9. Tenderly
[10:20] 10. In The Still Of The Night
[ 6:14] 11. My One And Only Love
[ 5:27] 12. In A Mellow Tone

This Kenny Burrell compilation from 32 Jazz collects some of the guitarist's best work recorded for the Muse label between 1978 and 1983. Perhaps not the Detroit native's most essential period, but a sorely overlooked one that reveals some great moments. Featuring variously Larry Gales, Reggie Johnson, and Rufus Reid on bass with Sherman Ferguson and Ben Riley on drums, the tracks are resolutely stripped back. In fact, the real joy here is that with the intimate trio setting one really gets to hear Burrell attack each song head-on in his own bluesy, minimalist style. Included here is an earthy rendition of "All Blues" that showcases Burrell comping behind his own tasteful blues choruses and a gorgeous afterglow version of J.J. Johnson's "Lament." ~Matt Collar

Laid Back

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Eleanor McCain - Runaway

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:42
Size: 120.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:04] 1. Runaway
[4:41] 2. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
[4:31] 3. To Make You Feel My Love
[6:15] 4. Both Sides Now
[5:23] 5. On And On
[4:17] 6. Just The Way You Are
[4:53] 7. Always On My Mind
[4:17] 8. Longer
[4:14] 9. Save Room
[4:30] 10. Fields Of Gold
[5:30] 11. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

For the eternal romantic: Eleven unforgettable selections include the poignant Matt Dusk and Eleanor duet To Make You Feel My Love, Always On My Mind, Fields of Gold and Both Sides Now. The song selection for Runaway started simply: three songs that Eleanor McCain simply couldn’t live without.

The New Brunswick native found it a tough, but comforting challenge. “I’m drawn to songs that emphasize the human connection, most of which happen to be love songs.”

With producer Matt Dusk and co-producer Shelly Berger helping with the selection, there are eleven songs -- some familiar classics, others soon-to-be-discovered contemporary gems – that are lushly orchestrated by Berger, commencing with the title track, “Runaway,” a number that accentuates the infatuation felt between partners in the early stages of romance.

Runaway

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Mike Lipskin & Dinah Lee - A Sweet Beginning

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:31
Size: 149,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:56)  1. East of the Sun
(3:50)  2. A Sweet Beginning
(7:20)  3. Fascinating Rhythm
(6:09)  4. Everything I Have Is Yours
(5:01)  5. On a Slow Boat to China
(6:49)  6. I'll Never Be the Same
(2:36)  7. Lady Madonna
(7:44)  8. This Time the Dream's On Me
(4:56)  9. Stompin At the Savoy
(4:15) 10. My Heart Stood Still
(5:52) 11. You're My Everything

Profile: Mike Lipskin
For many years local jazz fans and those from remote parts of the United States and Europe have come to San Francisco's night spots and concert venues to hear jazz pianist Mike Lipskin perform sparkling musical gems in the Harlem Stride jazz piano style. Very few contemporary jazz pianists can play Harlem Stride, the sound of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Duke Ellington, and Art Tatum. Mike is one of these exceedingly rare pianists and has even created his own stride sound and composes new pieces in this vibrant full jazz piano sound--some of which can be heard on his recordings for Buskirk Productions and Downtown Records. He's played Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, 92nd Street "Y" and Newport Jazz Festival and appeared in the jazz documentary film, "A Great Day In Harlem," devoted to the legendary Esquire Magazine 1958 NY jazz photo session. He suppling rare photos he shot when age 15 for the film and a book of the same subject, which he co-edited. Lipskin co-produced and appears in a PBS documentary on Willie The Lion Smith airing on TV around the nation, and was music director for and performed in five SF JAZZ "Stride Summit" concerts at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall, and Masonic Auditorium, from 1988 through 2004. He’s performed with Woody Allen and Dick Hyman in New York City and had a 23 concert European tour in conjunction with his first release on the Swiss label, Downtown Records. 

Lipskin has seven recordings to his credit, the last two with Dinah Lee, a wonderful jazz vocalist. Born in New York, Mike first fell in love with Waller records when he was 4 years old and was hooked on the style from then on. By the time he was in high school he was traveling to Harlem, learning from the remaining Stride masters such as Willie The Lion Smith, Luckey Roberts, Cliff Johnson, and the amazing Donald Lambert. During his last years in high school and his four at Bard College, New York, Mike made archive recordings of the remaining Stride figures. Trying to interest record companies in issuing these tapes led to a position as producer at RCA Records, New York, when Mike was 21. During his 13 years there he produced historical reissues for the Vintage Series, developed engineering skills and worked on a widely acclaimed analogue technical process for rehabilitation of ancient recordings. He also produced new albums by artists such as Lighthouse, Gil Evans, Blue Mitchell, Cedar Walton, Lonnie Liston Smith, Roger Troy and Ryo Kawasaki. He practices entertainment, trade mark, real estate and civil litigation law in San Francisco.

Profile: Dinah Lee
Dinah Lee has been singing great jazz songs for over 20 years, first in Arizona with The River Boat ramblers, The Notables, and Swing Time, and Her Men Of Note. Born in Ohio, she showed signs of musical sensitivity when very young and by second grade was taking piano lessons. She brings her own special sound to the Great American Songbook, giving unique performances of the wonderful repertoire of George Gerswhin, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porte, and Duke Ellington, to name but a few. The legendary record producer Jerry Wexler says that Dinah has her own stamp and is very inspiring. In 2003 she moved to the San Francisco area to team up with Mike Lipskin, and has recorded two CDs with him. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lipskinlee

A Sweet Beginning

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Tim Warfield - One For Shirley

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:41
Size: 178,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:44)  1. Cristo Redentor/Calvary
( 8:43)  2. Oasis
( 6:22)  3. Lullaby For Nijee
(11:45)  4. The Beat Goes On
( 4:51)  5. Stomping At The Savoy
( 5:34)  6. Make It Last
( 5:12)  7. Sometimes You Got to Let the People Know
( 8:29)  8. Tokyo Girl
( 8:12)  9. One For Shirley
( 8:44) 10. Yours Is My Heart Alone

Tim Warfield, a big-toned, swaggering titan of the tenor saxophone, has decided to make his contribution to the jazz organ group tradition with ONE FOR SHIRLEY. The lady of the title is Shirley Scott, the late queen of jazz organ, with whom Warfield often played in the 1990s, and this set pays tribute to her style of bop-laced soul-jazz. Warfield’s tenor (and soprano) is joined by Terrell Stafford’s trumpet and Pat Bianchi’s organ in a simmering, groove-heavy update of a Scott original as well as swing era and ‘60s pop classics plus some nifty Warfield originals to put the icing on the cake. ~ Mark Keresman  http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-for-shirley-mw0000785116

Personnel: Tim Warfield (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Terell Stafford (trumpet, flugelhorn); Byron Landham (drums); Daniel Sadownick (congas, percussion).

One For Shirley

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Lisa Ono - Pretty World

Styles: Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:39
Size: 108,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Un Homme Et Une Femme
(3:48)  2. I Wish You Love
(4:02)  3. My Cherie Amour
(3:27)  4. Be With Me
(3:38)  5. Pretty World
(2:25)  6. All The Way
(4:59)  7. Mr. Tom
(3:56)  8. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(3:09)  9. Yesterday
(4:43) 10. This Masquarade
(4:40) 11. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
(3:39) 12. Every Breath You Take

Asia exclusive album! Originally issued in 2000. Co-produced by Eumir Deodato, who also arranged & conducted this album. Lisa continues her exploration of songs in English, this time with more recent covers & an original song 'Be With Me' written with Deodato. EMI. 2004. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-World-Lisa-Ono/dp/B000059O50

Pretty World

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SFJAZZ Collective - The Music of Joe Henderson & Original Compositions Disc 1 And Disc 2

Disc 1
Styles: Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:36
Size: 150,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:46)  1. Recorda-Me
( 7:53)  2. A Shade of Jade
( 6:43)  3. Big Tent, Little Tent
( 9:16)  4. Cross Currents
( 9:37)  5. Inner Urge
(10:53)  6. Four Stars from Heaven
( 7:12)  7. Eternal Wait
( 9:14)  8. Fire

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Disc 2

Time: 63:21

Size: 145,5 MB

Art: Front

(6:14)  1. Y Todavia La Quiero

(8:17)  2. Afro-Centric

(3:02)  3. Synthesis of a Band Part 1

(3:58)  4. Synthesis of a Band Part 2

(3:14)  5. Synthesis of a Band Part 3

(6:53)  6. Black Narcissus

(8:27)  7. Locura

(6:16)  8. Evolution

(7:16)  9. Absolvents

(9:40) 10. Jinrikisha

Led by tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, the SFJAZZ Collective "SF" as in San Francisco is a forward-thinking big band featuring a stellar lineup of musicians both young and old. Besides Redman, the octet includes vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, trombonist Josh Roseman, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Brian Blade. The collective released its debut album on Nonesuch in 2005. SF Jazz Collective, Vol. 2 followed a year later. ~ Bio  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sfjazz-collective/id65125005#fullText

The Music of Joe Henderson & Original Compositions Disc1,Disc2

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Walt Weiskopf - Open Road

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:19
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:26)  1. Premonition
(3:30)  2. Let's Spend The Day Together
(4:18)  3. Open Road
(4:10)  4. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
(5:26)  5. Gates Of Madrid
(4:40)  6. Stage Whisper
(6:03)  7. Invitation To The Dance
(5:46)  8. Tricycle
(4:26)  9. Chronology
(6:37) 10. Angel Eyes
(6:09) 11. Electroshock
(4:43) 12. Leaves of Grass

Walt Weiskopf has a thing or two to say on the saxophone. When he does, he speaks with clarity, concision and swing. Weiskopf comes to work with a level of preparation few can challenge. A veteran of bands led by Buddy Rich and Toshiko Akiyoshi, he’s been a leader for twenty years and also a touring member of Steely Dan for over a decade. Through his innovative teaching and series of books, Walt has opened the secrets of intervallic improvisation pioneered by John Coltrane for players around the world, introducing new colors to the palette of jazz. Open Road is Weiskopf’s second Posi-Tone album and fourteenth as a leader over two decades. It’s a follow-up to 2013’s superb Overdrive, which featured him with a driving quintet. This new album takes a leaner approach, reuniting Weiskopf with pianist Peter Zak and bringing bassist Mike Kam and Steve Fidyk into the fold. 

The disk features Weiskopf’s hard-swinging originals and the standard “Angel Eyes.” Throughout, Walt brings an open heart and tone to his playing. Like Coltrane, his complexities never sound academic or stand in the way of his melodies, but rather enhance them. Open Road will be available from Posi-Tone June 26. Walt’s on tour with Steely Dan in July and August, but you can catch him with the Open Road quartet at Smalls in New York on October 2nd and 3rd. In the meantime, savor this recording! ~ Tim Wilkins, WBGO digital content manager  http://www.wbgo.org/radar/walt-weiskopf-open-road

 

Open Road

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Freddie Redd - Music For You

Size: 170,6 MB
Time: 73:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Hard Bop
Art: Front

01. There'll Never Be Another You (7:17)
02. Blues For You (7:43)
03. How High The Moon (6:30)
04. All The Things You Are (10:39)
05. Cherokee ( 6:30)
06. Round About Midnight (7:33)
07. Perdido (8:45)
08. Lover Man (8:32)
09. I'll Remember April (10:05)

Survivors of the original hardbop era are an ever-dwindling fraternity, although attrition isn’t surprising for musical school that had its start well over a half-century ago. At 86, pianist Freddie Redd is still thankfully amongst that persistent number. He was a member of the New York jazz subculture in the Fifties that also included peers like Jackie McLean, Tina Brooks, Kenny Drew and others. An allergy to studio recording kept his discography comparatively slim, but his performance schedule remained healthy.

In 1959 Redd aligned with the city’s Living Theater Company, composing the music for and starring in both the stage production and film version of Jack Gelber’s influential play The Connection. He secured a record contract with Blue Note contemporaneously although only a third of his work for the label was released at the time. His last recording as a leader is nearly thirty years old. As such, Music For You wears its intentions simply and unequivocally as a gift to listeners both seasoned and nascent.

Recommended to producer Nils Winther at the behest of saxophonist Chris Byars, Redd lined up the session. Illness initially curtailed his participation and Stanley Cowell was called in to complete a session with the on-hand rhythm section of bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Drummond in his absence. That music was released under Cowell’s name earlier this year. The session as originally planned is a different animal comprising eight standards that are all well-worn to the point of common currency. Only Redd’s “Blues For You” scripted specifically for the date deviates and it’s a fairly forthright example of its titular form.

Redd’s faculties are sharp and his mood congenial, but it’s clear from the debonair rendering of “There Will Never Be Another You” that he isn’t interested in placing himself or his sidemen through anything resembling a rigorous aggregate of challenges or paces. What then to recommend this date from an august veteran in his advanced age? The answer to that largely rhetorical question arrives in Redd’s measured and instantly ingratiating delivery. “Cherokee”, the perpetual steeplechase of bop tunes, unfolds at a tempo that’s more leisurely stroll than land speed sprint and in the offing is all the better for it. “Round Midnight” trades angular edges and overt melancholy for high melodicism against a gentle, subterranean bass throb and deft brush play before an eleventh hour flirtation with Latin rhythm.

There’s a quote in the liners that distills Redd’s creative philosophy down through colorful imagery: “I’m never going to play like Bud Powell. I could get all the plastic surgery in the world and drink anything I want, but it’s still going to come out Freddie Redd.” As applied in the liberal fashion the pianist favors it’s an approach indicative of resilient audience endearment and an affirmation that there’s much more than mere muscle memory happening here. ~Derek Taylor

Music For You

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Riona Sally Hartman - Big Starving Thing

Size: 80,8 MB
Time: 34:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Folk Vocals
Art: Front

01. Handholding (4:17)
02. Show Me (3:58)
03. Frida Kahlo's Delight (4:28)
04. Same But Better (4:39)
05. Broken Woman (1:57)
06. Kamikaze (5:44)
07. Sea Legs (3:29)
08. Daises (3:22)
09. Screamer (2:25)

Dubliner Ríona Sally Hartman is capable of using her voice like an instrument, but she is a writer too, interested in the observations and speculations of the poet.

Her finely-crafted debut album unites the musician and the songwriter, drawing water from many wells, from folk and jazz to alt pop and contemporary lieder.

Her songs unfold like a series of magic realist short stories, pungently told and peopled by loners and weirdos: a lovelorn peeping Tom; an insomniac fortune teller; a Frida Kahlo-obsessed fish.

Yet even as the subject matter challenges and perplexes, the craft of the songs draws you in – delicate vocal harmonies and sparse acoustic settings, fresh and uncliched, perhaps bearing most comparison with intrepid New York singers like Theo Bleckmann and Becca Stevens.

Big Starving Thing

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Joe Manis - The Golden Mean

Size: 117,5 MB
Time: 50:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Three Four For Three (6:19)
02. Black Hole Sun (6:57)
03. Shorter Story (6:58)
04. Broadway (5:27)
05. Paw-Paw (7:13)
06. Goldfinger (6:36)
07. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (5:27)
08. Ellery's Song Flute (5:35)

Joe's third album, The Golden Mean, features George Colligan on Hammond B-3 organ and Fender Rhodes, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Lillie Manis on viola. It was recorded at Gung Ho Studio on September 24th and 25th, 2014.

Joe Manis is noted for the strength of his "intense, updated take on the glorious Rollins-'Trane tradition." (Willamette Week) Manis was the recipient of a 2013 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. His album for SteepleChase LookOut Records, The Golden Mean, features George Colligan on organ, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Lillie Manis on viola was released in 2015. North By Northwest was released by SteepleChase LookOut Records in 2013.

He released his debut album Evidence in 2009 on the 8Bells label, featuring Manis on tenor saxophone, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Portland luminary Dave Captein on bass: the Willamette Week called the album "explosive,” and said “(Manis) makes Pink Floyd's 'Money' sound like something a young John Coltrane might have played"; the Eugene Weekly said: "Fabulous... Will thrill fans of Monk, Rollins."

The Joe Manis Trio was featured at Rontoms during the 2010 PDX Jazz Festival, a high-energy performance that was a featured Willamette Week "Pick" and received praise from local music critics and bloggers; the Trio returned to the Festival in 2011 and 2013. Recent Joe Manis Trio appearances include Fat Cat NYC, the Shedd Institute’s jazz series, Jimmy Mak's, Tula's, and the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival.

Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, including a recent performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records; he has also performed with the Temptations, comedian Bob Newhart, Wayne Newton, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra, the Eugene Opera, the George Colligan Quartet, and with the Ken Schaphorst Big Band. Manis also appears on Risky Notion (Four stars, DownBeat magazine) on Origin Records with George Colligan's Theoretical Planets.

Manis has presented jazz masterclasses across the country, including at Whitman College, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Oregon, Ferris State University, Willamette University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, Portland Community College, and Lane Community College. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon. Additional studies were at the Eastman School of Music. He currently serves on the faculty of Umpqua Community College. His article "Rhythmic Analysis: Jeff 'Tain' Watts - 'Housed From Edward'" was published in the March 2012 edition of JAZZed Magazine.

The Golden Mean

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Tanny Mas Band - True Illusions

Size: 123,0 MB
Time: 52:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Pop/Soul Vocals
Art: Front

01. Ain't No Sunshine (2:54)
02. Mornin' (4:35)
03. El Final (3:29)
04. This Masquerade (3:34)
05. Just The Two Of Us (4:14)
06. Viernes Tarde (3:12)
07. You Are So Beautiful (2:26)
08. Unchain My Heart (3:32)
09. What A Difference A Day Made (5:00)
10. On The Beach (5:27)
11. Georgia On My Mind (4:47)
12. Summer In The City (3:42)
13. What A Wonderful World (2:32)
14. Knock On Wood (3:19)

During his career, Tanny Mas was not only a part of different established music groups, his musical differences brought him to take part of unaccountable projects which made him develop and mature musically, and thanks to this he had the opportunity to meet many musicians who share the same differences.
With these thoughts in mind, Tanny teamed in summer 2009 with the drummer Toni Beltran, he decided to ground his own group, where he plays Bass guitar and is the lead-singer.
The group has developed in different phases. During the development of the Tanny Mas band many musicians have come and gone, and re-shaped the band from trio to quartet, then to quintet to finally after 2 years of reforming to the current formation.
Tanny Mas Band have collaborated with famous jazz and soul musicians, like Max Suñer and the singer Lenny Zacatek from the Alan Parsons Project.
Tanny Mas Band presents itself as a mature band with an eclectic musical range which to inspires to adapt to the wide public, combining a sophisticated repertoire based on jazz standards and jazz-fusions with a lighter repertoire based on contemporary pop, rock, blues and soul classics.

True Illusions

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Jane Morgan - All The Way

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:34
Size: 74.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. All The Way
[2:35] 2. Tammy
[2:32] 3. Melodie D'amour
[2:34] 4. Young At Heart
[2:12] 5. Because
[2:55] 6. Till The End Of Time
[3:01] 7. April Love
[3:07] 8. Till
[2:22] 9. Just A-Wearyin' For You
[2:37] 10. Sunrise
[2:44] 11. Outside Of Heaven
[2:29] 12. From The First Hello

Jane Currier, 25 December 1920, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. A popular singer with a clear, strong voice and an ability to sing in several languages, Morgan was accepted in many parts of the world during the 50s and 60s. Raised in Florida, she trained as a lyric soprano at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, supplementing her income by singing in night-clubs. At one of them, she was spotted by the French impresario Bernard Hilda, who offered her a contract to sing in Paris. Within weeks of arriving in France she became a major attraction and, during the next few years became established throughout Europe. On her return to the USA, she was billed as ‘The American Girl From Paris’, and appeared successfully on television and in night-clubs. Signed for Kapp Records, she had a minor hit in 1956 with ‘Two Different Worlds’, one of the several tracks she recorded with pianist Roger Williams. The following year she had a million seller with ‘Fascination’, adapted from the old French number ‘Valse Tzigane’, with an English lyric by Dick Manning, which became the theme for the Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn movie Love In The Afternoon. Despite the rock ‘n’ roll revolution, she continued to be successful, especially in Europe, and in 1958, she had a UK number 1 with Gilbert Bécaud and Carl Sigman’s ‘The Day The Rains Came’. Her French version of the song was on the b-side. Among her other hits in the early 60s, were ‘If Only I Could Live My Life Again’, ‘With Open Arms’ and ‘Romantica’, and her 1957 album, Fascination, made the US Top 20. Morgan’s husband, Jerry Weintraub, was instrumental in Elvis Presley’s re-emergence in the early 70s, and managed several top US singers such as John Denver.

All The Way

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Rafael Rosa - Portrait

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:21
Size: 154.2 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[ 5:07] 1. Bomba Oscura
[ 8:53] 2. Sky Floor
[ 6:45] 3. Portrait Wandering
[ 7:11] 4. Portrait Of A Woman
[ 0:58] 5. Portrait Among The Clouds
[ 9:58] 6. New Recruit
[ 8:51] 7. Pensando En Agua
[ 8:00] 8. Devotion
[11:33] 9. Looking For

In jazz terms Puerto Rico has certainly punched above its weight, producing Juan Tizol—a mainstay of Duke Ellington's bands in the 1930s and 1940s, Eddie Gomez and Manolo Badrena—who came to prominence in the 1960s/1970s through their respective associations with pianist Bill Evans and Weather Report—and latterly David Sanchez. Lesser known—though perhaps that's soon to change—is guitarist Rafael Rosa, whose enticing debut reveals a composer and technician of some sophistication.

Carlos Maldonado's barril—a lower pitched Afro-Puerto Rican cousin of the Cuban conga—introduces the lively "Bomba Oscura." Maldonado's variations on the sicá rhythm percolate beneath the driving rhythms of drummer Joel Mateo, bassist John Benitez and the chordal impetus of pianist Carlos Homs. Homs, Rosa and saxophonist Edmar Colon release penetrating solos either side of the Pat Metheny-esque head. Puerto Rican musicians all, their Latin credentials are exceptional, collectively having played with Tito Puente, Chucho Valdes, Eddie Palmieri and Miguel Zenon, amongst many others. It's the most overtly Latin-influenced track and a pulsating ride.

However, a Latin-jazz descarga Portrait is not. With the exception of the miniature "Portrait: Among the Clouds"—a fleeting, ruminative union of guitar and saxophone—Rosa leads the New York-based quintet through well-crafted originals of contemporary hue, whose vibes are more Manhattan than San Juan.

Guest musicians Jean-Michel Pilc and Kenny Werner shine on two separate tunes: on "Pensando en Agua" Pilc spars with Colon's soprano saxophone on a sinewy free-form intro evocative of Wayne Shorter's long-standing quartet. Dan Martinez' bass ostinato and a melodious guitar motif provide ballast, paving the way for highly lyrical solos, first from Rosa and then Pilc. Werner's customary elegance, comping nous and improvisational flare color the episodic "Looking For." The title of Rosa's spoken-word poem sets the tone for the music that follows; a softly yearning quality runs like a thread through the contiguous solos of Rosa, tenor saxophonist Milton Barreto and Werner— the song gradually dissipating in gentle reverie.

Rosa's significant technical facility is matched by his emotive phrasing, where every note counts. The strength and lyricism in his writing, however, is placed in relief by the excellent musicians who contribute much to a genuinely impressive debut. Portrait announces not only the arrival of a noteworthy talent in Rosa, but of a wonderfully convincing quintet too, one that hopefully has legs to run.

Rafael Rosa: guitar; Carlos Homs: piano (1-4, 6, 8); Edmar Colon: saxophones: (1-5, 7-8); Joel Mateo: drums (1-4, 6-9); John Benitez: bass (1-4); Carlos Maldonado: barril (1); Melanie Lozano: vocals (3-4); Michael Rodriguez: trumpet (6); Dan Martinez: bass (6-9); Jean Michel Pilc: piano (7); Kenny Werner: piano (9); Milton Barreto: saxophone (9).

Portrait

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