Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Rebecca Kilgore & Hal Smith's Rhythm Makers - Sings The Music Of Fats Waller

Size: 151,8 MB
Time: 64:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999/2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. How Jazz Was Born (3:53)
02. If It Ain't Love (4:46)
03. What's Your Name (2:48)
04. I Hate To Leave You Now (4:43)
05. Concentratin' (On You) (2:39)
06. Gone (3:35)
07. Old Yazoo (2:48)
08. How Can I (With You In My Heart) (3:04)
09. I'm More Than Satisfied (3:31)
10. My Heart's At Ease (2:21)
11. It's You (3:19)
12. Honey Hush (4:29)
13. What Will I Do In The Morning (3:29)
14. When Gabriel Blows His Horn (3:44)
15. Sittin' Up, Waitin' For You (3:37)
16. Gotta Be, Gotta Be Mine (3:17)
17. Dixie Cinderella (3:48)
18. That Rhythm Man (4:36)

Out of the West Coast traditional jazz (often erroneously referred to as Dixieland) mold of Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, and the Firehouse Five Plus Two comes the Hal Smith Rhythmakers with guest, the undervalued but very talented singer Rebecca Kilgore. She also works a little on guitar. The regular Rhythmakers have also been expanded with the addition of three young musicians, to wit, trumpet player Marc Caparone, bass player Clint Baker, and pianist Chris Dawson. Together they have fashioned an album of Fats Waller melodies ranging from the infectious swinging material he was famous for as well as some very pretty melodies, most, but not all, penned with Andy Razaf. The album is by no means limited to oft-played Waller tunes. To their credit, Smith and Kilgore saw fit not to include "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Honeysuckle Rose" on the program. Instead, there is more than a smattering of Waller tunes that get a lot less play than these two warhorses. The very pretty "Gone" and the slow drag "How Can I, With You in My Heart" are just a few of the many gems that have been unearthed. There's plenty of hot jazz, too, to get the toe tapping. "I'm More Than Satisfied" features Caparone's burning muted trumpet and "It's You" once more with Caparone's trumpet on top along with stride piano by Dawson and strong bass by Baker. The New Orleans-like clarinet of Bobby Gordon, rarely stirring from the middle register, adds to the authenticity of this session's traditional style, especially with his solo on "I Hate to Leave You Now." There's a risk with issuing an album of traditional jazz in that it can get humdrum after a while. That trap is avoided with the presence of Rebecca Kilgore who has shown time and time again that no matter what she sings, she brings it to life. Moreover, Kilgore is quite familiar with this style of playing having recorded music in a similar vein with Dan Barrett and Dave Frishberg. A balanced play list performed by enthusiastic and talented musicians at home with Waller tunes pushes this album into the recommended category. ~by Dave Nathan

Sings The Music Of Fats Waller  

Francisco Mela - Fe

Size: 120,7 MB
Time: 51:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ancestros (4:12)
02. Mr. Alden (5:47)
03. Don Mccoy (6:23)
04. Fe (3:57)
05. Romeo Y Julieta (5:04)
06. Reflections (4:43)
07. Curcuros (3:24)
08. Lovano's Mood (4:02)
09. Just Now (6:43)
10. Open Dance (7:38)

Cuban drummer, percussionist, and bandleader, Francisco Mela (Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner), is releasing his upcoming album entitled, FE.

The album is the fourth release for Francisco Mela, and features The Crash Trio, comprising Mela (drums), Gerald Cannon (bass) and Leo Genovese (piano) with special guest, renowned guitarist John Scofield. Mela assembled the trio to celebrate the life’s work of one of his mentors, legendary pianist, and composer, McCoy Tyner. The members of the group share an enduring friendship and have frequently collaborated over the years through a variety of different creative endeavors. The group has a signature sound, and international influences can be heard throughout their playing as the musicians’ nationalities include the United States, Argentina, and Cuba.

Mela states: “While recording this project, I was able to express some of my emotions with very special musicians who have played a major part in my development and musical growth. With them, I share a musical and spiritual friendship. We have a commitment based on trust and good faith; we simply want the best for one another. For this I am thankful.” This album is of particular significance to Mela, as he is releasing it shortly after the passing of his mother last year. He writes: “This album is dedicated to the memory of my parents, and I have faith that someday I will see them again.”

Fe

Nicki Parrott, Rossano Sportiello, Eddie Metz - Strictly Confidential

Size: 165,6 MB
Time: 71:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Piano Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Strictly Confidential (5:55)
02. Sunset And The Mockingbird (5:25)
03. John Hardy's Wife (4:23)
04. What A Difference A Day Made (4:12)
05. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (4:13)
06. Misty (5:29)
07. A Brush With Bunji (3:49)
08. She (5:32)
09. Shoe Shine Boy (5:33)
10. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (6:01)
11. Pure Imagination (5:10)
12. Sunny Morning (2:33)
13. Close To You (3:19)
14. Shiny Stockings (4:52)
15. How Beautiful Is Night (5:26)

Personnel:
Rossano Sportiello - Piano
Nicki Parrott - Bass and vocals
Eddie Metz - Drums

Here's a piano trio of vet jazzbos that can play the kind of mannered cocktail jazz hotels demand in their sleep, but they wink at each other and slip in loads of swing when nobody is looking. Tasty stuff from a crew of unmistakable pros that love their work and have proven their mettle over and over again behind A listers than enlisted them, the set card has a few familiar tent poles in it but for the most part, they've done their homework to make sure the program is interesting and populated with goodies that shouldn't be forgotten from several different eras. State of the art piano trio work throughout. Reviewed by Chris Spector --Midwest Record

Strictly Confidential

Andrea Carlson - Love Can Be So Nice

Size: 129,9 MB
Time: 56:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Nice Work If You Can Get It (3:09)
02. No Moon At All (3:35)
03. Cryin' (3:17)
04. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amour (4:19)
05. Love Can Be So Nice (4:19)
06. Lullaby Of The Leaves (5:23)
07. J'attendrai (3:35)
08. La Vie En Rose (3:52)
09. I'm Confessin' (3:57)
10. So Nice - Samba De Verao (3:50)
11. I Won't Dance (4:05)
12. How Long Has This Been Going On (4:04)
13. Avant Que L'amour Nous Prenne (4:42)
14. Let Me Cook For You (4:00)

How does a girl from Tennessee (in red saddle shoes!) grow up to create captivating songs in French and English, with fresh elements of 1920s jazz, gypsy swing, and bossa nova? Andrea Carlson's new CD "Love Can Be So Nice" is all of that, perfectly prepared with the help of an array of leading musicians from Philadelphia, Buenos Aires, Chicago, and Paris.
Andrea is a classically-trained guitarist and versatile jazz vocalist. Her new album glows with passion and sizzles with free spirited joy, echoing her personal adventures in Europe and the USA, and her musical explorations of American standards, French chanson, and Brazilian samba.
As with her previous all-original release "Drivin' Myself Wild For You", the sessions were recorded and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Glenn Barratt, and the CD is wrapped in Andrea's own delightfully expressive artwork.

Love Can Be So Nice

John Klopotowski - Project 59

Size: 135,0 MB
Time: 58:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Bebop
Art: Front

01. Subconscious Lee (4:42)
02. The Scale Song (4:24)
03. Breaking the Ice (5:19)
04. Wes' Tune (5:02)
05. Child's Play (7:02)
06. Street of Dreams (6:15)
07. Loco 47 (5:00)
08. You'd Be so Nice to Come Home To (5:33)
09. Passata On Guitar You're Welcome To A Prayer (8:59)
10. Defragment Now (5:45)

"Project 59" is my first recording as a leader and was done in August 2015 at Tedesco Studio in Paramus, NJ. I reunited with my old friend pianist Rave Tesar for the project, and the CD features Rave’s Trio with Kermit Driscoll on bass and Bill Tesar on drums as the rhythm section. We are also joined by another longtime close friend, Bob Keller on tenor saxophone.

The music consists of a typical jazz guitar recital or concert that I would perform if the opportunity were present. As this is my first recording as a leader, I drew on material related to key influences over my time as a student and player of jazz.

Project 59 has meant a great deal to me and has represented the opportunity to celebrate friendship, family, love, great art, excellence, hard work, and acceptance of ‘what is’! We offer our music to listeners with best wishes. Please enjoy!

Project 59

Ilse Huizinga - Here's To Maya Angelou

Size: 104,3 MB
Time: 44:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. A Caged Bird Sings (4:33)
02. Equality And I Will Be Free (3:01)
03. Turned To Blue (2:54)
04. The Old Ones (3:49)
05. Song For Willie (3:34)
06. Gamut (3:14)
07. Call Letters (3:58)
08. Work (4:46)
09. Poor Girl, Just Like Me (4:50)
10. Adhering (3:37)
11. The Human Family (3:20)
12. A Phenomenal Woman (2:45)

The Amsterdam jazz singer Ilse Huizinga has made six albums up to now. Here's to You Maya Angelou is her latest pitch, an album with new compositions for which composer and pianist Erik van der Luijt wrote the music, while the artist browsed through the oeuvre of the American author and poet Maya Angelou (deceased in 2014). In The Jazz Singer, the Ultimate Guide by Scott Yanow, Ilse Huizinga is rated among the 500 best international jazz vocalists, and that is reason enough to listen to her latest album.

The songs on Here's to You are performed on piano, double bass and drums. Consequently, the material sounds very different than what we can expect in a smoky jazz cafe, where blaring trumpets and saxophones often deter interested listeners. Ilse Huizinga opts for simplicity, and as a result her warm and sexy voice gets a lot of space. She studied Public Administration at the University of Amsterdam and later at the Amsterdam Conservatory, which has guaranteed her a wide range of vocal possibilities, amply illustrated on this album.

The lyrics that Ilse Huizinga has selected from the work of Maya Angelou deal with racism, identity, travel and love. The atmosphere, tone and strength of the poems struck me deeply, the singer says in the liner notes, Maya Angelou found the words that we often seek to express love, loss, hope and confidence. Erik van der Luijt is the perfect translator of those feelings, resulting in a versatile and often cheerful piano sound, sometimes dreamy and subdued, other times explicit and pronounced, with quiet and then rumbling drums in the background and a silky double bass as in the beautiful and understated peace ballad A Caged Bird Sings. Equality and I Will be Free refers to Angelou’s political commitment that inspired many people. Huizinga hops at a reasonable rate through the lyrics, backed by a sparkling piano and panting percussion: a testimony and an indictment at the same time. Turned to Blue gets a dreamy and peaceful pace with Ilse Huizinga's understated vocals against a backdrop of warm double bass sounds. A deep and throbbing bass introduces the first notes of The Old Ones, a fragile composition in which Huizinga can steam ahead, supported by versatile percussion and an appealing piano.

The drums take the lead in Song of Willie. The piano rises and falls, and Ilse Huizinga spreads beautiful vocals over it, while Gamut is quieter again, with a relaxed jazz voice, a gentle rippling piano and minimal percussion: an attractive love song that grows into a beautiful ballad. Call Letters is again more upbeat with a singing piano, pretty much spoken vocals, but also beautiful inflections in the melody. Halfway through, Work gets a strong melody. It's an up-tempo ballad that settles in your ear during the first listen. In Poor Girl, Just Like Me, Ilse Huizinga pulls out all the stops to color the melody, subdued and dreamy, backed by gorgeous and versatile piano music by Erik van der Luijten. Adhering would fit on a Billy Holliday album, a melancholy jazz ballad with varied piano, rumbling percussion and gentle vocals. The Human Family attracts our attention with a nice rhythm, and closing song A Phenomenal Woman is an attractive and sunny ballad with the quality of a singer-songwriter’s composition.

If you do not like jazz and jazz-related music, then we may not be able to convince you with this album, but fans and interested music lovers will surely be interested in these 12 compositions. ~William Lienard

Here's To Maya Angelou

Jimmy Smith - Fourmost

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:44
Size: 125.3 MB
Styles: Soul jazz, Hard bop
Year: 1991/2006
Art: Front

[ 6:43] 1. Midnight Special
[ 6:41] 2. Main Stem
[ 8:12] 3. Summertime
[ 6:19] 4. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[10:10] 5. Soulful Brothers
[ 5:46] 6. My Funny Valentine
[10:50] 7. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Recorded Live at Fat Tuesday's, New York City, November 16-17, 1990.

FOURMOST captures the collaborative efforts of drummer Grady Tate, tenor saxman Stanley Turrentine, long-time Smith guitarist Kenny Burrell and the master organist himself, as they groove through a sizzling live set. Recorded in 1990 at Fat Tuesday's in New York City, the show overflows with the kind of evocative, free-flowing yet tightly disciplined artistry one has come to expect from Smith. The soul that drips off tracks like "Midnight Special" and Burrell's own "Soulful Brothers," as filtered through Smith's mind-bending hand/foot work at the Hammond, Turrentine's pure, personal tone, and Burrell's swinging melodic lines, is enough to make a convert of just about anyone.

Even tired standards such as "Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine," as well as the two Ellington treatments ("Main Stem" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be"), are resuscitated with new tempos, moods, and above all, blazing leads all around. The record's highlight may be "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars," a textured bossa nova jam that has Smith shouting "Oh, my God!" by the tune's end. With playing like this, there's a good chance listeners will be echoing Smith's sentiments.

Fourmost

Tara O'Grady - A Celt In The Cotton Club

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:49
Size: 111.8 MB
Styles: Swing, Jazz vocals
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[4:36] 1. On Feeling Blue
[2:41] 2. You Won't Get Me There Tonight
[4:12] 3. Black Is The Color
[3:21] 4. In Belfast Tonight
[3:22] 5. Go Lassie Go
[4:12] 6. To Be Missing The Sun
[2:53] 7. Love Me Lovely Lashes
[4:17] 8. That's What The Miners Would Say
[3:31] 9. Where's My Valentine
[4:31] 10. La Dee Da
[4:56] 11. Gardenia Girl
[5:33] 12. Too Ra Loo Ra
[0:39] 13. (Hidden Track)

Awarded Irish Voice’s Most Influential Woman 2010 presented by Ireland's Prime Minister, the singer-songwriter has four CD releases, Black Irish (2010), Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (2011), A Celt in the Cotton Club (2013), and Irish Bayou (2015) and has performed at festivals from Butte, Montana to Austin, Texas's famous South By Southwest-SXSW.

"This torchy chanteuse leads one of the most badass old-time swing bands you'll ever hear. One thing that distinguishes her from the legions of come-hither, moldy fig front women is that O'Grady writes her own songs - when she's at the top of her game, which she generally seems to be, they sound like classics from the 1930s. She brings Bessie Smith into this century with lickety-split swing." ~ New York Music Daily

A Celt In The Cotton Club

Booker Little & Booker Ervin - Sounds Of The Inner City

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:52
Size: 66,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:20)  1. Scoochie
(4:46)  2. Cycles
(3:41)  3. Stardust
(6:52)  4. The Confined Few
(3:39)  5. Blues De Tambour
(4:32)  6. Witch Fire

Two masters of hard bop, trumpeter Booker Little and tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, square off on this 1960 session reissued by Collectables as Sounds of the Inner City. This date has been released under various titles over the years since its original inception as Teddy Charles' New Directions Quartet Featuring Booker Little and Booker Ervin. Most of the material is straight-ahead bop under the leadership of vibraphonist Teddy Charles with Mal Waldron on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Ed Shaunesssy on drums. This is a noteworthy reissue considering that there are so few instances of Little's lyrical trumpet style and Ervin's passionate tenor recorded together. Original compositions include Ervin's "Scoochie," Little's "The Confined Few" and "Witch Fire," Shaunessy's "Blues de Tambour," pianist Ahmad Jamal's "Cycles," plus the standard "Stardust" (receiving an especially melancholy treatment.) The only complaint is the lack of liner notes, which excludes information on personnel and session history.~Al Campbell http://www.allmusic.com/album/sounds-of-the-inner-city-mw0000052199

Personnel: Booker Little (trumpet); Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone).

Sounds Of The Inner City

Toots Thielemans - The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:24
Size: 98,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. You Are My Sunshine
(5:24)  2. Nuages
(4:37)  3. Five O'Clock Whistle
(4:59)  4. Soul
(4:23)  5. Lonesome Road
(2:59)  6. Misty
(6:34)  7. Confirmation
(4:55)  8. Les Enfants S'ennuient Le Dimanche
(2:12)  9. Brother John

This somewhat obscure date by the great jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans also features the leader playing some fine guitar (most notably on "Lonesome Road") and taking one of his first whistling solos on "Brother John." With pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Tom Bryant and drummer Oliver Jackson completing the quartet, Thielemans is in excellent form introducing two of his originals and jamming such tunes as "You Are My Sunshine," "Nuages" and "Confirmation." 

The music on this enjoyable 1986 Doctor Jazz reissue LP of a Signature session is currently out of print.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-soul-of-toots-thielemans-mw0000197284

Personnel: Toots Thielemans (harmonica, electric guitar & whistling); Ray Bryant (piano);  Tom Bryant (bass);  Oliver Jackson (drums).

The Soul Of Toots Thielemans

Tubby Hayes - Tubby's Groove

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:05
Size: 91,8 MB
Art: Front

(9:29)  1. Tin Tin Deo
(5:11)  2. Embers
(5:48)  3. Like Some One In Love
(6:06)  4. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(7:41)  5. Sunny Monday
(5:47)  6. Blue Hayes

One of England's top jazz musicians of the 1950s and '60s, Tubby Hayes was a fine hard bop stylist on tenor and occasionally vibes and flute. A professional at 15, Hayes played with Kenny Baker and in the big bands of Ambrose, Vic Lewis, and Jack Parnell during 1951-1955. He led his own group after that, and started doubling on vibes in 1956. Hayes co-led the Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott (1957-1959), and appeared in the U.S. a few times during 1961-1965. He headed his own big band in London, sat in with Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1964, and was featured at many European festivals. Heart trouble forced him out of action during 1969-1971, and caused his premature death. Tubby Hayes led sessions for Tempo (1955-1959), London, Jazzland (1959), Fontana, Epic (a 1961 date with Clark Terry and Horace Parlan), Smash (a 1962 album which matched him with James Moody and Roland Kirk), 77, Spotlite, and Mole.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tubby-hayes-mn0000842398/biography

Personnel :  Tubby Hayes (tenor sax);  Terry Shannon (piano);  Jeff Clyne (bass);  Phil Seamen (drums)

Tubby's Groove

Monday, May 9, 2016

George Cables - One For My Baby

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:55
Size: 150.9 MB
Styles: Post bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[8:53] 1. Drop Me Off In Harlem
[7:28] 2. Virgo
[9:04] 3. My Foolish Heart
[9:15] 4. I Should Care
[5:41] 5. Capricious
[6:38] 6. Emily
[8:54] 7. Anna Maria
[9:59] 8. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

George Cables draws from a variety of standards and jazz compositions by well-known composers for this 2000 trio date with bassist Jim Anderson and drummer Yoron Israel, the latter appearing for the first time with the pianist on a record date. Cables starts with a decidedly bop-flavored take of Duke Ellington's "Drop Me off in Harlem," romps through Billy Taylor's lively calypso "Capricious," and offers stunning interpretations of two gems by Wayne Shorter, "Virgo" and "Anna Maria." His interpretations of the standards are also of high value. He glides effortlessly through Johnny Mandel's "Emily" (a favorite of the late pianist Bill Evans and many others), while his sensitive rendition of the lush ballad "My Foolish Heart" is very lyrical. The session wraps with a loping, blues-drenched take of "One for My Baby." ~Ken Dryden

One For My Baby

Jane Jarvis, Jay Leonhart - Jane And Jay At Duke's Place

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:50
Size: 137.0 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[7:13] 1. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[3:37] 2. Azure
[5:01] 3. Kisse
[5:14] 4. In A Sentimental Mood
[6:35] 5. Take The 'a' Train
[4:27] 6. Mood Indigo
[4:31] 7. Caravan
[4:53] 8. Satin Doll
[4:36] 9. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[3:59] 10. C Jam Blues
[6:13] 11. Rose Room-In A Mellow Tone
[3:24] 12. To Duke

Swing pianist Jane Jarvis and versatile bassist Jay Leonhart decided to perform a set of Duke Ellington songs for this set of duets. Most of the tunes are quite familiar, other than 1967's "Kisse" and Jarvis' original "For Duke," but the duo shows that there is still plenty of life to be found in these warhorses. No rehearsal took place beforehand and they did not even discuss what the framework was going to be to the songs. Despite that, all but two tunes only needed to be played once and nearly all of this CD is made up of first takes. Leonhart's bowed solos are a particular joy, as are Jarvis' chord voicings. This is an underrated gem. ~Scott Yanow

Jane And Jay At Duke's Place

Rusty Draper - Sings Night Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:55
Size: 82.2 MB
Styles: Country, Big band
Year: 1965/2015
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. Night Life
[3:56] 2. One For My Baby
[2:58] 3. Crazy
[2:11] 4. Look Down That Lonesome Road
[2:33] 5. I Gotta Have My Baby Back
[3:36] 6. Midnight Sun
[2:30] 7. The Lady Of The House
[3:36] 8. Skylark
[2:47] 9. I Miss You So
[3:08] 10. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[3:24] 11. St. James Infirmory
[2:46] 12. The Party's Over

Rusty Draper was a singer, a showman and a star, a country- and pop-music workhorse who scored gold records and made dozens of albums during a career that spanned more than three decades and made him a familiar name in glitzy show-biz circles of the time. But at home in little North Bend, where he and his wife lived for more than 30 years, Rusty Draper was just a quiet, modest resident who abhorred ostentatiousness and would just as soon shoot a round of golf and strum his guitar than sign autographs.

Mr. Draper, best known for 1950s and 1960s country hits "Gambler's Guitar," "Shifting Whispering Sands" and "Night Life," died of pneumonia Friday (March 28) at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue after a 20-year battle with heart disease, strokes and most recently throat cancer, which stole his famous voice. He was 80.

"He was much bigger than he ever thought he was," said Fay Draper of North Bend, his wife of 38 years and manager of 36. "He was a very humble man. You couldn't get him to talk about himself as a rule. But he was booked at least three or four years ahead of time."

Born Farrell Draper in Kirksville, Mo., on Jan. 25, 1923, Mr. Draper was already singing and strumming on the radio by age 12, his thick head of red hair lending him his stage name. As a teen he sang his way through Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois before ending up in San Francisco. There he landed gigs as master of ceremonies and singer at up-and-coming music clubs. ~Ian Ith

Sings Night Life

Woody Shaw - The Time Is Right

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:56
Size: 107.4 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Trumpet jazz
Year: 1983/2010
Art: Front

[12:16] 1. From Moment To Moment
[12:03] 2. Time Is Right
[12:16] 3. You And The Night And The Music
[10:19] 4. We'll Be Together Again


Although the quintet featured on this CD reissue from the Italian Red label was one of trumpeter Woody Shaw's finest, it failed to make much of an impact before breaking up. Teamed with trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Stafford James and drummer Tony Reedus for an Italian concert, Shaw stretches out on two of his originals plus "You And The Night And The Music" and "We'll Be Together Again"; all four of the numbers clock in between 10-12 minutes apiece. High-quality advanced hard bop. ~Scott Yanow

The Time Is Right

Peter Bernstein Quartet - Signs Of Life

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:14
Size: 166,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:04)  1. Blues For Bulgaria
(7:17)  2. Jet Stream
(9:43)  3. Jive Coffee
(6:46)  4. The Things We Did Last Summer
(8:15)  5. Minor Changes
(6:57)  6. Will You Still Be Mine
(9:43)  7. Signs Of Life
(8:04)  8. Nobody Else But Me
(7:20)  9. My Ideal

Peter Bernstein's second CD as a leader reunites him with pianist Brad Mehldau and once again features him in a quartet. However, both Bernstein and Mehldau had grown quite a bit as soloists during the previous two years (the pianist really tears into "Nobody Else but Me") and this time they are joined by the virtuosic bassist Christian McBride and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. In addition, the songs (five Bernstein originals and four standards) are stronger and challenge the soloists to play at their best. Among the highlights are "Jet Stream," "Jive Coffee" (Bernstein's sly revision of "Tea for Two"), "Will You Still Be Mine," and a tasteful "My Ideal" in addition to "Nobody Else but Me." An excellent effort.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/signs-of-life-mw0000031126

Personnel:  Peter Bernstein – guitar;  Brad Mehldau – piano;  Christian McBride – bass;  Gregory Hutchinson - drums

Signs Of Life

Jimmy Smith - Fourmost Return

Styles: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:20
Size: 111,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:36)  1. Sonnymoon For Two
( 6:15)  2. Mood Indigio
( 3:31)  3. Ain't She Sweet
( 6:36)  4. Back At The Chicken Shack
( 5:06)  5. Organ Grinder's Swing
(10:48)  6. Laura
(10:25)  7. Blues For Stanley

Recorded during the same 1990 gig at Fat Tuesday's as the earlier Fourmost CD, Fourmost Return features Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and Grady Tate in great form once again, so this is no compilation of lukewarm leftovers. The music includes a burning, up-tempo take of "Sonnymoon for Two" and a bluesy and lyrical interpretation of "Mood Indigo," as well as an initially lounge-like "Laura" that gives way to a hot solo by Burrell.

Smith also revives his popular "Back at the Chicken Shack" and adds a good-natured but rather hoarse vocal to the oldie "Ain't She Sweet." All the players are in top form and this release should appeal to fans of soul-jazz.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/fourmost-return-mw0000001872

Personnel: Jimmy Smith (vocals, organ); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Grady Tate (drums).

Fourmost Return

Salena Jones - Feelings Change

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:36
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Stuck On You
(3:16)  2. My Guy
(4:44)  3. Just A Gentle Rain
(3:26)  4. Stand By Me
(4:47)  5. You Are Always On My Mind
(4:07)  6. Something In Return
(3:30)  7. Even The Nights Are Better
(4:10)  8. You Decorated My Life
(4:39)  9. Up Where You Belong
(4:14) 10. Make The Most Of Love Tonight
(4:00) 11. Feelings Change

Born in Newport News, VA, in 1944, Salena Jones (real name: Joan Elizabeth Shaw) would over the course of a 60-plus-year career become one of the leading vocalists of swing music, performing in a number of countries in Europe and Asia and recording a number of albums. Jones got her first break at the famed Apollo Theater in New York, winning a talent contest that resulted in a record deal. She spent the early part of her career touring and performing with such leading lights as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington. Her first forays overseas, to Spain and the U.K., were in the mid-'60s and were to begin a life spent mostly outside the rather fickle confines of the United States. In 1978, she made her first appearance in Japan and performed there on an annual basis. By the first decade of the 21st century, she had performed on most continents, recorded more than 40 albums, and sang at the 2006 Shanghai International Jazz Festival.~Chris True http://www.allmusic.com/artist/salena-jones-mn0000290681

Feelings Change

Al Caiola - Deep in a Dream

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:07
Size: 108,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Love Letters
(3:57)  2. There'll Never Be Another You
(4:29)  3. I Got it Bad
(4:33)  4. Everything Happens to Me
(4:39)  5. Deep in a Dream
(4:21)  6. You are too Beautiful
(3:55)  7. I Got a Crush on You
(4:57)  8. Thunderbird

Al Caiola is a guitarist who initially made his reputation as a session musician, playing on records made by Percy Faith and Andre Kostelanetz, among others. Caiola was the conductor and arranger for United Artists Records in the late '40s and early '50s. After leaving UA, he signed with RCA, where he released a number of singles in the '50s. In the early '60s, he went back to United Artists, which is where he scored his first hit with the theme to the film The Magnificent Seven. The single peaked at 35 in early 1961 and it was quickly followed by the theme to the television series Bonanza, which climbed to number 19. 

For the rest of the '60s, Caiola released a number of easy listening instrumental albums. During the decade he also hosted a television show, which was only aired for a short while. Caiola continued to record throughout the '70s and into the '80s.~Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-caiola-mn0000609000

Personnel: Al Caiola (guitar), Bernie Privin (trumpet), Hank Jones (piano), Clyde Lombardi (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

Deep in a Dream

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Mose Allison - Blues Pianist

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:08
Size: 142.3 MB
Styles: Jazz/blues piano
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Everything I Have Is Yours
[4:08] 2. Let Me See
[3:54] 3. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
[2:33] 4. The Song Is Ended
[2:15] 5. I Don't Worry About A Thing
[2:41] 6. It Didn't Turn Out That Way
[2:34] 7. Your Mind Is On Vacation
[3:46] 8. If You're Goin' To The City
[3:56] 9. Stand By
[4:15] 10. Idyll
[3:22] 11. Stop This World
[3:20] 12. The Well
[3:02] 13. New Parchman
[2:44] 14. Don't Forget To Smile
[2:52] 15. What's With You
[1:45] 16. Just Like Livin'
[2:40] 17. Everybody's Cryin' Mercy
[2:58] 18. Rollin' Stone
[2:33] 19. Meet Me At No Special Place
[2:34] 20. Seventh Son

In 2012 Mose was honored with a blues marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in his home town of Tippo, Mississippi.

Mose Allison, pianist/singer/composer, has been a major influence on musicians of the last 50 years and has spent a good deal of his life touring and playing in jazz rooms all over the world. His songs have been recorded by many, among them, The Who, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, The Clash and Diana Krall. His singular style, a unique blending of jazz and blues, and his profound lyrical wit, mark him as a true American original.

Blues Pianist