Friday, February 12, 2016

Meta Roos - Soft Winds

Size: 132,1 MB
Time: 56:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Without A Song (3:16)
02. Soft Winds (3:23)
03. Answer Me (3:25)
04. I'll Bet You Thought I'd Never Find You (3:48)
05. Oh, Darling (4:00)
06. Evergreen (4:14)
07. September In The Rain (2:56)
08. All The Things You Are (4:15)
09. Light Out Of Darkness (3:40)
10. My Favourite Things (3:47)
11. Rio De Janeiro Blue (4:03)
12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (5:28)
13. What A Difference A Day Makes (4:08)
14. Where Or When (2:56)
15. A Kiss To Build A Dream On (3:31)

Wiveca Margaret "Meta" Roos, born February 23, 1954 in Boda in Dalarna, is a Swedish jazz singer and revue artist.

Meta Roos was born and raised in Boda Kyrkby in Boda parish, Dalarna, but lives since 2002 in Bålsta Uppsala County. She debuted at the age of sixteen when she began singing with various dance bands in Dalarna, the greatest success she achieved with Nippe Sylwéns Band. Since 1984, she earned a living as an artist full time. In the 1980s, she sang in a dance orchestra Rosary that became popular throughout Europe.

Roos played a New Year show in Borlänge and came a few years later Peter Flack in Örebro, where she starred in four revues.

Meta Roos has performed as a singer in several films, his debut was in 1994. She sang the theme song A world full of life in the Walt Disney film The Lion King, and made mother Vesslas voice in The Animals of Farthing Wood. She has sung with several famous big bands in Sweden and toured with his own show My life as a singer. Meta Roos is also well known from the popular radio show Tele Chip Arna. ~Automatic translation

Soft Winds

The Sam Gambarini Hammond Trio - Blue Groove

Size: 100,7 MB
Time: 39:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz: Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. T-Bone Steak (5:08)
02. Mambo Inn (3:55)
03. Darn That Dream (4:27)
04. Invitation (6:47)
05. Billie's Bounce (4:56)
06. West Coast Blues (5:18)
07. Duffin' Around (4:53)
08. Mambo Inn (Alt. Take) (3:53)

Personnel:
Sam Gambarini: Hammond Organ
Colin Oxley: Guitar
Gideon Marcus: Drums

Sam had regular violin lessons since the age of 12 and at 14 became interested in keyboard instruments, the Hammond organ in particular. After a period of private jazz piano tuition with local teachers within the area of his native Rimini in Italy he joined the CPM (Centro Professione Musica) in Milan. Here he obtained a jazz piano diploma receiving tuition from the renowned pianist Franco D’andrea. During the same years he completed a university degree in music (DAMS) and he also attended the summer jazz clinics of Siena Jazz.

From the year 2000 Sam has lived in London. Here he studied with the British organ legend Mike Carr and obtained a First Class Honours Degree in jazz music from Middlesex University. He also had hammond organ lessons with Doctor Lonnie Smith in New York.

Very soon Sam became established in the London jazz scene. At the moment he is in regular demand as a jazz organist by many different musicians and has been performing in some of the most renowned jazz venues and international Jazz Festivals in London and UK: Jazz Cafe, The Crypt St Martin in Fields, Royal Festival Hall Foyer, National Theatre, London Jazz In The Streets, Coventry Jazz Festival, Southport Jazz Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival.

During this period in the UK has played, amongst others, with Andy Sheppard, Dave O’Higgins, Clark Tracey, Jim Mullen (who played guitar with Brian Auger and Jimmy Smith), Dave Cliff, Colin Oxley, Butch Thomas (saxophonist with Jaco Pastorius and Sting), Tina May, Alan Barnes, Gareth Lokraine, Nigel Price ( James Taylor Quartet’s guitarist), Phill Lee (Jimmy Smith's regular guitarist for UK gigs) and recently with Cameron Pierre (Courtney Pine's guitarist).

The principal source of inspiration comes from Jimmy Smith, Melvine Rhine, Larry Young, Winton Kelly, Wes Montgomery ,Grant Green, Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and Lou Donaldson. Sam has recently recorded with multi - awarded guitarist Colin Oxley and drummer Gideon Marcus in a newly formed Hammond trio called “Blue Groove”.

Blue Groove

Ian Shaw - The Theory Of Joy (Deluxe Edition)

Size: 140,3 MB
Time: 61:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Small Day Tomorrow (3:13)
02. You Fascinate Me So (4:48)
03. In France They Kiss On Main Street (3:55)
04. Where Are We Now (5:29)
05. Everything (3:03)
06. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (5:03)
07. You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two (3:24)
08. My Brother (4:31)
09. All This And Betty Too (2:41)
10. Somewhere Towards Love (4:21)
11. The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (5:27)
12. If You Go Away/Ne Me Quitte Pas (3:14)
13. The Shadow (Bonus Track) (4:22)
14. Born To Be Blue (Bonus Track) (2:41)
15. Last Man Alive (Bonus Track) (4:46)

This CD finds Ian Shaw not sitting in his apparently natural habitat at a piano, but having replaced his own accompaniment with an excellent trio. There is no doubt that Shaw is a good pianist, but this format seems to free him upto really focus on his vocal performance - which he does with accuracy and aplomb.

The 12 tracks on the CD version show an excellent mix of material from Bart to Bowie, plus three Shaw originals. The opening Small Day Tomorrow (a useful concept for the jazz enthusiast, staying up late as you only have a small day tomorrow) quickly opens up to allow Barry Green to sparkle on piano. Shaw's voice seems to have something of the light touch and agility of Joni Mitchell about it, and this becomes even more clear on the Canadian artist's own In France They Kiss On Main Street. The section in which Shaw sings over Mick Hutton's round-sounding bass and Dave Ohm's tight-yet-dynamic brushes is a particular delight.

The Bowie song is Where Are We Now, from 2013's The Next Day album. This is a wistful song, looking back with a little regret, and Shaw turns in an impassioned performance. The album was recorded in summer 2015 before the shock recent news of Bowie's death, and the number makes a very fitting tribute. Mick Hutton must surely produce the most sonorous double bass tone in London, and he uses it to great effect here and throughout the album. This reflective mood carries on into Legrand/Bergman/Bergman's How Do You Keep The Music Playing, a song of love an uncertainty looking into a long-term relationship which Shaw renders beautifully -tears in this listener's eyes at any rate.

The three original songs come grouped together towards the end of the album. My Brother, about Shaw's brother Gareth who died before Ian was born, is catchy and meaningful. It's been rightly receiving radio plays, which ties it in to Ian's work with refugees in Calais. All This And Betty Too is a jazz-filled romp with Shaw remembering listening to Betty Carter in Ronnie Scott's with Claire Martin, a long-term friend who also produced this album. A trio reworking of Somewhere Towards Love (chosen in its solo version as a Desert Island Disc by both Molly Parkin and Julian Clary) sees the song moving with a little more urgency, and it's great to get another way to hear it. As if to stress Shaw's versatility, we move from a pointed You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two (sung with social comment in mind, surely) to a closing If You Go Away/Ne Me Quitte Pas, in Brel-ish style over Green's solo accompaniment.

This collection has great variety, yet is defined at its core by four top-class musicians on their own terms. If, like me, you have enjoyed Ian Shaw's live performances but never yet taken the plunge with an album, this is a wonderful place to start. ~by Brian Blain

The Theory Of Joy

Doc Watson, Clint Howard & Fred Price - Old Timey Concert

Size: 166,8 MB
Time: 71:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967/1991
Styles: Folk, Country, Bluegrass, Old-Timey
Art: Front

01. Introduction (0:59)
02. New River Train (3:01)
03. What Does The Deep Sea Say (3:41)
04. Sunny Tennessee (3:43)
05. Walkin' In Jerusalem (2:09)
06. Sittin' On Top Of The World (3:33)
07. Pretty Little Pink (1:58)
08. My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains (3:21)
09. Slewfoot (2:36)
10. Little Orphan Girl (3:14)
11. Long Journey Home (2:37)
12. Rank Stranger (2:56)
13. Crawdad (3:55)
14. Fire On The Mountain (2:45)
15. Eastbound Train (3:34)
16. On The Banks Of The Old Tennessee (3:30)
17. Mountain Dew (3:58)
18. Corrina Corrina (2:31)
19. Footprints In The Snow (4:03)
20. I Saw A Man At The Close Of The Day (3:11)
21. Cackling Hen (1:41)
22. Wanted Man (2:17)
23. Way Downtown (2:27)
24. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (4:12)

Personnel:
Vocals, Fiddle – Fred Price
Vocals, Guitar – Clint Howard
Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin, Harmonica, Banjo – Doc Watson

Although Doc Watson, Clint Howard, and Fred Price were giving similar concerts at the beginning of the '60s, this performance for the Seattle Folklore Society wasn't recorded until 1967. Nonetheless, it gives a good sense of the state of Watson's art before he went solo, finding him in cahoots with neighbors and friends and singing old-time material in an intimate setting. This album features a few solo performances by Watson and terrific, cheerful interplay among all three men. "Sunny Tennessee," "Walking in Jerusalem," "Crawdad," and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" are highlights, but this is a highly entertaining concert throughout, with a few songs like "Mountain Dew" containing guitar breaks that are fast even by Watson's standards. As a side note, this album's track data are off slightly -- track one is given to Howard's spoken introduction, while "I Saw a Man at the Close of the Day/Cackling Hen," supposedly track 19, takes up tracks 20 and 21, bringing the total count to 24, not 22 as listed on the cover. ~by Jim Smith

Old Timey Concert

Andy Brown - Direct Call

Size: 126,4 MB
Time: 54:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Guitar Jazz
Art: Front

01. The Jeep Is Jumpin' (4:40)
02. Prisoner Of Love (5:58)
03. El Cajon (4:37)
04. Funk In Deep Freeze (7:06)
05. Appel Direct (Direct Call) (4:47)
06. Relaxing (6:20)
07. One Morning In May (4:47)
08. Catch Me (5:14)
09. Ela E Carioca (6:44)
10. Freak Of The Week (4:38)

Andy Brown's previous album, Soloist, received outstanding reviews in JazzTimes, Jazziz, Vintage Guitar and in Down Beat where Scott Yanow described Andy as "a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene since 2003 ... a superior mainstream guitarist". Direct Call features a rarity in jazz today - a working band. Several years of performing weekly at Andy's Jazz Club has given this quartet a cohesive and tight-knit sound that can only be gained through countless gigs together. With Jeremy Kahn, piano, Joe Policastro, bass and Phil Gratteau, drums, the album features an eclectic mix of standards, Brazilian music and jazz compositions.

Andy Brown is a guitarist based in Chicago. Born in New York City in 1975, he has played professionally for over twenty years. He has had a varied performing career that has included stints in Cincinnati and New York.

Since coming to Chicago in 2003, Andy has been fortunate to work at many of the area's finest jazz venues with his own bands, as well as playing his unique brand of solo jazz guitar. He has led his own groups at clubs like The Green Mill and Andy's Jazz Club, and has backed visiting jazz names at places including The Jazz Showcase and the Harris Theater.

As a sideman he has performed with internationally know jazz musicians including Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Hod O’Brien, Anat Cohen, Kurt Elling, and Joe Cohn as well as many others. He has also worked with many names on the Chicago jazz scene at nearly every spot that features live jazz music including Russ Phillips, Don Stiernberg, Kim Cusack, Chris Foreman, Bobby Lewis, Chuck Hedges, Judy Roberts, and Howard Levy.

Direct Call

Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance

Styles: Post-Bop, Jazz Fusion
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:01
Size: 82,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:45)  1. Space Lady
(6:10)  2. Mardi Gras (Carnival)
(5:24)  3. Starlight and You
(5:52)  4. Mongotee
(4:12)  5. A Song of Love
(2:38)  6. Between Here and There
(4:59)  7. Renaissance

With a jacket adorned by mystical symbols of every faith and tribe Smith could think of, Renaissance is a pleasant paean to Peace, Love and Understanding that goes down easily and almost tracelessly. Smith doubles on acoustic piano and Rhodes electric piano, the latter often tarted up by gentle period Echoplex effects, and brother Donald Smith provides ethereal flute and occasional vocals. The Smiths are at their most ingratiating when sailing along in a semi-Brazilian groove on "Mardi Gras" and "A Song of Love" that pre-echoes a similar direction that Pat Metheny would take. Otherwise, the mildly spacy funk patterns and lightweight age of Aquarius atmosphere rise not too far above the level of hip '70s makeout music. Still, you could do a lot, lot worse in that genre. ~ Richard S. Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/album/renaissance-mw0000464626

Personnel: Lonnie Liston Smith (vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, electronics); Donald Smith (vocals, flute); Gene Bertoncini (guitar, acoustic guitar); Dave Hubbard (flute, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Leon Pendarvis (Clarinet); Kenneth Bichel (synthesizer, Moog synthesizer); Wilby Fletcher (drums); Lawrence Killian (congas); Guilherme Franco (percussion).

Renaissance

Steve Kaldestad (Feat. Renee Rosnes, Peter Washington & Lewis Nash) - New York Afternoon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:42
Size: 135,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:40)  1. Punjab
(5:54)  2. O bebado e a equilibrista
(8:26)  3. Put on a Happy Face
(5:53)  4. Wishful Thinking
(4:27)  5. Beatriz
(4:36)  6. Yeah!
(7:15)  7. I've Just Seen Her
(7:17)  8. Icelight
(6:10)  9. Blues for David

Since moving to Vancouver in 2008, Steve Kaldestad has become one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the scene, performing as a sideman with Jesse Cahill’s Nightcrawlers, Jodi Proznick’s quartet, and many other groups. Steve has released 3 CDs on the Cellar Live label to great acclaim including Straight Up featuring the Mike LeDonne Trio and the brand new release, New York Afternoon with the Renee Rosnes Trio. Originally from the prairies, Steve spent the ’90s in Montreal, obtaining his Bachelors and Masters degrees from McGill University. During this time Steve was awarded a grant to study with Lee Konitz in New York for a year. In 2000, he began an eight year stint in London, England and joined the Kate Williams Quartet, the Matt Wates Sextet, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, the Gareth Lockrane Septet, and played regular gigs in the BBC big band, the Humphrey Lyttelton Group and others. He has also played and/or recorded with Denzal Sinclaire, Mike LeDonne, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, the Karl Jannuska Group, Kevin Dean and many others. Steve now resides in Port Moody, BC and teaches at Capilano University, and directs the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music Big Band. Steve is a D’addario artist. http://stevekaldestad.com/about/

Personnel: Steve Kaldestad (tenor saxophone); Renee Rosnes (piano); Peter Washington (acoustic bass); Lewis Nash (drums).

New York Afternoon

Lorez Alexandria - More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 78,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. But Beautiful
(2:17)  2. Little Boat (O Barquinho)
(1:32)  3. Dancing on the Ceiling
(6:58)  4. It Might as Well Be Spring
(2:20)  5. Once (It S'Aim Aient)
(2:54)  6. The Wildest Gal in Town
(4:53)  7. Angel Eyes
(2:20)  8. This Could Be the Start of Something Big
(3:09)  9. No More
(2:25) 10. That Far Away Look

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lorez-alexandria/id2897975#fullText

More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

Earl Coleman - Love Songs

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:34
Size: 80,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. People
(3:58)  2. There's No You
(2:52)  3. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(2:57)  4. I've Got You Under My Skin
(4:44)  5. I Wish I Knew
(5:11)  6. I Won't Tell A Soul
(2:40)  7. The Work Song
(2:57)  8. Manhattan Serenade
(2:58)  9. Charade
(2:42) 10. When Did You Leave Heaven

Despite his warm voice and the optimistic liner notes, this album was Earl Coleman's only recording as a leader from 1957-76. Coleman, whose baritone voice was originally influenced by Billy Eckstine, is long overdue for rediscovery, as was Johnny Hartman who gained some posthumous fame in the 1990s. Coleman is joined by either a big band led by pianist Billy Taylor and featuring flutist Jerome Richardson, or by Taylor's combo with trumpeter Eddie Williams, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Bobby Thomas. A few of the tunes, such as "People" and "Charade," are throwaways, but even those are uplifted by Coleman's warmth. Highlights include "There's No You," "I Wish I Knew" and "When Did You Leave Heaven." This underrated LP will hopefully be reissued on CD someday and makes one regret that Coleman recorded so little during his prime. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-songs-mw0000879193

Personnel:  Earl Coleman – vocals;  Frank Foster - tenor sax;  Jerome Richardson – flute;  Billy Taylor – piano;  Eddie Williams – trumpet;  Gene Bertoncini – guitar;  Billy Taylor – piano;  Reggie Workman – bass;  Bobby Thomas - drums

Love Songs

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire - Together

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:39
Size: 143,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Roxie
(3:20)  2. Top Billing
(3:35)  3. How Lucky Can You Get?
(4:05)  4. Spring Spring Spring
(3:12)  5. It's Easy To Remember
(2:55)  6. Change Partners
(5:09)  7. Pick Yourself Up
(2:51)  8. Mr Keyboard Man
(3:26)  9. I've A Shooting Box In Scotland
(3:28) 10. In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening
(3:49) 11. Bon Vivant
(2:50) 12. Sing
(3:50) 13. Dance In The The Old Fashioned Way
(3:00) 14. I Love To Dance Like They Used To Dance
(2:58) 15. A Couple Of Song And Dance Men
(2:39) 16. That's Entertainment (The Band Wagon)
(1:51) 17. Top Billing (Reprise)
(3:40) 18. Session Sound Bites - Bloopers With Bing & Fred

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. What a Team! Crosby the Archetypal Crooner and Legendary Hitmaker who Had Worked with Everyone from Bix Beiderbecke to David Bowie and Astaire the Quintessential Dancer who Introduced More Classic Songs to the Popular Catalogue Than Crosby and Sinatra Combined. This Collection is a Reissue of the Original 1975 Album "How Lucky Can You Get!" and features Bonus Tracks. Sleeve Notes Written by Ken Barnes, the Producer of the Original Record. ~ Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.com/Together-Bing-Crosby/dp/B000E9X6WG

Together

Helen O'Connell - Here's Helen

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:27
Size: 73,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:59)  1. Who Cares
(2:36)  2. I Can't Believe That You're In
(2:26)  3. Bye Bye Blues
(3:43)  4. Blue And Broken Hearted
(2:25)  5. Saturday Night (Is The Lonelie
(2:27)  6. You Took Advantage Of Me
(1:48)  7. I've Got A Feelin' You're Fool
(3:51)  8. You Showed Me The Way
(1:45)  9. Just You Just Me
(3:23) 10. I Cried For You
(2:36) 11. Miss You
(2:23) 12. Please Don't Talk About Me Whe

Helen O'Connell, who had a fairly long career, will always be best remembered for her squeals on "Green Eyes" and her work with Jimmy Dorsey. She originally left her native Toledo with Jimmy Richards' nine-piece group, gigging and touring for a year and a half. O'Connell appeared on a regular radio show in St. Louis until she agreed to tour with Larry Funk's band (which was billed as "Band of a Thousand Melodies"). After the outfit started working in New York, she was discovered and quickly signed up by Jimmy Dorsey in 1938. O'Connell soon had a hit rendition of "All of Me," which was followed by popular recordings of "Embraceable You," "Brazil," "Jim." and "When the Sun Comes Out" (which she introduced). However, it was in December 1940, when she started sharing recordings with ballad singer Bob Eberly, that O'Connell for a time became a household name. Eberly generally took a slow chorus, Jimmy Dorsey would have a brief instrumental interlude, and then O'Connell would finish up the record with a swinging chorus. This combination worked very well on hit versions of "Amapola," "Yours," "Green Eyes" and "Tangerine." After appearing in the 1943 movie I Dood It with Dorsey (singing "Star Eyes"), O'Connell retired to get married; she would eventually have four daughters. In 1950 she began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. Although her voice was limited, she made her deficiencies into assets and carved out her own place in musical history. Helen O'Connell was active up until shortly before her death from cancer. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/helen-oconnell-mn0000954646/biography

Here's Helen

Earl Coleman - Earl Coleman Returns

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:16
Size: 135,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Say It Isn't So
(5:53)  2. Reminiscing
(6:31)  3. Social Call
(5:23)  4. It's You Or No One
(4:17)  5. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(5:24)  6. No Love, No Nothin'
(2:46)  7. This Is Always (bonus track)
(2:52)  8. My Last Affair (bonus track)
(3:42)  9. Ghost Of A Chance (bonus track)
(3:38) 10. I Haven't Changed A Thing (bonus track)
(4:23) 11. My Ideal (bonus track)
(7:38) 12. Two Different Worlds (bonus track)

Singer Earl Coleman, who had an early hit with "This Is Always" (cut with Charlie Parker in 1947), had a rather sporadic recording career. The music reissued on this CD (which adds four bonus cuts to the original Prestige LP) was, with the exception of a couple selections on Sonny Rollins and Elmo Hope albums, the singer's only recordings during 1949-1966 and (other than an obscure Atlantic album) his only sessions from 1949-1976. Coleman, who had a deep baritone voice influenced by Billy Eckstine, clearly deserved better. Although not an improviser, Coleman could swing, as he shows on these performances with the assistance of such fine players as trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Gigi Gryce, and pianist Hank Jones; highlights include "It's You or No One," "Social Call," and a remake of "This Is Always." ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/earl-coleman-returns-mw0000664310

Personnel: Earl Coleman (vocals); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); Gene Easton, Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone); Nate Woodyard, Art Farmer (trumpet); Henderson Chambers, Ed Moore (trombone); John Houston, Hank Jones , Lawrence Wheatly (piano); George Brown , Shadow Wilson, Wilbert G.T. Hogan (drums).

Earl Coleman Returns

Chris Minh Doky - Minh

Styles: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:25
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. I Told You So
(4:09)  2. Every Breath You Take
(0:12)  3. Welcome
(2:49)  4. Waiting On You (jungle vibe)
(5:06)  5. Sleepless Dream
(0:04)  6. Chhaya
(5:39)  7. Lean On Me
(4:56)  8. I Just Wanna Stop
(4:52)  9. A New Day
(0:09) 10. Ken & Mai
(5:39) 11. It Once Was
(3:44) 12. Mardi Chez Lionel
(0:28) 13. Messages
(5:42) 14. Home Sweet Home
(0:19) 15. New York City
(5:02) 16. Dont Get Funny With My Money

One can call Chris Min Doky an international musician. Born in Denmark as the son of a Danish pop singer and a Vietnamese guitarist he got his talent on a natural way. In 1989 at age 18 he moved to New York, where he soon had the opportunity to start his career as bassist and to record his debut album Appreciation followed by The Sequel (1990) and Letters (1991) on Storyville Records. His specialty was mixing jazz and rock. Signed by Blue Note Records he released Doky Brothers (1995), Doky Brothers 2 (1996), with his elder brother, the jazz pianist Niels Lan Doky, and Minh (1998). Chris comments about Minh: "I wanted to do something totally different than what I had been doing with Doky Brothers. I was ready to do something more funky, more edgy, less polite. 

I wanted to record an album that told the story of who, and where, I was at the time. What better way to do that, than invite all your friends an have a party?" Guest musicians on Minh are the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Mike Stern, Lenny White and many more celebrities.  Minh offers a great variety of styles from jazz to Pop and R&B. Fusion jazz on I Told You So and Waiting On You is searching the musical borders of all musicians. You find delighting songs like Every Breath You Take and Lean On Me interpreted by Lalah Hathaway. In spite of the fact that merging of fusion jazz and R&B on the same album is a risky endeavor Chris finds the right balance between the genres. This album was released in 1998, a time when smooth jazz in USA had its first ascendancy. http://www.smooth-jazz.de/starportrait/Doky/Retrospective.htm

Personnel:  Chris Minh Doky (Bass);  Michael Brecker (Tenor Saxophone);   David Sanborn (Alto Saxophone);  Randy Brecker (Trumpet);  Ricky Peterson, Joey Calderazzo, Chris Parks, Larry Goldings, Lasse Janson, Jim Beard (keyboards, Piano);  Paul Peterson, Louis Winsberg, Chris Parks,Joe Caro, Mike Stern, David Gilmore, Hiram Bullock (Guitars);  Michael Bland, Paul Peterson, Lenny White, Adam Nussbaum, Alex Riel (Drums);  Dianne Reeves, Vivian Sessoms, Lalah Hathaway,Randy Brecker (Lead Vocals);  Kayoko Suzuki Lange (Voice)

Minh

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Nancy LaMott - Nancy Lamott Sings David Zippel

Size: 151,9 MB
Time: 64:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals, Cabaret
Art: Front

01. Intro (0:23)
02. You Can Always Count On Me (4:05)
03. Another Mr. Right (4:35)
04. Intro To In Someone Else's Arms (0:59)
05. In Someone Else's Arms (3:41)
06. Outro To In Someone Else's Arms (0:14)
07. Intro To Let Go (1:43)
08. Let Go (3:34)
09. Life's Ambition (I Was Born To Be A Slide Trombone) (3:44)
10. Lost And Found (2:37)
11. I'll Be There For Him (3:37)
12. Camel's Blues (3:09)
13. Loud Is Good (4:17)
14. How Can I Win (3:21)
15. Lullaby (1:34)
16. In Someone Else's Arms (Pop Demo) (2:30)
17. Let Go (3:10)
18. Why Don't We Run Away (3:00)
19. With Every Breath I Take (5:04)
20. (Christmas) Stay With Me (4:56)
21. Just In Time For Christmas (4:05)

This CD, with songs by Nancy's long-time friend, Tony Winner and Academy Award Nominee David Zippel, captures, more than any of Nancy's other CD's, the experience of Nancy live and in the studio in the heyday of her New York Cabaret career. It's like being there!

David Zippel is one of our most treasured lyricists and Nancy LaMott's brilliant interpretations are a match made in heaven. Filled with never- before-heard songs of Nancy's. Hear Nancy live in the heyday of her New York Cabaret Career.

World famous composers such as Marvin Hamlisch and Cy Coleman accompany their own songs for Nancy.

Enjoy Nancy talking about the songs live in cabaret performances. Liner notes by David Zippel tell you the history of each song.

There is no more beautiful musical instrument than the voice of Nancy LaMott. Bob Harrington, New York Post

She brought to everything she sang a clean, clear sense of line, impeccable enunciation and a deep understanding of how a good song could convey a lifetime's experience. Stephen Holden --The New York Times

The best cabaret singer I ever heard ... heartfelt, irresistibly appealing. Terry Teachout --Wall Street Journal

She was the greatest cabaret singer since Sinatra. Jonathan Schwartz --National Public Radio Npr

Nancy Lamott Sings David Zippel

Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group - 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1: Ticket To Ride
Size: 113,0 MB
Time: 49:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ticket To Ride (Live) ( 5:31)
02. Lilly Bean (Live) ( 6:13)
03. Let It Be (Live) ( 5:45)
04. Breezin' (Live) ( 5:47)
05. Moondance (Live) ( 5:05)
06. Shotgun - Billie Jean (Live) ( 4:49)
07. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (Live) ( 5:36)
08. Five Dollah Blues (Live) (Feat. Thara Memory) (10:13)

“If this band played in New York City, they’d be a sensation!” These are words from legendary jazz guitarist George Benson, describing Portland’s long running soul-jazz outfit, the Mel Brown B3 Organ Group.

In 1997, the group began their long-running weekly perfor- mance at Jimmy Mak’s, Portland’s premier jazz club. When Jimmy Mak’s moved locations in 2006, the band followed and have now been performing as the house band for more than 16 years.

The band plays fiery soul-jazz, but the fire lies less in the style of music they choose to play, and more in the hearts of the talent who play it. Drummer Mel Brown heard Louis Pain’s scorching Hammond B3, and during a meeting with Jimmy Mak, they hand-picked the rest of the original members: long-time trumpeter and educator, Thara Memory; guitarist Dan Faehlne; and the saxophonist Renato Caranto.

Since the early days, Curtis Craft has come on board as percussionist and Dan Balmer replaced Faehnle on guitar. This torching new jazz band took the up-and-coming Pearl district by storm, and they became a sensation!

The double-disc anniversary collection presents Thara Mem- ory as a special guest on these live Jimmy Mak’s performances. On “Ticket to Ride,” Memory gives a hilarious vocal performance, capturing his sass on “Five Dollah Blues,” a song about his trouble with women. Poor Thara, it’s a little over ten full minutes of trouble.

The rest of the album is mostly fiery soul-jazz covers of rock songs from the ‘60s through the ‘80s. They nail Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” (Google the original if you don’t remember, you definitely know it). They also cover Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” and two John Lennon/Paul McCartney songs, “Let it Be,” and a fiery version of “Ticket to Ride,” which opens the record. It’s fun and lighthearted, with tight playing.

The second volume focuses less on rock songs, and, al- though it still burns, it’s a little more like a constant simmer than a raging fire. The track that you’ll probably put on repeat is “Spooky,” a funky tune with Craft adding another layer on his percussion and Caranto’s saxophone up front and center. “Blues for J” is so straight-ahead it sounds like it’s on an out-of-print Prestige vinyl from the 60s.

These two records were both recorded during two Jimmy Mak’s performances at the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. Both records burn, but “Ticket to Ride” is more focused on remakes of pop songs. Clearly in these last 16 years, these guys have mastered their crafts and hopefully will continue to be the house band at Jimmy Mak’s for another sixteen.

16th Anniversary Show Vol. 1

Album: 16th Anniversary Show Vol. 2: More Today Than Yesterday
Size: 125,6 MB
Time: 54:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Hip Shaker (Live) (8:27)
02. Spooky (Live) (5:08)
03. House Of The Rising Sun (Live) (7:48)
04. More Today Than Yesterday (Live) (6:59)
05. Dan's Slow Jam (Live) (4:22)
06. Mac Tough (Live) (5:48)
07. Love Won't Let Me Wait (Live) (6:25)
08. Blues For J (Live) (Feat. Thara Memory) (9:35)

16th Anniversary Show Vol. 2

Rebecca Kilgore - Rebecca Kilgore With Hal Smith's Rhythmakers

Size: 101,1 MB
Time: 40:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Keep A Song In Your Soul (3:58)
02. Delta Bound (4:02)
03. I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby (4:47)
04. Answer My Heart (2:47)
05. Mister, Will You Serenade (4:22)
06. Let's Have A Jubilee (2:45)
07. Thief In The Night (4:07)
08. How Long Has This Been Going On (5:05)
09. Remarkable Boy (3:04)
10. Kiss Me, Sweet (2:41)
11. He's The Last Word (2:58)

As an interpreter of classic American popular songs from the 1930s and 1940s, vocalist and guitarist Rebecca Kilgore helped revive the hits of yesterday for modern-era jazz audiences. Born in Waltham, MA, in 1949, she relocated to Portland, OR, at the age of 30, beginning her music career fronting an area swing band dubbed the Wholly Cats and recording a 1982 LP titled Doggin' Around. Following the group's 1984 breakup, she formed her own unit, the Rebecca Kilgore Quintet, which quickly emerged as a mainstay of the Northwest jazz scene, and in 1989, she released the cassette-only I Hear Music. Most of Kilgore's subsequent recordings were in conjunction with other performers: In 1990, she teamed with John Miller for Put on a Happy Face, and in 1993 appeared with Portland's Tall Jazz Trio on their Plays Winter Jazz disc. However, Kilgore's most fruitful collaborations were in conjunction with pianist Dave Frishberg; after teaming for 1993's Looking at You, they reunited a year later for I Saw Stars, followed in 1997 by Not a Care in the World and again in 2001 with The Starlit Hour. At the same time, Kilgore also fronted a '60s-style country band, Beck-a-Roo, and in 1994 contributed vocals to the score of the CBS animated special Tales From the Far Side, inspired by the popular Gary Larson comic strip. ~by Jason Ankeny

Rebecca Kilgore With Hal Smith's Rhythmakers

Georgie Fame - Bend A Little: Demos, Rarities & Outtakes

Size: 140,6 MB
Time: 60:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, R&B
Art: Front

01. Money (That’s What I Want) (IBC Session) (2:04)
02. Let The Sunshine In (Demo) (IBC Session) (2:36)
03. Lonely Avenue (Demo) (IBC Session) (2:37)
04. You’re Driving Me Crazy (Demo) (IBC Session) (2:17)
05. Kidney Stew (Demo) (IBC Session) (2:03)
06. Moanin' (4:37)
07. Gimme That Wine (Alternative Version) (2:40)
08. Bend A Little (Instrumental) (2:21)
09. Saturday Night Fish Fry (4:41)
10. Lil' Darlin (Alternate Version) (4:13)
11. You’re Driving Me Crazy (2:06)
12. Soul Stomp (2:59)
13. This Is Always - This Isn't Sometimes (3:04)
14. Jelly Jelly Blues (4:49)
15. Black Head Chinaman (2:55)
16. Incense (3:28)
17. Tan Tan's Tune (4:06)
18. Red Number Nine (1:49)
19. Humpty Dumpty (German Language Version) (2:37)
20. Yeh Yeh (German Version) (2:42)

Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell, 26 June 1943) is an English rhythm and blues and jazz singer, and keyboard player. The musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.

Fame is the only British pop star to have achieved three number one hits with his only Top 10 chart entries: "Yeh, Yeh" in 1964, "Get Away" in 1966 and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967

Bend A Little

Renee Rosnes - Written In The Rocks

Size: 131,0 MB
Time: 56:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. The KT Boundary (4:50)
02. Galapagos (7:12)
03. So Simple A Beginning (6:14)
04. Lucy From Afar (6:35)
05. Written In The Rocks (5:12)
06. Deep In The Blue (Tiktaalik) (7:33)
07. Cambrian Explosion (5:24)
08. From Here To A Star (8:04)
09. Goodbye Mumbai (5:43)

Why don’t we hear about jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes more? She’s just as good, if not better, than most of her male counterparts. Her February 5, 2016 album,Written In The Rocks, on Smoke Sessions Records puts her up there as one of the most in-flux, fluid, fantastic artists around.

Everything on this new record seems to rush at you, in a hurry, with some urgency, but rounded out with a fleshy magic. Her quartet is scheduled to debut Written In The Rocks at a CD release celebration February 5-7 of next year in three sets at New York City’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club.

This is no ordinary release, built on the whims and aspirations of a jazz artist in flux. The Canadian expat found inspiration in nature, building seven of the nine compositions to “The Galapagos Suite.”

Nature has always played a major role in Rosnes’ life growing up in beautiful British Columbia. “The infinite blue-green hues of coastal British Columbia are in my blood,” she explained in a recent DL Media press release. “My family's home sat at the bottom of a street that opened up into a deep ravine, and a half-hour's drive from there, the city lights were dim enough to offer an astonishing view of the night sky. Salty air, the smell of seaweed, the relentless pounding of waves, and the agreeable aroma of cedar — all of these provide me with spiritual nourishment and inspiration. To compose music about our planet's evolution was a stimulating concept and one brimming with possibilities.”

With Rosnes on this natural journey are her bandmates: Steve Wilson (sax, flute), Steve Nelson (vibes), Peter Washington (bass), and Bill Stewart (drums). “All of us have personal and musical relationships that have been growing for decades,” Rosnes continued. “As a band, we've developed a focused sound with a wide and nuanced palette of colors and rhythms. We play off of each other.”

Her bandmates play no small role on her album. That’s Nelson’s vibes all over the place on “Lucy From Afar,” touching on the intriguing discovery of humankind’s ancestor amongst the ruins of civilization. In the opening, “The KT Boundary,” her entire band joins in, notably drummer Stewart with Wilson on flute and soprano sax. Together, they posit the possibilities of new life from the end of the dinosaurs in a kind of mass, avant-garde hysteria that never quite takes leave of its senses.

On the title track, Nelson’s vibes gently make way for Rosnes, as she displays the kind of tranquil feminine touch missing in a lot of the slam, bang macho posturing found amongst the Millennial boys’ club nowadays. Yet, there’s the still life of a Bill Evans, a man who knew how to tap into his softer side for a melodic drowning, the fervor of the dying’s last wish. She contemplates the wonder, the history, the secrets beneath those age-old rocks, gently tapping at the grains of arctic sands, every note a forestry, a surging series of waves.

Outside “The Galapagos Suite,” Renee Rosnes and her band find common ground in the solid, straight-ahead jazz contemplation, “From Here To A Star,” and the hopefully nostalgic “Goodbye Mumbai.” ~Carol Banks Weber

Written In The Rocks

The James Zeller Trio - Serenades The Moon

Size: 101,3 MB
Time: 38:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Isn't It Romantic (4:00)
02. Delovely (2:46)
03. More (3:27)
04. Skylark (3:58)
05. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (3:23)
06. Blue Moon (2:58)
07. Old Devil Moon (4:14)
08. When Lights Are Low (4:29)
09. The Way You Look Tonight (3:18)
10. I Only Have Eyes For You (3:06)
11. Lookin' At The World Through Rose Colored Glasses (2:20)

The James Zeller Trio , based in New York City, is a Jazz Trio composed of vocalist/trombonist James Zeller, Guitarist Pat Brennan and Bassist Lorenzo Sandi. An extremely musically versitale and entertaining group, they perform a perfect mix of classic love songs, early Jazz , broadway show tunes and standards of all kinds from the 1920's- 50's.

James and Pat, although both formally educated in music, began working together as buskers in Central Park and today find themselves performing regularly at the finest establishments in New York. The demands of busking forced them to develop a style and repertoire of music that would entice passers-by to stop and linger. They have never lost their uncanny ability to entertain a crowd and that experience has taught them to cherish their connection to audiences.

James and Lorenzo, a formally educated classical musician, began playing together in a most unusual manner, Sidewalk Serenading. With wheels strapped to Lorenzo's beautiful Bass and James carrying that eye catching brass Trombone, they would stroll from place to place serenading and delighting people all over Manhattan.

Serenades The Moon

The Swing Commanders - Steelin' Back

Size: 113,1 MB
Time: 48:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Western Swing, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Bye Bye Paris (4:02)
02. Take It Away, Leon (3:01)
03. Hootenanny (3:12)
04. The Way You Look Tonight (5:58)
05. Blue Suede Shoes (3:16)
06. Sugar Moon (3:42)
07. Basin Street Blues (4:17)
08. Whoa Babe (2:43)
09. Papa Loves Mambo (3:06)
10. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans (2:53)
11. Is You Is (Or Is You Ain't My Baby) (4:50)
12. The Real Thing (4:21)
13. Rockin' On Sunday Night (3:15)

Personnel: Peter Riley, Daisy Thurkettle, Dan Smith, Siena Lloyd, Stuart Smith

The Swing Commanders are a young and vibrant quintet, performing 40's swing and western swing at its very best. Instrumentation features Fiddle, Mandolin, Sax, Clarinet, Steel Guitar, Accordian, Piano, Guitar, Upright Bass, Cowbell, Drums and multiple vocals. With endless talent, continous swapping of instruments and an energetic approach the show recieves standing ovations almost everywhere they perform!

Steelin' Back