Massimo Farao Trio - Autumn Leaves

Size: 141,5 MB
Time: 60:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. Corcovado (6:11)
02. Estate (6:55)Massimo Farao, piano
Aldo Zunino, bass
Marco Tolotti, drums
03. To Each His Own (5:35)
04. Chanson De Maxence (6:30)
05. Someday My Prince Will Come (4:59)
06. No Problem (5:15)
07. Cheek To Cheek (6:59)
08. Alone Together (5:29)
09. Autumn Leaves (7:32)
10. I Thought About You (5:21)

Personnel:
Massimo Farao: Piano
Aldo Zunino: Bass
Marco Tolotti: Drums

Recorded at Pianopiano Studios in Torino on February 11, 12, & 13, 2014.

Massimo Farao is an outstanding pianist who has performed with Nat Adderley, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Red Holloway, Tony Scott, Franco Ambrosetti, Jack DeJohnette, Chris Potter, and many more.

Autumn Leaves was recorded in a three day session in February 2014. The quality of each track is incredibly high. Farao's ardent style and passion are extremely appealing along with the plentiful harmonies he creates. The notes he plays are sparse, his arrangements are effortless, and the notes he does choose are beautiful. All of Farao's music--with his reliable ear for swing--exudes happiness.

Autumn Leaves

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Carin Lundin - What Now My Love?

Size: 102,0 MB
Time: 39:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Get Happy (2:51)
02. What Now My Love (4:56)
03. Second Time Around (3:59)
04. I've Got A Heart Full Of Rhythm (3:24)
05. Do Be Mama (4:32)
06. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (4:01)
07. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (4:58)
08. Peel Me A Grape (3:45)
09. Just Squeeze Me, But Please Don't Tease Me (3:46)
10. Tribute To Miss A (3:08)

Carin Lundin is a class act, one of Sweden's best jazz singers. She hangs in there year on year, ably fending off the challenge of newer arrivals, without ever getting the full recognition she so richly deserves.

In 2005 her disk, "Songs We All Recognize" was named one of the year's best albums by the national newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. In 2007 she won the national Jazz Museum's Anita O'Day prize and in 2010 her album "Smulor och Parafraser (Crumbs and Paraphrases)" made it to fifth place in jazz magazine Orkester Journalen's Gyllene Skivan (Golden Record) reader's poll.

For this, her fourth album, a collection of standards and two of her own songs, she is accompanied by some of the Nordic nation's best young session men, led by the talented pianist Mathias Algotsson.

The title track is based on the 1961 French song, "Et Maintenant" by Gilbert Bécaud, with English lyrics penned by Carl Sigman. It was most famously performed by Elvis Presley for a live audience of a billion people in his satellite show Aloha From Hawaii, beamed to 43 countries via INTELSAT.

Lundin's version features a fine trumpet solo by Johan Setterlind, who—appropriately—goes one better on "The Second Time Around."

Dicken Hedrenius contributes excellent trombone solos on the old Louis Armstrong song "I've Got A Heart Full Of Rhythm" and "Peel Me A Grape."

The latter, along with Lundin's version of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," is right up there with the best of them. So too the up-tempo numbers "Get Happy," on which she displays her O'Day credentials, and that fine old chestnut "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home."

Of the originals, "Do Be Mama" is a light-hearted meditation by a mother watching her children growing up and becoming independent. Lundin says, "I suddenly have so much time. Maybe I should be happy about it, but I miss being with and taking care of my kids."

"Tribute To Miss A" is a heartfelt look at the loss of a friend, at the age of 37 hit by a truck while cycling in central Stockholm—"While a lot seems faded, her precious tone lingers on." ~Chris Mosey

Personnel: Carin Lundin: vocals; Johan Setterlind: trumpet; Dicken Hedrenius: trombone; Mathias Algotsson: piano; Mattias Wein: bass; Daniel Fredriksson: drums.

What Now My Love?

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Professor Cunningham & His Old School - The Rhythm Method

Size: 103,7 MB
Time: 44:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: New Orleans Jazz/Blues, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Joshua Fit The Battle At Jericho (3:13)
02. Lesson In Groove (3:27)
03. High Degree (3:01)
04. Chant In The Night (3:04)
05. One Thing (2:24)
06. Down By The Riverside (3:19)
07. Black Coffee (4:35)
08. So Nice (Feat. Tamar Korn) (3:25)
09. You Shook Me All Night Long (3:35)
10. It Ain't Necessarily So (3:11)
11. Inside Out (3:45)
12. Ain't Gonna Bring Me Down (2:58)
13. Amazing Grace (4:28)

The Professor's syllabus is taken from the finest New Orleans repertoire, from Sidney Bechet to Fats Domino, catered to the lindy hop dancers..
Led by Aussie reedman Adrian Cunningham (Baby Soda, Gordon Webster) the band performs regularly in NYC and out of town, the Professor and his group focuses on music that makes you wanna move!

"Professor Cunningham & His Old School are a new favorite at Boston Swing Central! Delightfully danceable, The Professor has studied his old jazz records, carefully selecting material that is great for dancing." ~Mike Hibarger- Boston Swing Central

"We recently had the privilege of Professor Cunningham and his Old School play for our monthly swing dance at Club Helsinki in Hudson, NY. Though only a trio, the richness and fullness of their arrangements rivaled many wonderful quartets and quintets we've had play for us. I was equally impressed with their sensitivity to playing different tempos and musical styles that maintained great energy on the dance floor for the entire night. They clearly love what they do and love sharing it with dancers. Thank you Professor!!" ~Paul Rix- swing dancer and cohost of Helsinki Swings

The Rhythm Method

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Karolina Strassmayer & Drori Mondlak - Of Mystery And Beauty

Size: 162,0 MB
Time: 69:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. From Her Pale Blue Home (7:46)
02. Of Mystery And Beauty (9:05)
03. Postcard From A Quiet Place (6:25)
04. Fanfare From Another World (7:27)
05. Wandering (7:18)
06. Gently Spoke The Mermaid (6:43)
07. Four Us All (4:08)
08. Of Space And Rest (6:38)
09. Side To Side (5:00)
10. Cascades (3:54)
11. Still In Her Ears (5:22)

Over the past decade and a half Austrian saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer has established herself as a superbly consummate musician. Her multifaceted compositions are always subtly, engagingly inventive and brim with brilliant wit and lyricism. As an improviser she plays with a reserved intensity and a captivating and suave spontaneity. Her seventh release Of Mystery and Beauty showcases again her unique style that has matured and ripened without losing any of its vibrant energy.

Like all of Strassmayer's previous albums this one is also in collaboration with American drummer Drori Mondlak. An undisputed master percussionist Mondlak, with his virtuosity and bold, explorative spirit, is the indispensible driving force behind the pair's music. Case in point; his unaccompanied solo "Cascades" is breathtakingly spirited and unexpectedly tuneful.

Together with their quartet Klaro! Strassmayer and Mondlak interpret the ten originals with a sublime mix of magical ethereality and visceral earthiness. The title track for instance opens with bassist John Goldsby's contemplative reverberating strings. Pianist Rainer Böhm's resonant chiming keys and Mondlak's softly propulsive beats create an expectant ambience for Strassmayer's yearning poetry. Heavily tinged with mysticism. Strassmayer lets loose intricate meandering alto lines that build an intriguing and passionate melody. After Böhm's shimmering, incandescent deluge of notes tense sonic fragments usher in the darkly hued conclusion.

The dramatic and provocative "Four Us All" has an otherworldly mood and lilting cadence. Mondlak's primal rumble and rustling sticks together with Goldsby's thumping vamps and Böhm's sparse, haunting chords form a loose and angular rhythmic framework. Strassmayer fills this gripping harmonic shell with her free flowing and open-ended extemporization making the piece one of the most innovative on the record.

Elsewhere on the funky and emotive "Side by Side" Strassmayer's blues-drenched saxophone dances seductively and with muscular phrases around the main theme. Böhm's buoyant piano echoes and expands on the altoist's mordant and acerbic tones and stirring wail.

The vigorous "Fanfare From Another World," meanwhile, features Böhm's lithe pianism. His breathtaking acrobatics are equal parts technical prowess and elegant artistry. Strassmayer blows with fiery gusto the bubbling head over her band-mates hard swinging refrains. Mondlak bisects the tune with his thunderous thumps and complex, overlapping polyrhythms.

This captivating record closes with the hypnotic and gorgeous ballad "Still In Her Ears." This Strassmayer and Böhm duet spotlights the former's thick breathy flute as it undulates gracefully over the latter's introspective and classically influenced performance.

Simultaneously unconventional and accessible Of Mystery and Beauty is an imaginative work. With charm and intelligence it eschews both abstruseness and banality. It engrosses with its diversity yet remains conceptually cohesive. It stimulates and moves with its ingenious complexity and fascinating fluidity. In short it is, to date, Strassmayer and Mondlak's finest disc and one that surely will stand the test of time. ~Hrayr Attarian

Personnel: Karolina Strassmayer: alto saxophone, flute; Drori Mondlak: drums; John Goldsby: bass; Rainer Böhm: piano.

Of Mystery And Beauty

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Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox - PMJ And Chill

Size: 115,3 MB
Time: 49:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz, Ragtime, Pop, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Sorry (Feat. Shoshana Bean) (3:57)
02. Bye Bye Bye (Feat. Tara Louise) (4:17)
03. Ex's & Oh's (Feat. Lisa Gary) (2:47)
04. Here (Feat. Aubrey Logan) (3:45)
05. I’m Not The Only One (Feat. Cristina Gatti) (3:56)
06. Hotline Bling (Feat. Cristina Gatti) (3:01)
07. Ignition (Remix)) (Feat. Rayvon Owen) (3:19)
08. Love Yourself (Feat. Sara Niemietz) (4:18)
09. Hello (Feat. Maiya Sykes) (4:18)
10. Just Like Heaven (Feat. Natalie Angst) (4:22)
11. Focus (Feat. Lavance Colley) (3:21)
12. Thinking Out Loud (Feat. Holly Campbell-Smith) (3:50)
13. Heroes (Feat. Nicole Atkins) (4:06)

How did Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" become a '50s-style doo wop number? Since when was Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" about an upright bass fiddle? At what point did Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" evolve into a '20s hot jazz tune? And whose idea was it to rework Lorde's "Royals" into a polished ballad sung by a sad clown? It's all part of the topsy-turvy world of Postmodern Jukebox, an ongoing musical project spearheaded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee, who takes contemporary pop and rock tunes and fashions new arrangements for them that cast them in an unpredictable variety of musical styles from the past. Born on Long Island, Bradlee relocated to New York City after studying jazz at the University of Hartford. While playing gigs at restaurants and nightclubs in New York City, Bradlee began experimenting with ragtime and jazz arrangements of pop tunes from the '80s, and he recorded several self-released digital albums of his offbeat versions of well-known melodies, as well as performances that interpolated seemingly dissimilar songs of different eras. Bradlee upped the ante on these experiments in 2012 with an album called A Motown Tribute to Nickelback, but as he began imagining a new platform for his experiments, he thought of YouTube, where he had been posting solo performance videos since 2009. In 2013, Bradlee began posting weekly videos in which he and a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists performed a new song each week, recorded live in a single take in Bradlee's living room. In September 2013, Bradlee posted his '50s-style reimagining of Cyrus' "We Can't Stop," and the clip soon went viral, racking up over four million views in less than two months and topping 14 million two years later. Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox channel was soon racking up Internet successes on a regular basis, and Bradlee continued to release both videos and albums based on his playful fun-house covers of popular songs. By 2015, Bradlee had made over 130 Postmodern Jukebox clips available online, and he and his crew were taking the show on the road, touring in North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. ~Mark Deming

PMJ And Chill

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Art Farmer & Jim Hall Quartet - Complete Live Recordings

Styles: Jazz, Mainstream Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:57
Size: 159,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:25)  1. Stompin' At The Savoy
( 5:56)  2. Swing Spring
( 4:28)  3. What's New
( 9:44)  4. I Want To Be Happy
( 5:07)  5. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
( 7:49)  6. Sometime Ago
( 6:10)  7. Bilbao Song
( 4:55)  8. Darn That Dream
(11:21)  9. Valse Hot
( 0:58) 10. Theme

The Art Farmer-Jim Hall Quartet recorded only a handful of times in the early 1960s, making this reissue of two separate live performances all the more valuable. By the time Farmer recruited Hall for his new group, he had made the switch from trumpet to the richer sound of the flugelhorn, while the guitarist's style of playing complemented the leader perfectly. The first date originally was issued by Atlantic, though both the album and the subsequent CD reissue have long been unavailable; the rhythm section consists of Steve Swallow (who had not yet made the switch to electric bass) and drummer Walter Perkins. Except for Miles Davis' "Swing Spring," all of the songs are from the swing era. The extended workout of "Stompin' at the Savoy" is illustrative of the group's abilities, while Hall is featured in a lush setting of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." 

The last five tracks first appeared on the Moon bootleg CD Meets Mulligan & Hall, though it too has been out of print for some time, with Pete La Roca (aka Pete Sims) taking over on drums. The sound of these performances is a bit muddy, as if taken from a second or third generation of a broadcast taping, though the music is excellent throughout the set. This Gambit reissue repeats the earlier CD's sloppy composer credits, which attribute the lilting take of "Sometime Ago" to Chick Corea instead of Sergio Mihanovich, though the addition of detailed liner notes is welcome. The heartfelt arrangement of "'Darn That Dream" and burning take of Sonny Rollins' unusual jazz waltz "Valse Hot" are also highlights. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-complete-live-recordings-mw0001664687

Personnel: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Jim Hall (guitar); Pete La Roca, Walter Perkins (drums).

Complete Live Recordings

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Charnett Moffett - The Art of Improvisation

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:01
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. We Pray
(5:07)  2. Moses
(5:10)  3. The Story
(5:05)  4. Dreams
(5:45)  5. Elements of Life
(4:44)  6. Call For Peace
(4:57)  7. The Awakening
(5:34)  8. Swing Rock
(4:28)  9. Enlightenment Part I
(7:26) 10. Enlightenment Part II
(3:50) 11. The Art of Improvisation
(3:23) 12. Star Spangled Banner

A fascinating recording, The Art of Improvisation is as mysterious as it is a showcase for the formidable bass playing skills of its leader Charnett Moffett; his playing on electric and acoustic basses has a grounded, vocal quality he always seems to be singing through his instruments. Even when he is playing a fusillade of notes (and Moffett does have fleet fingers), the feel of various folk musics (Asian, Middle Eastern, African, even Celtic) are invoked, as heard through both parts of "Enlightenment." "Part I" starts with a floating, meditative mood, building in speed and emotional intensity over a pedal tone. "Part II" becomes a duet of bass and drums, using the melodic materials of "Part I" in an approach similar to that of a sitar/tabla duet. 

Moffett's bass again sings a duet with Tibetan vocalist Yunchen Lhamo on "Call for Peace," a striking track of such sincerity it begs for more. "Dream," another fascinating composition, features a poet's recitation over a sonic landscape that sounds as if it could have been recorded in the '60s or '70s a cross between the Last Poets and music found at the Creative Music Studio. The title track, of course reminds listeners of Ornette Coleman's 1961 album, The Art of the Improvisers; Charnett, after all, is a contraction of Charles as in drummer Charles Moffett, his father and Ornette, Charles Moffett's boss circa 1965. And the bassist's version of the "Star Spangled Banner" convincingly revives the spirit of Hendrix's Woodstock version of the national anthem. 

Moffett doesn't take the usual route of making a recording that's a concise collection of tunes. He stretches out on his basses more than any other bassist/bandleader dares to. And though Moffett can remind one of Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Milt Hinton, Charlie Haden, Stanley Clarke or an Edgar Meyer none would have made an album with this kind of directness. ~ Francis Lo Kee  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-art-of-improvisation-charnett-moffett-motema-music-review-by-francis-lo-kee.php

Personnel: Charnett Moffett: basses; Will Calhoun: drums Yungchen Lhamo: vocal; Scott Brown: piano; Pat Jones: guitar. Steve Barnes: guitar. Eric McPherson: drums. Charnette Max Moffett: drums. Robert Joseph Avalon: trumpet.

The Art of Improvisation

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Bernd Reiter Quartet feat. Roman Schwaller - Live at the Jazzland Vienna

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:31
Size: 159,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:35)  1. Strike up the band
( 8:24)  2. Theme for Ernie
(10:44)  3. Ruby, my dear
( 7:48)  4. Bitter Suite
(12:21)  5. Cheesecake
(13:10)  6. Body and Soul
( 9:24)  7. Dear John

Any information of this album will be very welcome!

Personnel: Bernd Reiter – dr;  Roman Schwaller – ts;  Sascha Mutic – p; Robert Jukic - b

Live at the Jazzland Vienna

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Arnett Cobb - Smooth Sailing

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:52
Size: 84,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Charmaine
(4:47)  2. Cobb's Mob
(4:47)  3. Ghost of a Chance, (I Don't Stand A)
(3:48)  4. Let's Split
(8:21)  5. Blues Around Dusk
(5:04)  6. Smooth Sailing
(5:37)  7. Blues in My Heart

This CD reissue brings back a typically swinging date by tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb. The colorful trombonist Buster Cooper (who was not featured in enough small group sessions through the years) seems to inspire Cobb; the rhythm section (organist Austin Mitchell, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Osie Johnson) proves a strong asset for this music. Four standards (three from the swing era plus Cobb's "Smooth Sailing") alternate with a blues and a couple of up-tempo riff numbers. Arnett Cobb's solos are typically emotional and generally exciting during the fine set. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/smooth-sailing-mw0000263462

Personnel: Arnett Cobb (tenor saxophone); Buster Cooper (trombone); Austin Mitchell (organ); George Duvivier (bass); Osie Johnson (drums).

Smooth Sailing

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Annie Ross - Skylark

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:18
Size: 77,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:42)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(2:20)  2. I Love Paris
(3:23)  3. I Didn't Know About You
(2:15)  4. The Lady's In Love With You
(2:46)  5. 'tain't What You Do
(4:52)  6. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
(2:28)  7. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
(2:22)  8. Don't Worry 'bout Me
(2:27)  9. I've Told Every Little Star
(2:10) 10. Manhattan
(2:31) 11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(2:57) 12. Skylark

This little-known set (reissued on CD) from 1956 features singer Annie Ross four years after she originally recorded "Twisted" but a year before the formation of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Based in London at the time, Ross avoids scatting and vocalese in favor of conventional swinging and jazz-oriented interpretations of standards. Backed tastefully by pianist Tony Crombie, clarinetist Bob Burns, guitarist Roy Plummer and bassist Lennie Rush, Annie Ross shows that she could have been a successful solo artist if she had not met up with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks; at times she almost sounds like Susannah McCorkle. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/skylark-mw0000079344

Personnel: Annie Ross (vocals); Bob Burns, Jr., Robert Burns (clarinet); Tony Crombie (piano).

Skylark

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Jay Migliori - Count The Nights And Times

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:03
Size: 83,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:55)  1. Puttin'
(7:03)  2. Cheryl E.
(5:45)  3. Count The Nights And Times
(4:29)  4. Desert Flower
(3:46)  5. Fluvius
(8:02)  6. Nirvana

One of the original members of Supersax, Jay Migliori has long been a top bop-oriented saxophonist based in Los Angeles. He actually started out working frequently in the Boston area in the mid-'50s. Migliori was with Woody Herman's Orchestra from 1957-58 before setting in L.A. 

Since the early 1960s he has worked frequently in the studios, gigging at night in clubs. He was with Supersax from 1972-84 and has often led his own combos. Migliori led bop-oriented albums for Transition (1955), PRB Int. (1975) and Discovery (1980-81). ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-migliori-mn0000810762

Featuring: Jay Migliori (saxophone), Franck De La Rosa (bass), James Gannon (bass), Joe Lettieri (piano), Pete Magadini, Nick Martinis (drums), Wolfgang Melz (bass), Maurice Mille
 

Thank You my Friend!

Count The Nights And Times

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The Softies - Winter Pageant

Styles: Vocal, Pop/Rock
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:18
Size: 83,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:36)  1. Pack Your Things and Go
(3:10)  2. So Sad
(2:56)  3. Over
(2:08)  4. No One at All
(3:20)  5. Tracks and Tunnels
(2:59)  6. Excellent
(2:27)  7. My Foolish Way
(2:52)  8. The Best Days
(2:16)  9. Fortune
(2:03) 10. Splintered Hands
(1:52) 11. About You
(2:34) 12. Anywhere But Here
(2:58) 13. Winter Pageant
(1:59) 14. Make Up Your Mind

Amidst the popular shouting and mystical-philosophical dramatics of their female contemporaries, the Softies make music that is barely audible, delicately lovelorn, and mostly unknown. Like It's Love, the Softies' debut LP, Winter Pageant is a collection of songs that begin after the romance has ended. Their sound is intimate and fragile guitars like baby birds and voices as brightly immaterial as sunlight shimmering on water. The rare songs that celebrate a love that has not yet died "The Best Days" and "Excellent" have the same wistful air as the rest. They eulogize a perfect moment, preserve it as a tragic souvenir, before the inevitable end. Despite the melancholy tone, there is something hopeful in the Softies' resignation, a faith in perfect moments that is as strong as the knowledge of love's frailty. There is no recrimination in these songs and no bitterness. From their own intimate distress, Jen Sbragia and Rose Melberg have chosen to produce neither manifestoes nor rallying cries, but sad lullabies for the amorously disenfranchised. In their unassuming way, the Softies remind us that the personal need not always be political, that sometimes personal is enough. ~ Jessica Jernigan  http://www.allmusic.com/album/winter-pageant-mw0000095040

The Softies include: Rose Melberg, Jen Sbragia.

Winter Pageant

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Jerry H Band - Live 1

Size: 171,9 MB
Time: 74:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (5:40)
02. Bye Bye Blackbird (7:17)
03. Route 66 (8:41)
04. Nature Boy (7:28)
05. When You're Smiling (7:32)
06. Angel Eyes (8:37)
07. Caravan (8:07)
08. Both Sides Now (5:59)
09. You Don't Know What Love Is (7:55)
10. Your Mind Is On Vacation (6:54)

Recording artist Jerry Haglund has been an essential figure on the live music scene for the last 20 years, thrilling audiences with his firebrand guitar/vocal style everywhere from London, Las Vegas and Melbourne to Kathmandu, Cuba and Chicago, U.S and european tours.

Educated in jazz, he is also since his teens steeped in blues, rock and funk music and distills a little from all these into his brand new project a collection of insightful originals penned over the last year.

As Jerry explains "after touring as a sideman for two decades it feels like the right time to express myself fully as a singer, guitarist and most importantly a songwriter." By using handpicked and well trusted musicians Jerry has captured a rootsy traditional sound influenced by Tom Waits, The Band, Neil Young, Bob Dylan. ~Mark Brown (Robbie Williams Band)

Live 1

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Ken Peplowski - Enrapture

Size: 123,3 MB
Time: 53:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Art: Front

01. The Flaming Sword (6:35)
02. An Affair To Remember (5:15)
03. Oh, My Love (2:25)
04. Cheer Up Charlie (5:15)
05. I'll Follow My Secret Heart (4:02)
06. Enrapture (4:43)
07. Twelve (5:38)
08. Vertigo Scene D'amour (6:51)
09. When October Goes (4:40)
10. Willow Tree (7:35)

How on earth do you successfully bind the music of Duke Ellington, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Fats Waller, Herbie Nichols, Bernard Herrmann, Peter Erskine, and Noël Coward into one coherent statement? The answer is simple: You don't, unless you're Ken Peplowski. Over the course of ten tracks from the aforementioned composers and other well-known tunesmiths, Peplowski manages to simultaneously express his love of myriad sounds and styles, a fondness for days gone by, and an ability to move ever onward. This much-heralded reed man wears his eclecticism like a badge of honor on Enrapture, an album that speaks to his ability to dig into the past while also addressing his outlook on the present.

In his liner essay for this project, Peplowski remarks on the true-to-self nature of this quartet recording, noting that "this is us, in as close to a live setting as one could ask for in a recording environment." In keeping with that statement, the majority of the performances captured here are first takes. The decision to work that way proves to be a smart play, as the band is able to capitalize on the energy, spontaneity, and attentiveness that can only exist on the first pass of a song. Peplowski also shows himself to be practiced in the art of sequencing songs, shrewdly playing to diverse tastes and the constant need for mood change-ups.

In lesser hands, the idea of knocking out a slew of songs in short order and moving all over the map could be disastrous, but it's a winning formula for this foursome—Peplowski's working quartet, with pianist Ehud Asherie, bassist Martin Wind, and drummer Matt Wilson. This band sounds like a million bucks all the way through, from the reveille-like kick-off at the top of "The Flaming Sword"—an adrenaline-fueled slice of tropically-infused Ellingtonian exotica—to the easy-does-it, bluesy send-off of "Willow Tree." And rest assured, there's plenty to enjoy and admire in between those bookends. Peplowski's inviting tenor pleasantly glides along on "An Affair To Remember," Wind's bass and Peplowski's clarinet engage in a slow and revealing pas de deux on "Oh, My Love," Erskine's "Twelve" gives the band a chance to pull at the threads of convention and take a looser and more interactive approach to group (inter)play, and the slowly unfolding beauty and drama of "Vertigo Scene D'Amour/Madeleine (Love Music From "Vertigo")" highlights the emotional experiences of the protagonist in Hitchcock's classic film. All the in-studio discussions, extra takes, and edits in the world couldn't produce a better outcome than what these four did in the heat of the moment(s) to create Enrapture.

Personnel: Ken Peplowski: Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone; Ehud Asherie: Piano; Martin Wind: Bass; Matt Wilson: Drums.

Enrapture

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Nancy Harms - Ellington At Night

Size: 119,1 MB
Time: 51:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Lush Life (3:39)
02. Rocks In My Bed (4:13)
03. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (2:56)
04. Lost In Meditation (5:41)
05. Troubled Waters (3:24)
06. Prelude To A Kiss (5:31)
07. Long, Strong And Consecutive (4:56)
08. Strange Feeling (4:27)
09. Reflections (3:15)
10. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (4:37)
11. I'm Beginning To See The Light (3:25)
12. I Like The Sunrise (5:08)

“…What makes ‘Ellington at Night’ so remarkable is the way that Nancy Harms and chief collaborator Jeremy Siskind have found a whole new way to sing Ellington, one that's perfectly in keeping with the Ellington tradition, yet, at the same time, fresh and original. …..her vocal timbre might be characterized as "cool" – though there's an undeniable warmth to her singing as well. Her sound is understated, yet it doesn't hold anything back. She doesn't give us anything more than we need – no note is unnecessarily higher or longer than it should be – and yet her spirit and energy are giving, even generous beyond the cool of duty. She swings like crazy, but she never makes the rhythm more important than the narrative……there's no doubt as to exactly what she means.……Ellington's most familiar songs...sound anything but overdone when Nancy sings them…… I can only imagine that on whatever turquoise cloud (Ellington) might be reclining on, he couldn't help but love her madly.” ~WILL FRIEDWALD (music critic for the Wall Street Journal and celebrated author) had this to say about "Ellington At Night":

Ellington At Night

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Mads Tolling Quartet - Celebrating Svend Asmussen

Size: 149,4 MB
Time: 64:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. After You're Gone (3:00)
02. Libertango (6:57)
03. Take Off Blues (5:50)
04. Someone To Watch Over Me (6:12)
05. Latino (6:15)
06. June Night (6:46)
07. Honeysuckle Rose (6:11)
08. I Got Rhythm (5:52)
09. Hambo Om Bakfoten (4:55)
10. Nadja (8:02)
11. Scandinavian Shuffle (4:27)

Jazz violinist Svend Asmussen will celebrate his 100th birthday on 28 February and a tribute will be paid him at this concert featuring Mads Tolling and his Danish quartet – as well as the solo vocalist Sinne Eg.

The 99-year-old Asmussen has stopped making public appearances, but who is Mads Tolling?

For over 40 years, Mads Tolling has lived in USA and was educated at Berklee College of Music in Boston. His many years abroad have so far led to two Grammy Awards and several years’ collaboration with Turtle Island Quartet and the bass player Stanley Clarke. In San Francisco he leads his own group, the Mads Tolling Quartet, and their CD “The Playmaker” received fine reviews in, among others, Downbeat Magazine and Washington Post.

“Since at the age of 15 I had this burning desire to play jazz on a violin, I contacted Svend Asmussen; he was fortunately in the telephone directory. He told me that he did not teach, but that I should simply listen to Stuff Smith. Which I did, and Svend and I have kept in contact ever since. A few years ago, he gave me a large part of his collection of sheet music – included a lot of handwritten stuff – a fine gesture, I felt. He also wanted to pass on something of what he has stood for to the younger generation. Since that gesture, I have felt like paying a tribute to him and his wonderful music, Mads Tolling says.

When Mads at the age of 14 listened for the first time to Svend Asmussen at a concert in Hørsholm, the young guitarist Jacob Fisher was a part of Asmussen’s quartet. Now, almost twenty years later, Mads and Jacob have come together again and tour northern Europe in honour of their mentor.

The programme is a mix of Svend Asmussen’s collaboration with Ulrik Neumann and his recent quartet, and it naturally includes some of Svend’s signature tunes, such as ‘June Night’ and ‘Scandinavian Shuffle’. Also featured are a couple of Tolling’s and Fischer’s own compositions.

Mads Tolling Quartet:
Mads Tolling, violin
Jakob Fischer, guitar
Kasper Tagel, bass
Snorre Kirk, drums

Celebrating Svend Asmussen

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Sandy Jacobs - This Place In Our Dreams

Size: 124,4 MB
Time: 53:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. I've Just Seen A Face (6:03)
02. One Night (6:25)
03. Body And Soul (5:53)
04. Away (4:28)
05. Rhythm Of Life (5:16)
06. The Nearness Of You (5:28)
07. Ain't That Peculiar (7:48)
08. Never Ending (5:47)
09. You Go To My Head (6:25)

Unconstrained by notions of what a singer’s album is supposed to be, the whole group runs free creating a truly authentic jazz experience. This CD embodies the tone of jazz with imaginative arrangements of well-known tunes plus new originals that stand side by side with the other standards.

The stellar rhythm section comprised of Bob Rodriguez on piano, Steve LaSpina on bass and Matt Kane on drums creates a conversation much like a live performance with vocalist Sandy Jacobs.

This Place In Our Dreams

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Chris Botti - The Best Tunes For Languid Evenings

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:35
Size: 183,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:59)  1. A Thousand Kisses Deep
(4:22)  2. When I Fall In Love
(5:10)  3. Lisa
(4:14)  4. Back Into My Heart
(5:08)  5. She Comes From Somewhere
(4:21)  6. The Look
(5:31)  7. La Belle Dame Sans Regrets
(4:06)  8. Estate
(5:00)  9. Irresistible Bliss
(4:33) 10. If I Could
(4:57) 11. Cinema Paradiso
(5:02) 12. The Look Of Love
(4:38) 13. To Love Again
(5:08) 14. Ever Since We Met
(5:03) 15. All Would Envy
(3:00) 16. Hallelujah
(4:16) 17. When I See You

Though best known as a contemporary jazz performer, trumpeter Chris Botti made his initial splash on the pop music scene. A native of Oregon, he started playing at the age of ten, and began performing professionally while still in high school. After studying in the prestigious Indiana University music program under noted jazz educator David Baker, Botti relocated to New York, where he served with saxophonist George Coleman and trumpet great Woody Shaw. In 1990, Botti was asked to join Paul Simon's band, where he remained for the next five years. Finally, in 1995, he recorded his solo debut, First Wish, a record combining the sounds of contemporary pop-jazz with the textures of art rock. After scoring the 1996 film Caught, Botti resurfaced in 1997 with his second LP, Midnight Without You, which was followed by Slowing Down the World in 1999. Two years later, he was a featured soloist on Sting's Brand New Day world tour, and that time allowed Botti to rediscover old musical passions and create new ones. Recorded in Los Angeles, 2001's Night Sessions captured such jazzy pop. That muse was explored further in 2003 with A Thousand Kisses Deep, and to a lesser extent on the more traditional orchestral jazz of 2004's When I Fall in Love. That record was his first Top 40 entry, and it was followed by the number 18 hit To Love Again: The Duets in 2005. Another Top 40 placement, Italia, followed in 2007, with the live album Chris Botti in Boston following in 2009. In 2012, Botti returned with the studio album Impressions. Focusing on his love of melody, Impressions features Botti collaborating with such artists as jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist Mark Knopfler, country singer Vince Gill, composer/pianist/producer David Foster, and more. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-botti-mn0000105329/biography

The Best Tunes For Languid Evenings

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Solveig Slettahjell - Good Rain

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:13
Size: 106,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Where Do You Run To
(5:21)  2. Another Day
(5:28)  3. Don't Look Back
(2:18)  4. Colour Lullabye
(4:18)  5. Flawless
(4:25)  6. We Were Indians
(1:59)  7. Do Lord
(6:34)  8. My Oh My
(4:07)  9. Good Rain
(4:19) 10. Moon
(1:53) 11. PS I Love You

This fourth release by Norwegian vocalist Solveig Slettahjell and the Slow Motion Quintet offers another magical experience. On Good Rain, these creative and busy musicians expand the musical language that they began to explore on their previous release, Pixiedust (Curling Legs, 2005). In addition to Slettahjell, the group includes trumpeter Sjur Miljeteig, formerly of the jazz-pop-electronica outfit Jaga Jazzist and one of the leaders of the art-rock group Friko; keyboardist Morten Qvenild, who leads In The Country and Susanna and the Magical Orchestra; bassist Mats Eilertsen; and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen. The quintet flirts with pop and art-rock and even trip-hop, aiming to position the jazz vocalist as an artist again within a popular form, but avoiding banalities and without giving up its intelligent elitist aroma. Slettahjell is faithful to her "slow motion" concept, conscious of every detail and nuance of each phrase, and her natural, leisurely alto shines throughout the eleven songs. The sonic palette of the ensemble is much more varied, enveloping Slettahjell's warm vocals with sounds that recall productions by such art-rock sonic explorers as David Sylvian or Talk Talk. The sensitive playing of all players adds vibrant layers that caress and reinforce the massages of the poetic songs. 

All the songs revolve around the theme of belief, often an abstract and secular one in Slettahjell, empowering herself after a failed relationship, or in nature and they offer some consolation, quite often sounding melancholic. The goal? "To be lonely in a good way," as she sings in Qvenild's "Another Day." Slettahjell's innocent and modest narration of life happiness, despair, fate and hope succeeds in creating a peaceful intimacy capable of touching and melting even the greatest cynic. Slettahjell seeks some calmness and reconciliation in "Where Do You Run To," faith in her lone self in "Another Day." She trusts fate in "Don't Look Back," draws hope from dreams in "Colour Lullabye," and strongly convinces about the joys of lovemaking on "We Were Indians." Her beautiful a cappella version of V.O. Fossett's gospel song "Do Lord" serves as an introduction to the dark, anguished, modern gospelish "My Oh My," penned by Miljeteig. On the Peder Kjellsby-penned "Good Rain" she refers to "the rain washing the stains of / Another broken day." As on Pixiedust, Slettahjell beautifully interperts another poem by Emily Dickinson, "The Moon." The playful, minimalist version of Johnny Mercer's "P.S. I Love You," the last song on this release, offers some hopeful closure. Beautiful. 

~ Eyal Hareuveni   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/good-rain-solveig-slettahjell-curling-legs-review-by-eyal-hareuveni.php

Personnel: Solveig Slettahjell: vocals;  Sjur Miljeteig: trumpet;  Morten Qvenild: piano, keyboards;  Mats Eilertsen: bass;  Per Oddvar Johansen: drums.

Good Rain

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The Johnny Nocturne Band - Wild & Cool

Styles: Jazz, Swing, Big Band

Year: 1997

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:50

Size: 104,6 MB

Art: Front

(3:03)  1. Lemon Twist

(3:12)  2. New Kind Of Mambo

(4:31)  3. Tu Ma Qui Te (Hey! Joli Blon)

(4:37)  4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

(4:20)  5. Hey, Mister Jessie

(4:23)  6. A Pound Of Blues

(4:19)  7. At My Front Door

(3:26)  8. By The River Ste. Marie

(4:23)  9. Cha-bootie

(4:38) 10. After The Lights Go Down Low

(3:53) 11. Little Slam

With a solid four-horn frontline that reads and solo in the fine old-time tradition of the territory bands of yore, the Johnny Nocturne Band come to the plate with their third album full of jazz heavily laced with blues. Leader and saxophonist John Firmin keeps his troops swinging throughout this 11-song set, working like a fine, precise machine regardless of the musical setting. Swing, bop, and blues with strong attachments to melody are the signposts here, and the playing on Bobby Troup's "Lemon Twist," "Tu ma qui te (Hey! Joli Blon)," "After the Lights Go Down Low" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" are among the numerous highlights. ~ Cub Koda  http://www.allmusic.com/album/wild-and-cool-mw0000035541

Personnel:  John Firmin (tenor saxophone, clarinet);  Brenda Boykin (vocals);  Anthony Paule (guitar);  Rob Sudduth (baritone saxophone);  Bill Ortiz (trumpet);  Marty Wehner (trombone);  Henry Salvia (piano);  Alex Baum (bass);  Kent Bryson (drums).

Wild & Cool

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