Ralph Sutton - Echoes Of Swing (2-Disc Set)

Although stride piano master Ralph Sutton has recorded steadily throughout his career, this double CD (which contains all the music from two sets played at a Hamburg, Germany concert) was his first at the head of a medium-size group since 1981. Joined by trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso, trombonist Bill Allred, Antti Sarpila on clarinet and soprano, bassist Jack Lesberg, and drummer Gregor Beck, Sutton is in fine form and seems to enjoy the role of being an occasional accompanist. With the exception of the pianist's showcase on Fats Waller's "Clothesline Ballet," the music is dominated by warhorses. However, the fine solos and spirited ensembles make such tunes as "California Here I Come," "Limehouse Blues," "Some of These Days" and "Shine" sound fresh and colorful. ~Scott Yanow

Album: Echoes Of Swing (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:27
Size: 131.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1997

[ 5:58] 1. Fine And Dandy
[ 7:16] 2. Moonglow
[ 7:27] 3. California, Here I Come
[ 4:58] 4. Clothes Line Ballet
[10:38] 5. Song Of The Wanderer
[ 6:15] 6. Sweet Lorraine
[ 5:34] 7. Medley: Happy Birthday/Blame It On My Youth
[ 9:16] 8. Limehouse Blues

Echoes Of Swing (Disc 1)

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Album: Echoes Of Swing (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:20
Size: 122.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[11:33] 1. My Gal Sal
[ 9:04] 2. Beale Street Blues
[ 5:04] 3. Some Of These Days
[ 7:10] 4. Runnin' Wild
[ 5:41] 5. Thanks A Million
[ 8:20] 6. Shine
[ 6:25] 7. Buddy Bolden Blues

Echoes Of Swing (Disc 2)

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Shirley Bassey - Let's Face The Music And Dance

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:41
Size: 93.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1962/1999
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:53] 2. I Should Care
[3:01] 3. Let's Fall In Love
[4:29] 4. The Second Time Around
[3:59] 5. Imagination
[3:05] 6. All The Things You Are
[2:46] 7. I Get A Kick Out Of You
[3:10] 8. Everything I Have Is Yours
[3:57] 9. Spring Is Here
[2:41] 10. All Of Me
[3:37] 11. I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind
[2:52] 12. What Now, My Love

Bassey's fourth EMI/Columbia album is regarded as the magnum opus of her pre-Goldfinger career, bringing her together with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle. (Ironically, it was Riddle's still being under contract to Capitol Records which prevented him from working with Sinatra on Reprise at the time, that made this record possible). Riddle approached this album from the standpoint that less is more, providing elegant and subdued accompaniment that emphasized the strings. Bassey's voice comes across with a delicacy of nuance that is startling to hear, achieving new levels of subtlety on this album. One may disagree with the order of the songs -- the moodily expressive "I Should Care," reminiscent of Judy Garland at her best, would be the ideal opener -- but not with the overall content of this album. Throughout Let's Face the Music, one almost gets a sense of Bassey slipping inside these songs, becoming part of them and they her, rather than merely performing them. The interpretations are fresh in other respects as well, with works such as "Let's Fall in Love" or "The Second Time Around" given unexpectedly slow tempos that work beautifully. Riddle is so careful and measured in his every orchestral nuance of this record, that he leaves us open to surprises at many points, perhaps most startlingly the sudden appearance of a harp glissando on "Spring Is Here," after we've been lulled into the expectation that no part of this orchestra will play full-out. Re-released in the late 1990s as part of EMI's anniversary reissue series, remastered in 24-bit sound. ~Bruce Eder

Let's Face The Music And Dance

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Sergio Mendes - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:00
Size: 89.3 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Agua De Beber
[1:45] 2. One Note Samba Spanish Flea
[2:22] 3. Roda
[1:51] 4. Bim Bom
[3:13] 5. Berimbau
[2:37] 6. The Joker
[3:03] 7. Day Tripper
[3:14] 8. Chove Chuva
[3:03] 9. Moanin'
[2:53] 10. Upa, Neguinho
[1:52] 11. Gente
[1:57] 12. Só Danço Samba
[2:15] 13. Wave
[3:12] 14. Laia Ladaia (Reza)
[3:08] 15. Lapinha

Mendes was born on February 11, 1941, and raised in Niteroi, Brazil, the son of a physician. He studied music at a conservatory and harbored hopes of becoming a classical pianist.

With his band Brazil ‘66, bandleader Sergio Mendes soared to the top of the popular music charts in the United States during the mid-1960s with covers of songs by Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Jimmy Webb. The songs featured a rhythmic Latin percussion foundation that percolated beneath the soaring crystalline vocal harmonies of Lani Hall and Janis Hansen (and later Hall and Karen Phillips). The arrangements, first by Mendes and later by Dave Grusin, included ethereal woodwinds, string sections, and keyboards that combined to create a style blending Brazilian bossa nova and American and British pop into a hybrid that was tremendously successful. Dismissed by some critics as easy listening, it was applauded by others for its rhythmic complexity, high production values, and intriguing vocals. After the heyday of the 1960s, Mendes attempted several updated versions of Brazil ‘66, including Brazil 77, and Brazil ‘99, had a major hit single in 1983 with “Never Let You Go,” and pursued his jazz leanings.

The Collection

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The Crew Cuts - Rock And Roll Doo Wop

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:05
Size: 71.2 MB
Styles: Doo wop, Pop
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Sh-Boom
[2:54] 2. Earth Angel
[2:36] 3. Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)
[2:24] 4. A Story Untold
[2:22] 5. Oop Shoop
[2:39] 6. Do Me Good Baby
[2:45] 7. Ko Ko Mo
[2:08] 8. Seven Days
[2:50] 9. Chop Chop Down
[2:35] 10. This Is My Story
[2:31] 11. Gum Drop
[2:33] 12. Angels In The Sky

On most informed lists of rock & roll villains, the Crew Cuts would have to rank near the top. They weren't rock & rollers in the first place: their clean-cut white harmony glee club approach was really in the style of early- and mid-'50s groups such as the Four Aces, the Four Lads, and the Four Freshmen. The Canadian quartet differed from those acts, however, in their concentration upon covers of songs originally recorded by R&B/doo wop vocal groups. Their cover of the Chords' "Sh-Boom" set the pattern, going to number one in 1954 and setting the stage for their other commercially successful pop treatments of R&B hits by the Penguins, Gene & Eunice, Otis Williams & the Charms, the Robins, the Spaniels, the Nutmegs, and others. The Toronto foursome already had a Top Ten hit under their belts with their first major label single, "Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby," before tackling "Sh-Boom"; what's more, their first hit had been a group original, not an R&B cover. When the Crew Cuts got a hold of "Sh-Boom," they gave the song a far more standard, whiter pop treatment than the Chords had, complete with big-band type orchestration. Although the original Chords version still became one of the first Top Ten rock & roll hits, the Crew Cuts' cover outsold it by a wide margin, finding a far easier entrance into established radio formats and mainstream white audiences. The Crew Cuts were regular visitors to the Top 20 over the next couple of years, repeating the "Sh-Boom" syndrome with songs like "Earth Angel," their second-biggest hit at number three (though nobody remembers the Crew Cuts' version today, the Penguins' original having long established supremacy with audiences and on oldies stations). Their strategy of foraging for sources among black R&B vocal singles was widely imitated throughout the industry, by Pat Boone, the McGuire Sisters, Georgia Gibbs, and numerous others. Many rock historians point out -- with a great deal of justification -- that this amounted to an attempt by the music establishment to buck the oncoming threatening storm of the rock era by watering it down into a much more palatable and conventional form that in reality had little to do with rock at all. For a while, it worked -- the white covers frequently outsold the black R&B originals throughout 1954-1956. But after Elvis, Chuck Berry, and others had staked their own claim on superstardom, it became increasingly obvious that teenagers preferred the real article, and that the entrenchment of authentic rock & roll was inevitable. Some revisionists have claimed, dubiously, that the Crew Cuts actually helped pave the way for the acceptance of rock in the mainstream by giving all those doo wop songs a far greater audience than they could have found if they were ghettoized in the R&B community. After a while, however, the Crew Cuts themselves were being widely outsold by their sources; "Young Love" (a cover, of course, although this time of the country classic by Sonny James) was their last Top 20 hit in early 1957. Their Mercury hits are far more properly classified as pop vocal outings than rock & roll, owing much more to pre-rock harmony and band arrangements. By 1958, they'd left Mercury for stints with RCA and other labels; they broke up in 1964. ~ Richie Unterberger

Rock And Roll Doo Wop

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Bob Wilber & The International March Of Jazz All Stars - Everywhere You Go There's Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:22
Size: 140.5 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Year: 1999/2006
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Scarecrow
[6:45] 2. Duke's Feeling Sad
[5:50] 3. Stolen Sweets
[3:02] 4. Jeepers Creepers
[4:27] 5. Music Maestro Please
[3:52] 6. With A Song In My Heart
[4:54] 7. Mood Indigo
[6:00] 8. Sherman Shuffle
[3:56] 9. Sweet Lotus Blossom
[4:44] 10. Mahogany Hall Stomp
[4:44] 11. Racing With The Moon
[4:54] 12. Un Hommage A Sidney Bechet
[2:58] 13. Everywhere You Go

Wilber has been heard with smaller ensembles, so it's good to find him with a larger, more interactive group -- a diversely bred bunch of Dixieland-to-swing mavens. Swedes Bent Persson (trumpet/cornet) and Lars Erstrand (vibes), Finnish multi-woodwindist Antti Sarpila, native Brit/Canadian resident vibist Peter Appleyard, straight Brits Dave Cliff (guitar) and Dave Green (bass) join Americans Wilber, trombonist Dan Barrett, pianist Dick Hyman and drummer Ed Metz, Jr. for this 13-track program of classic, early period jazz. Things start off with a tribute to Benny Goodman with his lesser known number "Scarecrow," a good swinger with Wilber's clarinet and alto firing up the band, making way for Green's swing-to-bop guitar accompanied by a background horn chart. Persson's clear Louis Armstrong influence rises during another solid swinger, "Mahogany Hall Stomp." That same stoic rhythm informs the guitar-driven, full-band unison melody on "Sherman Shuffle." An unusual, piano-led waltz treatment of "Mood Indigo" and Wilber's downtrodden blues on clarinet in "Duke's Feeling Sad" are all hat tips to Duke Ellington. Other dedication tracks showcase Wilber's wonderfully ribald soprano sax during his original, seductive, slow tango "Un Hommage a' Sidney Bechet" with Sarpila's soprano following along, and his alto sax á la Johnny Hodges for the Wild Bill Davis song "Stolen Sweets." Wilber's soprano and Sarpila's clarinet during the uptempo "With a Song in My Heart" duel away in counterpointed bliss. A medium-swing take on Vaughn Monroe's pop tune "Racing With the Moon" is a definite improvement on the original, featuring Wilber's alto again Hodges-like and Persson's pronounced trumpet shakes á la Armstrong. Wilber's wife Joanne "Pug" Horton sings four tracks in her slightly flat, Rosemary Clooney-type voice, the best of the four being the ballad "Music Maestro Please," and the most energetic being "Everywhere You Go." She's a bit strained during "Sweet Lotus Blossom," and her corniest performance is on "Jeepers Creepers." Wilber proves time and time again, especially during "Everywhere You Go" why he is an enduring jazz man, especially on clarinet and soprano sax. His bandmates each get brief solos here and there, but it is the group sound of this fine band that will make it worth your while. ~Michael G. Nastos

The nationalities include Finland (Sarpila), Sweden (Persson and vibist Lars Erstrand), Canada (Appleyard), England (Cliff and bassist Dave Green), and the U.S. (Wilber, Barrett, Hyman, drummer Ed Metz, Jr., and Horton).

Everywhere You Go There's Jazz

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Harvey Mason - Funk In A Mason Jar

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:39
Size: 96,4 MB
Art: Front + Back

(5:13)  1. Pack Up Your Bags
(3:43)  2. Till You Take My Love
(3:36)  3. Space Cadets
(3:36)  4. Freedom Either Way
(1:56)  5. Funk In A Mason Jar
(8:31)  6. What's Going On?
(5:54)  7. Set It Free
(4:29)  8. Phantazia
(4:38)  9. Liquid

Throughout his career, Harvey Mason has been a busy studio musician and a highly versatile drummer able to excel in many different situations. Mason attended Berklee and graduated from the New England Conservatory. Early gigs included four months with Erroll Garner in 1970 and a year with George Shearing from 1970-1971. Soon after leaving Shearing, Mason moved to Los Angeles and quickly became established in the studios, working in films and television. In addition to his anonymous work through the years, Mason has often been part of the jazz world. He played with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters in 1973, Gerry Mulligan for a 1974 Carnegie Hall concert, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington, Jr. (appearing on Mister Magic), Lee Ritenour, Victor Feldman, George Benson (playing drums on "This Masquerade"), and Bob James, among many others. In 1998, Mason paid tribute to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in some local Los Angeles club gigs. The early 2000s found Mason continuing with his steady session work, as well as releasing two solo albums with 2003's Trios and 2004's With All My Heart. In 2014, Mason revisited his '70s Headhunters roots with Chameleon on Concord. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/harvey-mason/id917601#fullText

Personnel: Harvey Mason, Sr. Funk In A Mason Jar songs (drums); George Benson (vocals, guitar); Debra Laws, Eloise Laws, Julia Tillman Waters, Kim Hutchcroft, Merry Clayton, Paulette McWilliams, Stephanie Spruill, Venetta Fields (vocals); Walker, Jay Graydon, Al McKay, Lee Ritenour , Phil Upchurch, Ray Parker, Jr. (guitar); Dorothy Ashby (harp); Charles Veal (violin); Kenny Mason (trumpet); Bill Watrous (trombone); Chuck Findley, Emilio Castillo, Gary Grant, Richard Hyde, Greg Adams, Jerry Hey, Lenny Pickett , Seawind, Tom Scott, Tower of Power, Mic Gillette (horns); Dave Grusin, David Paich, Jerry Peters, Jorge Dalto, Ronnie Foster, Bob James (keyboards); Ralph MacDonald (percussion); Larry Williams (wind).

Funk In A Mason Jar

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Jacqui Naylor - Shelter

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:53
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:09)  1. Shelter
(3:15)  2. Before I'm  Gone
(4:52)  3. Miss You
(6:03)  4. I Remember You
(4:24)  5. Free My Love
(3:38)  6. All For You
(4:25)  7. Climb Higher
(3:45)  8. Winter
(5:03)  9. Take This Chance
(3:21) 10. Cheese Puff Daddy
(4:06) 11. If You Know Love
(4:38) 12. Love & Affection
(4:32) 13. Tired
(3:38) 14. Fall

There's a joke about jazz vocalists that goes like this: how many jazz singers does it take to sing "My Funny Valentine"? All of them. That joke is making fun of the countless jazz singers who insist on recording nothing but Tin Pan Alley warhorses that as great as they are have been recorded much too often over the years. But not all jazz singers have a warhorses-only policy, and risk-takers like Claire Martin, Cassandra Wilson, and the Philadelphia-based Lou Lanza are doing vocal jazz a huge favor by having adventurous, far-reaching repertoires that aren't limited to Tin Pan Alley. Jacqui Naylor is another risk-taking jazz vocalist with an interesting repertoire, but there's a catch: she's also a folk-rocker and her folk-rock side has the upper hand on Shelter. Naylor has been dividing her time between a folk-rock/adult alternative aesthetic and vocal jazz; she's compelling in both areas, but whether Naylor favors one or the other all depends on what a particular song calls for. 

Interestingly, the most jazz-oriented thing on Shelter is an interpretation of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You"; Naylor has no problem finding the tune's jazz potential, and her jazz side also prevails on Joan Armatrading's "Love and Affection" and the Billie Holiday-ish "All for You" (which Naylor co-wrote with pianist Art Khu). But most of the time, Naylor's folk-rock side wins out on Shelter. Most of the 11 songs she co-wrote with Khu for this album are more folk-rock than jazz, and folk-rock serves Naylor well on introspective tracks such as "Before I'm Gone" and "Free My Love." Some jazz snobs no doubt wish that Naylor would perform straight-ahead jazz exclusively, but she would be selling herself short if she did that and thankfully, Naylor doesn't sell herself short on the memorable Shelter. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/shelter-mw0000597739

Personnel: Jacqui Naylor (vocals); Bob Johnson (saxophone); Matt Brubeck, Marika Hughes (cello); Art Khu, Michael Blustein (piano); Steve Erquiaga, Brian Pardo, Craig Green (guitar); Jon Evans, Todd Sickafoose (bass); Jason Lewis, Jan Jackson (drums); Emiliano Benevides (percussion); John Scott, Pat Shanks, Tina Zenon (background vocals).

Shelter

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Manhattan Transfer - Boy From New York City And Other Hits

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:39
Size: 99,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. Boy From New York City
(2:48)  2. Java Jive
(3:00)  3. Gloria
(2:57)  4. Helpless
(3:09)  5. Tuxedo Junction
(6:09)  6. Twilight Zone/ Twilight Tone
(5:09)  7. Ray's Rockhouse
(5:03)  8. Mystery
(4:38)  9. Smile Again
(6:01) 10. Birdland

Boy from New York City & Other Hits is a budget-priced collection that features ten original recordings from the popular, kitschy East Coast vocal group Manhattan Transfer. For most listeners, the compilation's namesake will be the only familiar hit, but "Tuxedo Junction," the old Mills Brothers standard "Java Jive," and the ultra-weird "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" are decent examples of the group's signature modern vocalese, jazz-pop sound. 

Fans looking for more of a definitive product should hunt down Rhino's two-disc Anthology: Down in Birdland or the less intimidating single-disc Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer. ~ James Christopler Monge  http://www.allmusic.com/album/boy-from-new-york-city-other-hits-mw0000066050

The Manhattan Transfer: Cheryl Bentyne , Janis Siegel, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul, Tim Hauser.

Boy From New York City And Other Hits

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John Zorn - The Mockingbird

Styles: Jazz, Avant-Garde
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:13
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:13)  1. Scout
(4:36)  2. Riverrun
(5:07)  3. Child's Play
(4:54)  4. Porch Swing
(7:13)  5. Innoceence
(4:17)  6. Pegasus
(7:03)  7. A Mystery
(5:46)  8. The Mockingbird

Drawing on his experience in a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore punk, classical, klezmer, film, cartoon, popular and improvised music, John Zorn has created an influential body of work that defies academic categories. A native of New York City, he has been a central figure in the downtown scene since 1975, incorporating a wide range of musicians in various compositional formats. He learned alchemical synthesis from Harry Smith, structural ontology with Richard Foreman, how to make art out of garbage with Jack Smith, cathartic expression at Sluggs and hermetic intuition from Joseph Cornell. Early inspirations include American innovators Ives, Varese, Cage, Carter and Partch, the European tradition of Berg, Stravinsky, Boulez and Kagel, soundtrack composers Herrmann, Morricone and Stalling as well as avant-garde theater, film, art and literature. http://www.hipsroadedition.com/bio.html

Personnel:  Carol Emanuel: Harp;  Bill Frisell: Guitar;  Kenny Wollesen: Vibraphone, Chimes

The Mockingbird

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New York Trio - Blues In The Night

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:20
Size: 119.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Mainstream jazz
Year: 2001/2014
Art: Front

[8:21] 1. Blues In The Night
[6:35] 2. I Could Have Danced All Night
[5:00] 3. Blue Skies
[7:23] 4. You Better Go Now
[6:08] 5. My Funny Valentine
[5:12] 6. Tenderly
[7:42] 7. Embraceable You
[5:56] 8. Don't Explain

In the dawn of the 21st century, pianist Bill Charlap took the jazz world by storm with a series of rewarding albums for labels both in the U.S. and abroad. On Blues in the Night, he leads his New York Trio in a recording made for the Japanese label Venus, with veteran bassist Jay Leonhart and fellow young gun Bill Stewart joining him. Right away Charlap signals that he can take an old chestnut into a new direction. His stretched-out, blues-drenched "Blues in the Night" makes effective use of space and showcases his sidemen as well. Leonhart's buoyant bassline brings to mind the late Milt Hinton in the brisk rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night." Charlap's intense workout of "Blue Skies" is a virtual jazz history lesson, showing the influence of a number of legendary pianists, while achieving a sound distinctly his own. His loping, jaunty approach to "My Funny Valentine" is another winner; equally playful is the snappy waltz treatment of "Tenderly," accented by Stewart's brushwork. One of the most promising pianists of his generation, this Charlap CD is highly recommended. ~Ken Dryden

Blues In The Night

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Nnenna Freelon - Homefree

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:58
Size: 119.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:54] 1. The Lamp Is Low
[5:36] 2. I Feel Pretty
[5:59] 3. The Very Thought Of You
[4:59] 4. Theme From Valley Of The Dolls
[4:12] 5. Smile
[4:36] 6. You And The Night And The Music
[4:38] 7. Cell Phone Blues
[4:18] 8. Get Out Of Town
[5:14] 9. Skylark
[4:37] 10. Lift Every Voice And Sing
[2:51] 11. America The Beautiful

Nneena Freelon, voice; Brandon McCune, piano; Wayne Batchelor, bass; Kinah Ayah, drums; Beverly Botsford, percussion; Ray Codrington, flugelhorn (2); Ira Wiggins, tenor sax (3); Scott Sawyer, guitar (4, 7).

Nnenna Freelon can be spotted miles off, like neon or a rainbow. The tall, rawboned, outspoken gal from Cambridge, MA via North Carolina owns a musical persona as unique as her name. She nails her ancient/modern, genre-jumping repertoire, embraces it, inhabits it organically and belts it with a hearty, emphatic attack. You can tell her from a phrase—even a note—as she goes merrily variegating vowels, taffy-pulling syllables, signifying scat sounds (gong-gong), sing-songing exit vamps; check her risqué post-play on "The Lamp Is Low."

She and her working band of 10 years—Brandon McCune (piano), Wayne Batchelor (bass), Kinah Ayah (drums) and Beverly Botsford (percussion)—mess with usual tempos ("Smile" as breezy Latin) and keys ("I Feel Pretty" in minor). They gleefully reinvent Tin Pan Alley, here skanking up Cole Porter's "Get Out Of Town" as reggae and Dietz-Schwartz' "You and the Night and the Music," over a slow slinky vamp. Freelon sometimes lobs original blues bombs, wry comments on contemporary mores: she recasts an old favorite ("Future News Blues") in a personal tweet at her quick-twittering-but-not-so-handy man in "Cell Phone Blues."

Even with all that, expect the unexpected. Freelon can wear down the unwary, lazy listener, in her persistent quest to rediscover tunes, with her indefatigable energy. Witness her closing three tracks. She turns "Skylark" from jazz hymn into a bluesy, cantankerous one-on-one with Wayne Batchelor's bass that Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer—even Carmen McRae—might dig (her devoted version with strings came in 1992, big-budget Butler days at Columbia). She transforms the gospel song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" with a bit of scat over a respectful rap cameo by her son, Pierce. Her angular, salty "America The Beautiful," with cello sweetening, takes the disc out with an uneasy feeling. Freelon's compelling, searching artistry never lets up, yet leaves you with more grins than furrowed brows, with more questions than answers. ~Fred Bouchard

Homefree

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Milt Jackson - The Prophet Speaks

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:58
Size: 167.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1994/2014
Art: Front

[7:18] 1. The Prophet Speaks
[4:44] 2. In A Sentimental Mood
[6:44] 3. Five O'clock In The Morning Blues
[6:07] 4. You Are So Beautiful
[6:03] 5. Off Minor
[5:35] 6. Come To Me
[7:30] 7. Wonder Why
[5:54] 8. Rev-Vitalization
[6:13] 9. Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
[5:45] 10. Serious Grease
[4:30] 11. My Romance
[6:29] 12. Blue Monk

48 years after he first made a major impression on a Dizzy Gillespie recording date, vibraphonist Milt Jackson proves that he was still at the top of his form on this CD. The straight-ahead date finds his quartet (with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist John Clayton and drummer Billy Higgins) welcoming guests Joshua Redman (whose tenor is on six of the dozen selections) and singer Joe Williams, who helps out on three songs. Redman easily fits into the role that other tenors such as Teddy Edwards and Jimmy Heath have had with Jackson, taking concise solos while allowing the great vibist to be the lead in most of the ensembles. Joe Williams is fine during his three spots, but it is the apparently ageless Milt Jackson who is the main star during this enjoyable set. ~Scott Yanow

The Prophet Speaks

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Ted Brown, Jimmy Raney - Good Company

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:05
Size: 151.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Blimey
[3:12] 2. We'll Be Together Again
[6:36] 3. Lost And Found
[4:33] 4. Sir Felix
[6:56] 5. Instant Blue
[4:45] 6. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
[6:08] 7. People Will Say We're In Love
[6:20] 8. Lost And Found
[6:25] 9. We'll Be Together Again
[5:05] 10. Blimey
[4:31] 11. Sir Felix
[6:46] 12. People Will Say We're In Love

Ted Brown (Ts); Jimmy Raney (G); Hod O'Brien (P); Buster Williams (B); Ben Riley (D). Recorded December 23, 1985 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA by Rudy Van Gelder.

Tenor saxophonist Ted Brown studied with, and belonged to the coterie of like-thinking players around Lennie Tristano. He recorded with Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz and recorded under his own name with Warne Marsh and Art Pepper as sidemen. Here, after an eight year recording hiatus, in the company of legendary bebop-guitar-great Jimmy Raney and an all star rhythm section with pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Ben Riley. This rare session from 1985, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Recording Studio, has 5 alternate takes, and was never released as CD before.

Good Company

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Harry Allen Quartet - Jazz Im Amerika Haus, Volume 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream 
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:53
Size: 181,2 MB
Art: Front

( 9:28)  1. 'Deed I Do
( 9:50)  2. Close Your Eyes
( 5:29)  3. But Beautiful
( 9:37)  4. The King
(10:01)  5. Did You Call Here Today
( 5:21)  6. Honeysuckle Rose
( 4:53)  7. Thie Time the Dream's On Me
( 8:49)  8. My Heart Stood Still
( 5:06)  9. Every Day I Have The Blues
(10:13) 10. Limehouse Blues

Young Harry Allen, a rising star among swing–based tenor saxophonists, is heard here in the company of a world–class rhythm section that helps him breeze confidently through a nearly eighty minute long concert consisting for the most part of well–known songs from the Golden Age of American popular music. Although Allen is no one’s clone, I am struck by how often his wailing sound and informed manner of expression remind me of the late Stan Getz, of all people. This is especially true at faster tempos and in the higher register, where he comes as close to mimicing Stan as anyone I’ve heard not that he is doing so on purpose; for all I know, Allen may not even be aware of the resemblance, but it’s nonetheless there. In the lower register, the New York born Allen’s full bodied tenor more closely parallels those of Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski or other contemporary swing era advocates. 

Thanks to his awesome technique and endless flow of fresh ideas, Allen is perfectly comfortable in any tempo, as are his enterprising colleagues (listen as they let it all hang out on Count Basie’s barn–burner, “The King”). The veteran Bunch is a paragon of swinging and tasteful lyricism, while Irwin and Jackson know precisely the proper support to furnish in any situation (Jackson, the son of bassist Chubby, is equally dazzling with brushes or sticks in hand). As for the music, well, one could hardly wander far astray reprising such time honored classics as “Close Your Eyes,” “My Heart Stood Still,” “This Time the Dream’s on Me” or “Limehouse Blues.” Aside from offering well–deserved applause after solos and at the end of each number, the audience is quiet as a company of church mice. This is a luminous concert session, and while I’m perfectly aware that musical tastes vary widely, I’d recommend it to anyone. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-im-amerika-haus-vol-1-harry-allen-review-by-jack-bowers.php 
 

Personnel: Harry Allen, tenor sax; John Bunch, piano; Dennis Irwin, bass; Duffy Jackson, drums.

Jazz Im Amerika Haus, Volume 1

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Sony Holland - Swing, Bossas, Ballads & Blues

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:50
Size: 156,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. You're The Best
(3:44)  2. I Can't Blame Them For Trying
(4:17)  3. As You Are
(4:59)  4. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(5:30)  5. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover
(3:33)  6. Speak Low
(4:47)  7. Meditation
(3:49)  8. I Was No Angel Myself
(4:26)  9. I'll Remember Paris
(3:34) 10. Midnight Sun
(3:44) 11. Saving My Life Everyday
(4:26) 12. Million Dollar Dreams
(4:03) 13. Act Like You're In Love With Me
(4:22) 14. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(4:34) 15. Here's That Rainy Day
(4:42) 16. My Funny Valentine

Sony Holland sings in a style that is both sophisticated and emotionally direct. Her interpretations of the great American songbook show a deep respect and love for the material while adding an unmistakable spark of personality. Originally from northern Minnesota, Sony fell in love with jazz while spending a year in Paris and has earned a devoted following worldwide with her renditions of standards, contemporary classics, and original songs. She has made San Francisco her home since 2003 although she now performs internationally, including extensive concert tours and residencies in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Her CD Swing, Bossas, Ballads & Blues is an intimate set of 16 songs which she brings together with impeccable musicianship. Despite her sunny good looks Sony is a performer who knows what it is to pay her dues. She started her career on the streets of Fisherman’s Wharf and sang there in the wind, cold and rain, through good times and bad. “None of the other street musicians thought I would last, but I was determined to make a living out there.” That means spending hours singing when few tourists are about, simply to guard one’s turf. She explains, “I never minded the hostile elements or the slow nights because I understood that you need to put the time in to get your voice strong.” “People would constantly ask me what I was doing out there. They don’t understand how few well-paying jazz venues there are and how expensive it is for an independent musician to travel with a band.”

To keep herself working Ms. Holland often goes from playing a club like NYC’s Blue Note one night, to performing at a black-tie event the next… and then she’ll go out the following morning to sing for tips at a Nor-Cal Farmer’s Market! It keeps things interesting. “I always think of what my first bass player said. He was an old-timer who had toured with some of the biggest names in jazz and he’d tell me, “Whether you’re playing Carnegie Hall or a neighborhood dive, remember they’re all just joints.” Partially to deal with the expense of traveling she encouraged her songwriting husband to beef up his jazz chops on the guitar. Now they often perform together in concert venues and cafes as a duo. “Jerry has a rhythmic approach to playing jazz tunes that audiences really enjoy even if they’re not huge jazz fans.” His compositions have also added freshness to her repertoire. Swing, Bossas, Ballads & Blues includes several of his compositions such as: You're The Best, As You Are and Act Like You're In Love With Me. The rest of the 16 track disc is filled with jazz/pop and bossa nova classics such as Speak Low and Midnight Sun. Sony puts a jazzy spin on Paul Simon's Fifty Ways and Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. The disc closes with three bonus tracks which showcase Sony's sensitive readings of the most iconic songs of our time: The Shadow Of Your Smile, Here's That Rainy Day and My Funny Valentine. Sony Holland and her band recorded Swing, Bossas, Ballads and Blues at Skywalker Ranch with Grammy winning engineer Leslie Ann Jones in 2007. This disc is a "new edition" of a previously released CD. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonyholland7

Swing, Bossas, Ballads & Blues

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Wallace Roney - Understanding

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:59
Size: 135,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:56)  1. Understanding
(5:47)  2. Is That So?
(8:07)  3. Search for Peace
(6:52)  4. Gaslight
(7:43)  5. Red Lantern
(7:08)  6. Kotra
(8:21)  7. Combustible
(8:01)  8. You Taught My Heart to Sing

So much has been made of Wallace Roney’s studies with Miles Davis that it’s easy to forget his first breakthrough: Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he succeeded Terence Blanchard (and Wynton Marsalis) on trumpet. Yes, Roney was a dyed-in-the-wool Young Lion. Understanding, a sextet session and his first all-acoustic album in over a decade, places him back in that context, with (mostly) wondrous results. Understanding could have been released in 1983 and largely fit in with the then-zeitgeist. Technical virtuosity, dense harmony and zealous swing abound. At its best, melody abounds too. The title track, a Roy Brooks composition, is the highlight, opening on a simple theme that inspires Roney and tenor saxophonist Ben Solomon to bright, declarative solos with just a hint of poignancy underneath. McCoy Tyner’s “Search for Peace” and Duke Pearson’s “Gaslight” feature alto saxophonist Arnold Lee, whose gruff tone at times approaches David S. Ware levels of coarseness, but always in the service of lush melody and hefty rhythm. Alas, when the sextet plays original tunes, they also evince the ’80s Young Lions’ great weakness: the forsaking of good melody for complex chord changes. Solomon’s “Kotra” is the worst offender, a swinging but shapeless tune with even more shapeless solos. Lee’s “Red Lantern” is better, Roney’s blues “Combustible” better still more or less a single bebop lick repeated over a I-IV-V. But only bassist Daryl Johns’ solo is both on point and on budget; pianist Victor Gould and Sullivan go on too long, and Roney loses a sense of purpose. Fortunately, these are the only three originals to five outstanding covers.(Understanding has one running flaw: Drummer Kush Abadey is too high in the mix. Abadey is fantastic, with a window-rattling kick that recalls Elvin Jones, but there’s no need for him to nearly drown out the horns.) ~ Michael J. West  http://jazztimes.com/articles/93155-understanding-wallace-roney

Personnel: Wallace Roney (trumpet); Ben Solomon (saxophone); Kush Abadey (drums).

Understanding

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Dave Weckl and Jay Oliver - Convergence

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:32
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:24)  1. Apocalypso
(8:43)  2. Sternoids
(5:16)  3. Carousel
(8:02)  4. Road to Connemara
(6:04)  5. Convergence
(4:15)  6. Cups (You're Gonna Miss Me)
(7:27)  7. Twelvin
(2:39)  8. Hand It Over
(5:53)  9. Higher Ground
(3:47) 10. Incantation

Jazz and jazz fusion from two legendary artists and featuring several of the world's top musicians. Convergence is an exciting project from Dave Weckl and Jay Oliver. Jay was a major creative force behind Dave Weck's first three solo releases in the '90s and two Dave Weckl Band records ("Rhythm of the Soul" and "Synergy"). Convergence reunites these longtime musical counterparts with 10 new songs. Highlights of the album include a remake of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," a nod to 1990's "Master Plan" which featured two drummers. This time, it's Dave, the incredible Chris Coleman, a first-call horn section, three gospel singers, and legendary players including Dean Brown (guitar) and Jimmy Johnson (bass). Convergence also features a collaboration with Bill Whelan (Riverdance) that was partially recorded in Ireland. There's also a saucy New Orleans-inspired tune, two jazz tunes, two "fusion" tunes, and two solo pieces (drums and keys). Additionally, play along versions of each song are available at http://www.daveweckl.com. These include mixes without each instrument and charts. The drum version includes a multi-camera video of Dave's actual session for each song! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/davewecklandjayoliver

Convergence

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Wilbur De Paris, Jimmy Witherspoon - New Orleans Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:56
Size: 84.6 MB
Styles: Jazz blues, Urban blues
Year: 1957/2013
Art: Front

[3:57] 1. Lotus Blossom
[3:02] 2. Trouble In Mind
[2:00] 3. Big Fine Girl
[2:59] 4. How Long Blues
[5:36] 5. Good Rollin' Blues
[2:39] 6. Careless Love
[5:11] 7. Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
[3:47] 8. St. Louis Blues
[3:40] 9. When The Sun Goes Down
[4:01] 10. See See Rider

Jimmy Witherspoon (nicknamed Spoon) was born in 1923, in Gurdon, Ark., where he grew up singing in the choir of the First Baptist Church. He ran away from home in the mid-1930's to work in Los Angeles, and from 1941 to 1943 was in the merchant marine. His first break came during that time, sitting in with Teddy Weatherford's jazz band on an Armed Forces Radio broadcast from Calcutta, India. Returning in 1944 to San Francisco, where his mother then lived, he replaced Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band during the group's stay in Vallejo, Calif. He toured and recorded with Mr. McShann for four years, forming his emotional and sophisticated singing style: a layering of fine jazz rhythms over gospel inflections in a deep, wide mellow baritone.

Wilbur DeParis, an adequate soloist, was an excellent ensemble player and an important bandleader who helped keep New Orleans jazz alive in the 1950s. He started out on alto horn and in 1922 played C-melody sax while working with A.J. Piron before switching permanently to trombone. In 1925, DeParis led a band in Philadelphia and then had stints in the orchestras of Leroy Smith (1928), Dave Nelson, Noble Sissle, Edgar Hayes, Teddy Hill (1936-1937), the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, and Louis Armstrong (1937-1940). Not as well-known as his brother, the talented trumpet soloist Sidney DeParis, Wilbur was with Roy Eldridge's big band and Duke Ellington (1945-1947) and recorded with Sidney Bechet during 1949-1950. However, it was in 1951 when he put together a band to play at Ryan's that included his brother and clarinetist Omer Simeon that he found his niche. Wilbur DeParis' New New Orleans Jazz Band did not just play Dixieland standards but marches, pop tunes, and hymns, all turned into swinging and spirited jazz. Throughout the 1950s, the group recorded consistently exciting sets for Atlantic (all of which are unfortunately long out of print) and they were the resident band at Ryan's during 1951-1962, touring Africa in 1957. DeParis continued leading bands up until his death, but his last recordings were in 1961. ~Scott Yanow

New Orleans Blues

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Ronnie Bedford Quartet - Just Friends

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:51
Size: 155.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[ 9:14] 1. Lester Leaps In
[ 8:12] 2. Just Friends
[ 8:08] 3. Dream Dancing
[11:06] 4. Now's The Time
[ 6:22] 5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[ 8:02] 6. Tickle Toe
[ 6:10] 7. How Long Has This Been Going On
[10:33] 8. On Green Dolphin Street

Recorded live in concert on Oct. 1, 1993 at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, this 8 track CD features drummer Ronnie Bedford, tenor saxophonist Tommy Newsome, pianist Bill Charlap and bassist Peter Huffaker.

Just Friends

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Chris Calloway - Live In Espiritu

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:21
Size: 142.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Brazil
[3:51] 2. A Good Man Is Hard To Find
[0:50] 3. I've Got You Under My Skin
[2:54] 4. Boogit
[1:10] 5. Kicking The Gong Around
[2:49] 6. Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me
[4:43] 7. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[1:03] 8. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[1:54] 9. Blues In The Night
[3:19] 10. You've Changed
[4:40] 11. Willow Weep For Me
[0:33] 12. Dindi
[4:19] 13. Minnie The Moocher
[0:27] 14. Madi (Intro)
[4:53] 15. You've Changed (Madi)
[0:12] 16. Intro (Willow Weep For Me)
[5:49] 17. Willow Weep For Me
[0:10] 18. Intro (Dindi)
[5:45] 19. Dindi
[8:48] 20. Minnie The Moocher

Jazz singer performed with father Cab Calloway for 20 years before going on to perform and record on her own. A Santa Fe resident since 1991, the vivacious vocalist sang with her father's Hi-De-Ho Orchestra for two decades until his death in 1995. She then became a bandleader in her own right, putting together a new version of the band. In 2001, she took the group on a 55-city tour.

"The revised Hi-De-Ho Orchestra was made up of musicians she collected," Santa Fe businessman Tom Berkes. He and singer Madi Sato owned the Espiritu Canyon Road club where Calloway staged a performance series in 1999. Just like they did with the Count Basie Orchestra, you'd hire good musicians who were willing to travel," Berkes said, "so most of the people in Chris' band were from New York and California."

She had been battling breast cancer since 1987. Chris Calloway died in 2008.

Live In Espiritu

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