Wednesday, March 29, 2017

VA - New Jazz Divas: The Greatest Modern Female Jazz Singers

Size: 181,7+181,6 MB
Time: 78:07+78:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

CD 1:
01 Diana Krall - This Can’t Be Love (4:27)
02 Youn Sun Nah - Jockey Full Of Bourbon (3:39)
03 Terez Montcalm - Docteur (4:04)
04 Fay Claassen - Conception - Deception (4:12)
05 Mina Agossi - Ghost Of Yesterday (4:00)
06 Lisa Simone - Autumn Leaves (5:14)
07 Dee Alexander - Letter From Home (5:57)
08 Manuel Rocheman - Nature Boy (3:42)
09 Bireli Lagrene & Gipsy Project - What A Little Moonlight Can Do (3:31)
10 Remi Sciuto - Black Bird (2:18)
11 Olivier Hutman - What Did They Say Today (4:53)
12 Muriel Zoe - Have A Good Time (3:26)
13 Michel Benita - Oh Love (3:35)
14 Veronique Hermann Sambin - Pwomes (3:26)
15 Monica Shaka - Moon And Sand (5:32)
16 Maria Laura Baccarini - I've Got You Under My Skin (5:17)
17 Stephy Haik - It's Over (5:08)
18 Solveig Slettahjell - What Is This Thing Called Love (5:38)

CD 2:
01 Stacey Kent - Too Darn Hot (3:25)
02 Robin McKelle - Something's Gotta Give (3:08)
03 Norah Jones - Tennessee Waltz (4:18)
04 Jacky Terrasson Trio - Walk On By (2:39)
05 Rene Marie - Them There Eyes (5:15)
06 Ida Sand - Ain’t No Sunshine (3:40)
07 Laika Fatien - Just Say Goodbye (4:19)
08 Catia Werneck - Chegando No Rio (4:31)
09 Anne Ducros - God Bless The Child (Feat. Jacky Terrasson) (4:42)
10 Charlotte Wassy - Your Goal (5:20)
11 Cæcilie Norby - Diamonds & Gold (3:47)
12 Melanie Dahan - Star Eyes (Feat. Manuel Rocheman) (4:56)
13 Clotilde Rullaud - Fragile (6:48)
14 Louisa Bey - Everything Is Broken (4:45)
15 Viviane Ginape - You Must Believe In Spring (3:07)
16 Sinne Eeg - What A Little Moonlight Can Do (5:16)
17 Bugge Wesseltoft - Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover (4:59)
18 Seth Kallen - My Sweet Darling (2:58)

New Jazz Divas CD 1
New Jazz Divas CD 2

Massimo Farao Trio & Giampaolo Casati - Jazz Trumpet, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Size: 208,5+218,9 MB
Time: 89:46+94:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

Vol. 1:
01. Sandu (3:25)
02. L'appuntamento (3:18)
03. A Groovy Kind Of Love (3:13)
04. Hey Hey My My Into The Black (2:25)
05. You're So Vain (2:42)
06. Unchain My Heart (3:41)
07. Feels So Good (3:43)
08. Horse With No Name (3:37)
09. All Blues (5:27)
10. Sing, Sing, Sing (3:32)
11. Tiny Capers (4:18)
12. My Favourite Things (2:54)
13. Dolphin Dance (4:02)
14. Watermelon Man (3:52)
15. Blue In Green (3:55)
16. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (2:53)
17. Nightshift (3:17)
18. Tell Like It Is (2:21)
19. Cantaloupe Island (3:01)
20. You Can't Go Home Again (2:38)
21. Fair Weather (2:59)
22. Round Midnight (4:39)
23. The Preacher (3:07)
24. Easy Living (5:17)
25. I'll Be Seeing You (5:16)

Vol. 2:
01. Compared To What (4:29)
02. Hallelujah (3:05)
03. You're The Inspiration (3:12)
04. Time In A Bottle (3:18)
05. Leaving On A Jet Plane (1:54)
06. Midnight Train To Georgia (4:02)
07. Kiss And Say Goodbye (4:00)
08. I Got You Baby (3:46)
09. Da Doo Ron Ron (3:16)
10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry (3:11)
11. Wonderful World (2:17)
12. Wishing On A Star (3:47)
13. Blue Bayou (4:15)
14. Rise (3:38)
15. After The Love Has Gone (4:23)
16. Halleluja (4:26)
17. Never Said (3:04)
18. Unforgettable (4:15)
19. For Once In My Life (4:32)
20. Good Morning Heartache (4:39)
21. This Masquerade (3:50)
22. The Masquerade Is Over (5:45)
23. What A Wonderful World (3:02)
24. I Cover The Waterfront (5:04)
25. Avalon (2:54)

Massimo Farao (16th March 1965 in Genoa) is an Italian jazz - pianist. Massimo Farao studied with Flavio Crivelli and worked with local formations; In 1983 he visited the United States, where he among other things, with the first Red Holloway and Albert 'Tootie' Heath played. In the 1990s he worked with Tony Scott, Adrian Mears, John Enders, Jesse Davis, Franco Ambrosetti, at its Enja -albumsGrazie Italia and Light Breeze he participated. He also played in the Nat Adderley Quintet at a European tour. In 1993 he took for Splasc (h) his debut album For Meon; his teammates included the trumpeter Flavio Boltro and bassist Dado Moroni. In 1995 the album Ciao Baby (on Monad).

In Trio with Ira Coleman and Jeff Tain Watts played Farao 1998 Brooklyn for Enja album Black Inside a; 2000 followed (also on Enja) the recorded in trio and quartet album Thorn on which Drew Gress, Jack DeJohnette and saxophonist Chris Potter participated. In 2001, he was (with Wayne Dockery and Bobby Durham)member of the quartet of Archie Shepp; 2001-2005 was the artistic director of the jazz department Farao the label Azzrra Music. In 2003, he stepped on the Jazz Piano Festival in Lucerne. In 2006 he recorded an album with compositions by Ennio Morricone on; In 2007 he toured in a trio with Joey DeFrancesco through Europe and the USA.

Jazz Trumpet, Vol. 1
Jazz Trumpet, Vol. 2

Mose Allison - Complete 1957-1962 Vocal Sides

Size: 123,7+130,4 MB
Time: 52:24+55:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. If You Live (2:31)
02. The Seventh Son (2:37)
03. Eyesight To The Blind (1:42)
04. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (3:16)
05. Lost Mind (3:34)
06. I Got A Right To Cry (2:53)
07. Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand (3:18)
08. Parchman Farm (3:20)
09. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (2:50)
10. One Room Country Shack (3:05)
11. I Hadn't Anyone Till You (2:34)
12. Young Man's Blues (1:28)
13. That's All Right (2:26)
14. Baby, Please Don't Go (2:35)
15. 'deed I Do (1:56)
16. Mad With You (2:10)
17. Fool's Paradise (3:36)
18. I Love The Life I Live (LP Version) (2:22)
19. You're A Sweetheart (2:11)
20. I Ain't Got Nobody (1:50)

CD 2:
01. V-8 Ford Blues (2:14)
02. Hey, Good Lookin' (1:40)
03. Life Is Suicide (2:43)
04. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (1:26)
05. Ask Me Nice (2:31)
06. Back On The Corner (1:52)
07. If You're Going To The City (3:47)
08. I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues (3:54)
09. Swingin' Machine (2:27)
10. Stop This World (3:26)
11. The Song Is Ended (2:36)
12. Meet Me At No Special Place (2:33)
13. It Didn't Turn Out That Way (2:44)
14. I Don't Worry About A Thing (2:15)
15. City Home (2:31)
16. I Love The Life I Live (UK EP Version) (2:21)
17. Your Mind Is On Vacation (2:38)
18. The Well (3:20)
19. Idyll (4:16)
20. Stand By (3:58)

This release contains pianist/singer/composer/trumpeter Mose Allison’s complete vocal tracks from his recording debut as a singer in 1957 up to 1962.

Born in 1927 and recently deceased on November 15, 2016 at the age of 89,Allison has been described as one of the fi nest songwriters in 20th-century blues. A highly influential composer, his songs have been recorded by numerous artists, including Pete Townshend, who cut Mose’s “Young Man’s Blues” for The Who’s Live at Leeds album in 1970. John Mayall was one of dozens of musicians who recorded Allison’s classic “Parchman Farm”, and Georgie Fame also performed many of his songs. Leon Russell (“I’m Smashed”) and Bonnie Raitt (“Everybody’s Crying’ Mercy”) also cut popular versions of Allison’s tunes.

Among the rarities presented here is an alternative take of “I Love the Life I Live” (issued only in the UK on an EP). Three brilliant instrumental sides from the same sessions have been added as a bonus.

PERSONNEL:
MOSE ALLISON, vocals & piano on all tracks, plus:

Featuring: ADDISON FARMER, HENRY GRIMES, BILL CROW (bass), FRANK ISOLA, NICK STABULAS, OSIE JOHNSON, PAUL MOTIAN (drums), among others.

Recorded in New Jersey and New York between 1957 and 1962.

(*) BONUS TRACKS (CD 2, 18-20):
Instrumental sides from the same sessions.

Complete 1957-1962 Vocal Sides CD 1
Complete 1957-1962 Vocal Sides CD 2

The Queen's Cartoonists - Live At The Prairie Center

Size: 107,8 MB
Time: 46:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Swing
Art: Front

01. The Quintet Plays Carmen ( 2:18)
02. Tom & Jerry - Fantasy Impromptu ( 3:06)
03. The Pink Panther ( 2:51)
04. Danny Elfman Medley ( 5:44)
05. On The Trail ( 5:47)
06. Star Wars Medley ( 3:19)
07. Twilight In Turkey ( 2:50)
08. The Swan ( 2:42)
09. The Quintet Plays Carmen ( 2:42)
10. Cheer Up, Charlie ( 1:58)
11. Classical Medley (10:06)
12. Powerhouse ( 2:53)

The Queen’s Cartoonists are a jazz band specializing in music from cartoons. The music runs the gamut from lightning fast swing arrangements to sync’d video projections, vocal numbers, and comedy. Be prepared for music from classic Warner Brothers cartoons, early Disney films, cult cartoon classics, and modern animation. Featured composers include Raymond Scott, Carl Stalling, Danny Elfman, Alf Clausen, John Williams, and countless adaptations of classical favorites!

Tying this diverse and challenging repertoire together are stories and anecdotes involving the cartoons and their composers. The band is on a musical mission of equal parts music preservation, education, and performance. The Queen’s Cartoonists tap into the rich tradition of cartoon music to bring a fun, cross-generational concert experience to any and all who will listen!

TQC has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and on NPR. They have been bringing their unique (yet nostalgic) sound to performing arts centers and schools all over the US.

Live At The Prairie Center

Joanna Weinberg - Pandora's Bag

Size: 102,6 MB
Time: 43:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Retro Swing
Art: Front

01. Why Won't You Let Me Die (4:02)
02. My Favourite Accessory (4:51)
03. Pandora's Bag (5:28)
04. All The Same (4:20)
05. Doctor D (2:23)
06. Laundry Bag (4:51)
07. Bag Porn (4:51)
08. Old Bag (3:13)
09. The Perfume Of Leather (5:26)
10. Middle Aged Women On Ships (4:11)

“Memorable tunes infused with a quirk that never turns to a mainstream banality“ Lisa Thatcher
“The originality of her song-writing is so distinctive, compelling and surpassing… it’ll give pleasure and meaning that’ll last for hours, days, weeks, months and even years after.” – Brad Syke, Australian Stage
“Incredibly engaging stories and songs… as fresh and innovative as they come. Five stars!” – Critical Jazz
“A consummate cabaret performer and a fascinating songwriter.” –Bill Stephens, Canberra Critics’ Circle
"Weinberg is a rare multifaceted talent with 13 one woman shows, 3 musicals and a film - Goddess in her writers' ouvre"
"Five Stars " John Stand

Pandora’s Bag is a suite of jazzy, witty and delightful songs about bags and the women who wear them. Written by award winning songwriter and cabaret artist Joanna Weinberg, (Goddess, Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs, Lifeforce, The Piano Diaries, Every Single Saturday,) the bag is examined as a metaphor for all things female and explored as adornment, status symbol and keeper of memories. Women of all ages will relate instantly to the hilarious ‘Old Bag” and “Bag Porn” songs, while ‘Laundry Bag and ‘Pandora’s Bag’ offer more serious commentary about the position of women in the home and in war. (The show doesn’t only appeal to women – men have their baggage too.) Hilarious Bag Facts link these contemporary and catchy songs played by Joanna and her all-girl band and the bags are modelled by ‘Chantelle” – bag model extraordinaire. Accompanying Joanna are Ellen Kirkwood on trumpet, Kate Adams on cello, Nicola Ossher on drums and percussion and Sarah Tari as Chantelle the Bag Model.

Pandora's Bag

Nina Simone - Nina Simone & Piano!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:42
Size: 122.9 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues piano & vocals
Year: 1969/2015
Art: Front

[3:00] 1. Seems I'm Never Tired Lovin' You
[2:59] 2. Nobody's Fault But Mine
[3:19] 3. I Think It's Going To Rain Today
[3:05] 4. Everyone's Gone To The Moon
[1:35] 5. Compensation
[4:10] 6. Who Am I
[3:30] 7. Another Spring
[2:08] 8. The Human Touch
[4:48] 9. I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)
[4:21] 10. Music For Lovers
[4:38] 11. The Desperate Ones
[2:26] 12. In Love In Vain
[5:09] 13. I'll Look Around
[3:38] 14. The Man With The Horn
[4:49] 15. I Think It's Going To Rain Today

Her own best accompanist (especially during the crossover-happy '60s), Nina Simone sings and plays on this 1969 LP. With strident vocals and a thoughtful piano backing, Simone makes her own a pair of radically different (though similarly fatalistic) compositions, Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." Her version of "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" leans dangerously close to avant-garde overkill, but she returns with good performances on "Compensation" and "Who Am I?" A great moment comes when a tambourine finally joins her midway through "Another Spring," and the lone jazz standard ("I Get Along Without You Very Well") is given a touching performance. In an era when Simone often veered from crossover to experimental, Nina Simone and Piano! is undeniably difficult, but frequently rewarding. ~John Bush

Nina Simone & Piano!

Snowboy, The Latin Section - Pit-Bull Latin Jazz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:03
Size: 110.0 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[2:22] 1. Go Snow Go
[5:41] 2. L4 Cuero
[4:26] 3. Theres Nothing Like This
[4:39] 4. Havana Club
[7:30] 5. What The Hell's Going On
[6:39] 6. Mambo Tumbadora
[4:46] 7. Little Man (Machito)
[8:05] 8. The East Harlem Quickstep
[2:23] 9. The Sound Of The Berimbau
[1:28] 10. Toque Y Canto Para Dada

Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Gary Plumley; Bass – Andres Lafone; Bongos, Drums [Okonkolo], Vocals – Dave Pattman; Congas, Producer – Snowboy; Drums, Timbales, Percussion [Itotele], Lead Vocals – Davide Giovannini; Piano [Fender Rhodes], Organ [Farfisa Compact Minor] – Neil Angilley; Trombone – Paul Taylor; Trumpet – Sid Gauld. Recorded at Goldust Studios, Bromley.

Musically this is nearer to the sound and direction I'd been looking for; specifically the 'Rhodes and Organ' sound on both Eddie and Charlie Palmieri's albums of the early 70's. We still use this sound currently. I still think 'What The Hell's Going On' and particularly 'The East Harlem Quickstep' are the best two tracks I've ever recorded. If there is a 'Snowboy sound' these represent it the closest.

I don't regret recording Omar's UK Soul classic 'Theres Nothing Like This', but I resent it being picked up and played on Smooth Jazz radio shows. I never intended this. The reviews were mixed for this album, although I loved it. A few people thought that the title had a bit of a right-wing thuggery connotation which is outrageous. In fact it was an expression used to explain my music. This was Joe De Jesus' last album with us. Joe joined Incognito. This was also keyboard virtuoso Neil Angilley's debut with us. Lastly, my intention was to overlap Berimbau over 'Dada' but I couldn't quite get the two rhythms - one Brazilian and one Afro Cuban - to fit.

Pit-Bull Latin Jazz

Katrine Madsen - Magic Night (feat. Bohuslän Big Band)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:52
Size: 150.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[5:50] 1. Magic Night
[6:29] 2. Blinded By The Sun
[6:19] 3. All My Tomorrows
[7:11] 4. I Lost Myself To You
[6:05] 5. Let Spring Set Sail
[5:43] 6. Pearls & White Ponies
[3:49] 7. Summertime
[6:46] 8. Let's Make Music
[6:12] 9. Today And Tomorrow
[5:44] 10. This Lament
[5:40] 11. My Secret

Jazz does not have to be long, complicated solos. When jazz is at its best it presents itself as a brilliant banality. Naked music with a soul. Katrine Madsen knows the art of turning jazz into something which everyone can relate to. No academic prerequisites are needed. Everything seems straight forward and so easy. When Katrine Madsen sings we do not ask for anything else. Everything is said and every word is heard. When she sings we listen with our breath drawn in order not to disturb." ~BT (Danish National newspaper)

Magic Night (feat. Bohuslän Big Band)

Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond - Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:11
Size: 172.1 MB
Styles: West Coast jazz
Year: 1982/2012
Art: Front

[7:22] 1. Jeepers Creepers
[2:39] 2. On A Little Street In Singapore
[2:14] 3. The Trolley Song (Rehearsal)
[3:20] 4. The Trolley Song
[2:51] 5. I May Be Wrong
[8:13] 6. Blue Moon
[3:22] 7. My Heart Stood Still
[7:17] 8. Let's Fall In Love
[5:02] 9. Over The Rainbow
[7:49] 10. You Go To My Head
[7:03] 11. Crazy Chris
[6:51] 12. Medley-Give A Little Whistle-Oh, Lady Be Good
[6:56] 13. Tea For Two
[4:06] 14. This Can't Be Love

This CD reissues two earlier Fantasy LPs titled Jazz at the Black Hawk and Jazz at Storyville. Pianist Dave Brubeck and altoist Paul Desmond are the two main constants while bassists Ron Crotty and Wyatt Ruther and drummers Lloyd Davis, Herb Barman and Joe Dodge are heard on some tracks. There are many high points to this interesting set including Brubeck-Desmond duets on "Over the Rainbow" and "You Go to My Head," an unaccompanied piano solo on "My Heart Stood Still" and quartet versions of "Jeepers Creepers," "Trolley Song" and "Crazy Chris." ~Scott Yanow

Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond

Ray Charles - The Ray Charles Story (Discs 1 & 2 of 4-Disc Boxset)

Ray Charles Robinson was a top vocal star, songwriter, leading jazz piano player and composer. He was sometimes referred to as "The Genius" and was also nicknamed "The High Priest of Soul". These compilations feature some of his best songs from his early Atlantic years.

Album: The Ray Charles Story Vol 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:06
Size: 105.5 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 1962/2005
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. The Sun's Gonna Shine Again
[3:10] 2. Losing Hand
[2:41] 3. Mess Around
[2:38] 4. It Should Have Been Me
[2:54] 5. Don't You Know
[3:03] 6. Come Back Baby
[2:49] 7. I've Got A Woman
[2:59] 8. A Fool For You
[2:31] 9. This Little Girl Of Mine
[2:45] 10. Mary Ann
[2:36] 11. Hallelujah I Love Her So
[2:32] 12. Lonely Avenue
[5:52] 13. Doodlin'
[4:04] 14. Sweet Sixteen Bars
[2:50] 15. Ain't That Love

The Ray Charles Story Vol 1

Album: The Ray Charles Story Vol 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:30
Size: 108.8 MB
Styles: R&B, Soul
Year: 1962/2005
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Rockhouse Parts 1 & 2
[2:17] 2. Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'bout That River)
[2:48] 3. Talkin' About You
[2:47] 4. What Kind Of Man Are You
[2:18] 5. Yes Indeed
[2:49] 6. My Bonnie
[2:00] 7. Tell All The World About You
[3:25] 8. Night Time Is The Right Time
[6:25] 9. What'd I Say, Pt. I & Ii
[3:22] 10. Just For A Thrill
[3:41] 11. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[6:22] 12. Drown In My Own Tears
[2:56] 13. Let The Good Times Roll
[2:19] 14. I'm Movin' On

Discs 3 & 4 tomorrow.
The Ray Charles Story Vol 2

Tete Montoliu - Solo Piano

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 68:12
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:49)  1. Yellow Dolphin Street
(6:39)  2. Come sunday
(4:31)  3. I hate you
(6:20)  4. You've changed
(3:52)  5. Waltz for Nicolien
(4:07)  6. Where are you?
(3:56)  7. Napoleon
(5:20)  8. If you could see me now
(5:02)  9. Cigales al vent
(4:39) 10. Canço de Matinada
(5:20) 11. Manuel
(4:17) 12. M'en vaig a peu
(3:54) 13. Una guitarra
(4:20) 14. Ruço

This 1995 Timeless release assembles together on CD two of the Catalonian pianist's finest recordings: 1977's Yellow Dolphin Street and Catalonian Folksongs, recorded just ten months apart. The contrast in Tete Montoliu's styles is very evident. Yellow Dolphin Street is an album of originals and standards that encompass the wide range of Montoliu's playing from the heart of the tradition. Here are readings of Jimmy McHugh's "Where Are You," Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday," and Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now." These stand in sharp contrast with Montoliu's own knotty, percussively savvy tunes such as "Yellow Dolphin Street" and the hilariously titled "I Hate You." Catalonian Folksongs features only one original composition, the elegantly uncharacteristic "Cigales Al Ven," with its wide-open midrange and striated thirds, along with four by the gloriously anthemic Joan Manuel Serrat and the album's closer, "Ruço" by Lluys Maria Millet. Of the two recordings, the latter is the one that will endure, hopefully forever, with its lush pronouncements, proud strides, and odd-timed rhythmic structures. The lyric side of these tunes is a cross between café music, work songs, and pastoral countryside singalongs. Beautiful stuff. ~ Thom Hurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/solo-piano-mw0000765921

Personnel:  Tete Montoliu – Solo Piano.

Super Solos

Jim McNeely - Winds Of Change

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:02
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:18)  1. Winds Of Change
(6:48)  2. Too True To Be Good
(9:07)  3. Power Gap
(7:20)  4. Yours And Mine
(9:00)  5. All Or Nothing At All
(6:30)  6. Quietude
(7:00)  7. Brooder's Waltz
(7:56)  8. Bye-Ya

Jim McNeely's 1989 trio session with bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Kenny Washington is a proverbial "hidden gem" in his discography. The pianist's advanced yet accessible compositions include the dramatic opener, "Winds of Change," which starts in a Latin setting with shades of Igor Stravinsky's early ballets, along with the haunting "Brooder's Waltz." Another original, "Power Gap," features the leader on DX-7 and showcases Washington's superb brushwork. Since McNeely is a veteran of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, it shouldn't be surprising that he is a fan of Jones' compositions. 

His touching take of "Yours and Mine" and the gently swinging interpretation of "Quietude" would have pleased Jones. Washington opens Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" unaccompanied, while McNeely's rollicking arrangement has a Latin undercurrent. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/winds-of-change-mw0000265985

Personnel: Jim McNeely (piano, synthesizer), Mike Richmond (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)

Winds Of Change

Kidd Jordan & Hamid Drake - A Night in November

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:12
Size: 171,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:01)  1. Set One Alto and Drums
( 2:47)  2. Set One Drums
(23:27)  3. Set One Tenor and Drums
( 3:53)  4. Set One Tenor Wade In The Water
(29:02)  5. Set Two Tenor and Drums

New Orleans is valued for its storied traditional jazz legacy, and not so much for avant-garde persuasions. But when it comes to off-center or free-jazz music, saxophonist Kidd Jordan's artistic persona frequently becomes a topic of conversation. He's performed and recorded with iconoclastic musicians and is perhaps the Crescent City's most prolific improviser. This excursion features his duets with the exceptional Chicago jazz drummer Hamid Drake, segmented into two sets and emanating from their encounter in front of a small audience at Piety Street Recording in New Orleans on November 20, 2011.  Except for "Wade in the Water" all pieces are the result of spontaneous compositions. And even though the duo engages in some hyper-mode cat and mouse episodes and occasionally blast off into parts unknown, there is a synergistic force that accentuates these six extemporized compositions. Jordan's razor-sharp choruses are often countered by Drake's spinning polyrhythmic patterns amid some nip and tuck articulations and precision-oriented thematic build-outs. They delve into Afro-Cuban formats and operate within variable cadences. And while many avant duo sessions are nestled in bombastic howling and screeching burnouts, this duo contrasts many of the fire-breathing sequences with fragmented shifts in momentum, dictated by second- guessing of each other's moves. It's like a rapidly moving chess match, sans a winner or loser. Therefore, the musicians' improvised mechanics and free-will underscore the pacing of the two sets.

There are a few temperate interludes, yet on the extended piece "Tenor and Drums," Jordan's ringing vibrato technique is interspersed with bluesy plaintive cries atop Drake's sturdy backbeats. As they counter and mimic each other with alternating flows, featuring the drummer's slick hi-hat and snare work. Here, the artists explore a conglomerate of variants, while slanting off the core rock pulse. Part of the magic is how they infuse conventional wisdom with a surfeit of unanticipated paradigm shifts and expansionary tactics that combine discipline with an inexhaustible array of ideas and modes of execution. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-night-in-november-live-in-new-orleans-kidd-jordan-valid-records-review-by-glenn-astarita.php
 
Personnel: Kidd Jordan: alto and tenor saxophones; Hamid Drake: drums.

A Night in November

Lyn Collins - Think (About It)

Styles: Vocal, Soul, Funk
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:39
Size: 72,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:24)  1. Think (About It)
(3:02)  2. Just Won't Do Right
(3:05)  3. Wheel Of Life
(2:51)  4. Ain't No Sunshine
(3:27)  5. Things Got To Get Better (Get Together)
(3:06)  6. Never Gonna Give You Up
(3:40)  7. Reach Out For Me
(5:21)  8. Women's Lib
(2:41)  9. Fly Me To The Moon

At the time of the release of Think (About It) in 1972, Lyn Collins had been a member of James Brown's performing revue for about two years. Her full-throated voice had earned her the nickname "the Female Preacher" and a shot to record her own album. Of course, the Godfather was in the producer's chair, writing four of the nine tracks, directing the J.B.'s as they laid down their usual funky grooves, and liberally adding vocals throughout. The title track is the main point of interest here; from Collins' throat-ripping vocals to the track's nasty groove to Brown's background interjections, this is a killer. (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock later sampled the track for their rap classic "It Takes Two"). The rest of the record is a little uneven: "Just Won't Do Right" is a good doo wop-ish ballad with some churchy organ and great vocals by Collins and Brown, "Wheels of Life" is a nice little groover that sounds like vintage Aretha Franklin, and "Women's Lib" is a very slow ballad that lets Collins show off her anguished yowl of a vocal to its fullest. Where the album stumbles is on the covers of familiar songs. Her versions of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Gamble & Huff classic "Never Gonna Give You Up" are mediocre, and worst of all is her leaden take on "Fly Me to the Moon." Still, the record is worth tracking down for hardcore James Brown or funky soul fans. The less devoted should look for "Think (About It)" on one of the many compilations on which it appears. ~ Tim Sendra http://www.allmusic.com/album/think-about-it-mw0000461114

Think (About It)

Scott Hamilton - Ballads for Audiophiles

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:22
Size: 136,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. Everything Happens to Me
(7:00)  2. All or Nothing at All
(5:30)  3. The Gypsy
(6:52)  4. Moon River
(7:08)  5. This Is All I Ask
(5:35)  6. Hey There
(5:36)  7. The Shadow of Your Smile
(6:10)  8. Baby All the Time
(4:15)  9. Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Voçê
(5:14) 10. Goodbye

Saxophonist Scott Hamiton, pianist Paolo Birro, bassist Aldo Zunino and Alfred Kramer, drums, combine on an audiophile ballads program that includes such timeless favorites as "Moon River," "The Shadow Of Your Smile," "All or Nothing At All", "This Is All I Ask", "The Gypsy" and more. Recorded at the Hotel II Castello.

Personnel:  Scott Hamiton – Saxophone;  Paolo Birro – Piano;  Aldo Zunino – Bass;  Alfred Kramer – Drums.

Ballads for Audiophiles

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Cornell Dupree - Doin' Alright

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:56
Size: 153.2 MB
Styles: Soul-jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:51] 1. Doin' Alright
[4:47] 2. I Ain't Got You
[6:02] 3. I Got A Woman
[5:00] 4. Help Me Make It Through The Night
[5:22] 5. Honky Tonk
[6:12] 6. The Bird
[5:01] 7. Erma's Shades
[4:52] 8. Rainy Night In Georgia
[4:07] 9. Squirrel
[6:05] 10. Ham
[6:14] 11. Cl Blues
[4:02] 12. K.C
[4:15] 13. I Got A Woman (With The Cornell Stamp)

Bass – George Porter (tracks: 1), Larry Fulcher (tracks: 3,4,9,11,13), Ronnie James (tracks: 2,5-8,10,12); Drums – Barry "Frosty" Smith; Guitar – Cornell Dupree; Organ – Mike Flanigin; Piano – Nick Connelly; Saxophone – Kaz Kazanoff.

Many words have been used to describe Cornell Dupree's guitar playing over the last 45 plus years, but one label that fits the bill is the ultimate session guitarist. He has over 2500 credits, playing with the likes of King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers, Brooke Benton, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, the Gadd Gang and of course he was a member of the super session jazz/fusion group Stuff. Known as "Uncle Funky", Cornell, had a slew of well received solo albums over the course of his career, Like "Teasin", "Can't Get Enough", "Childs Play", "Cornell Dupree" "Who It Is" To name a few. Cornell who had been seriously ill over the past few years, passed away in May of 2011, but not before completing the final solo recording of his career, just eight weeks prior to his passing. His final words to his wife Erma was "I'm Doin Alright", hence the title of this cd. As sick as Cornell had been, attached to oxygen, he entered the recording studio, and let his wonderful guitar speak one more time. The result is stunningly well played Jazz/blues, with a touch of funky overtones that has a sound that is vintage Cornell till the end. Highlights include the funky "Doin Alright", a beautiful take on Brooke Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia', which Cornell played on. He adds spice with a funkified take on "Help Me Make It Through The night". He then uses a jazz shuffle on the tune "I Ain't Got You", complete with sax solo, that will get anyone's feet moving. This is a wonderful farewell recording that should not be missed by anyone who loves Jazz/Rock fusion. He is supported by a tight back-up band in the studio, With B.E Smith "Frosty" on Drums, Mike Flanigin on organ, Nick Connelly keyboards, Ronnie James and Larry Fulcher as well as George Porter on bass. This cd was released as an import under the title "Doin alright", and recently domestically under the title "I'm Alright" Both are exactly the same. It is difficult to find. It has been a pleasure to listen to this man's recordings over the past 40 years both as a session and solo artist. I only hope the RRHOF, will see fit to elect Cornell into its session wing, as one of the great influential guitarists of the modern pop era. RIP "Uncle Funky"! ~Anthony Accordino

Doin' Alright

Mint Julep Jazz Band - Battle Axe

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:20
Size: 129.0 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. You Can’t Live In Harlem
[3:13] 2. Ducky Wucky
[3:07] 3. Six Jerks In A Jeep
[4:22] 4. Trebuchet
[3:28] 5. Swingtime In Honolulu
[3:31] 6. The Dwindling Light By The Sea
[3:23] 7. Old King Dooji
[3:25] 8. Exactly Like You
[4:01] 9. That's The Blues Old Man
[4:07] 10. Night On Bald Mountain
[2:55] 11. Two Sleepy People
[3:28] 12. When I Get Low, I Get High
[3:40] 13. Everything Is Jumpin'
[4:06] 14. Say It Isn’t So
[4:04] 15. Betcha Nickel
[2:32] 16. Battle Axe

Lucian Cobb: trombone; Laura Windley: vocals, glockenspiel, ukulele; Aaron Hill: alto saxophone, clarinet; Keenan McKenzie: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet; Paul Rogers: trumpet; Ben Lassiter: guitar; Jason Foureman: bass; Aaron Tucker: drums. Recorded by Jason Richmond at The Fidelitorium, Kernersville, NC. North Carolina-based little big band plays hot jazz and swing from the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's and original swing tunes on their second album.

I especially like the song "When I Get Low I Get High ", made famous by Ella Fitzgerald. That song is quite difficult to sing "correctly" - but here it sounds right and really nice - better than the Ella Fitzgerald-version! "Internet says", that song was written by Marion Sunshine, first recorded and released by Chick Webb and His Orchestra in 1936. Traditional Jazz! - here as a unique version. This entire album is a lot of fun! ~Werner Rohlfs

Battle Axe

Betsyann Faiella - Can I Be Frank?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:24
Size: 108.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. All The Way
[3:37] 2. I've Got You Under My Skin
[4:20] 3. What Makes The Sunset
[3:25] 4. I'm Confessin'
[2:53] 5. Here Goes
[3:04] 6. No One Ever Tells You
[3:43] 7. Learnin' The Blues
[3:06] 8. I Get Along Without You Very Well
[3:10] 9. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[3:30] 10. (Love Is) The Tender Trap
[3:14] 11. Only The Lonely
[4:42] 12. All My Tomorrows
[3:31] 13. That's Life

Tribute albums to Frank Sinatra continue to proliferate. Here the title of Betsyann Faiella's entry is a question that is quite easy to answer. Can she be Frank? No. But can she sing songs that Sinatra sang? Absolutely, and she sings them very well. Faiella avoids the temptation many singers succumb too, over emoting. She takes a direct and relaxed approach to the music. While she includes some material that are automatically associated with Sinatra, refreshingly, there are some that Frank sang but were not exclusively his property and lesser known tunes like "No One Ever Tells You" and "Here Goes." There's a good sampling of Sinatra classics, including a nicely paced "I've Got You Under My skin" and "All the Way" with a Latin beat and a couple of surprises in the way the lyrics are delivered. There's a strong and varied group of musicians in the studio with Faiella. Don Shelton's tenor provides a mellow background on "All My Tomorrows," as well as an even mellower, and very pretty, solo. The one constant is Shelly Markham's piano, which makes important contributions to the success of the session. One of the favored tracks is "Only the Lonely" which Faiella does with just Markham's piano. Markham is also responsible for the fine arrangements which do not mimic those Sinatra used by any means. She has adequate range, good diction, and excellent phrasing. She's equally at home with the ballad and on the faster paced material. Irrespective of the tempo, her voice has a special brightness to it that makes it very appealing. But most of all, she sings in tune and has a very pretty voice, an unbeatable combination. Recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Can I Be Frank?

Eddie Palmieri - Listen Here!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:08
Size: 142.2 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. In Flight
[7:19] 2. Listen Here
[5:13] 3. Vals Con Bata
[4:25] 4. Tema Para Eydie
[6:20] 5. Tin Tin Deo
[5:58] 6. In Walked Bud
[7:15] 7. La Gitana
[5:51] 8. Nica's Dream
[5:47] 9. Mira Flores
[8:16] 10. Ep Blues

Eddie Palmieri (piano); John Scofield (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Regina Carter (violin); Donald Harrison (alto saxophone); David Sanchez , Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Nicholas Payton, Brian Lynch (trumpet); Conrad Herwig, Doug Beavers (trombone); Christian McBride, John Benitez (bass instrument); Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (drums); Giovanni Hidalgo (congas). Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, New York (01/2005).

Is Latin jazz some musicians' excuse for having fun? Eddie Palmieri's really a jazz-influenced Latin pianist, but he has lots of fun running and recording bands of top-line jazzmen. He's no conventionally accomplished contemporary jazz pianist, but all the better because he's unconventional, distinguished mostly by his very competent musical extrovert verve. This outgoing date has only occasional quiet moments, like John Scofield's near-mandolin acoustic guitar in "La Gitana," amid examples of the boss-man's bass- supported and very musical crash, bang, and extended flourish. The guests are a very musical extravagance. Regina Carter delivers robust swing violin with the octet doing the little big band thing on Palmieri's "In Flight," before the horns and bassist go for a beer with Carter and Mike Brecker comes in on R&B tenor for an Eddie Harris tune; Christian McBride replaces the bassist and solos substantially. David Sanchez's tenor comes in with John Scofield's electric guitar for another Palmieri tune, along with the full band. Then the bassist duets with Palmieri on another of the latter's tunes.

Back come all the horns for the Gil Fuller/Chano Pozo Dizzy Gillespie big band piece "Tin Tin Deo," Sanchez soloing, then Palmieri and the sparky Giovanni Hidalgo. Monk's "In Walked Bud" is next, en famille, with no guests, featuring a solo from everybody bar the bassist and Doug Beavers, who gets credit throughout for "additional arrangement and orchestration" wherever the band is bigger. The two trombones are the pivot of the larger group music. Monk's rhythms lose some subtlety in louder performance, but they Latinise well, and there's always ample swing. Even Scofield's quieter bout in the trio interlude "La Gitana" doesn't calm things, Palmieri makes certain. Carter and trumpeter Nicholas Payton are the guest soloists on Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream," third in a dream trilogy. "Mira Flores" is yet another good Palmieri number, with Christian McBride guesting brilliantly on bass, compensating for Mike Brecker's lapse into a current pop tenor saxophone sound. "EP Blues" is a final Palmieri composition for the time being, carrying things to a close, Benitez back with a vengeance and Payton acting as guest soloist. Why is Ivan Renta, sometime saxophonist in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, thanked for "additional alto saxophone"? Are his performances all unlisted? Did the excellent Donald Harrison need help, or a did a tape of him need patching? Conrad Herwig storms in solo, followed by Brian Lynch, Donald Harrison better than ever and Payton building to the climax, which is of course Palmieri's. Hidalgo takes things out. His business is what it's all about, considering the drummer on this date is no less than Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. ~Robert R. Caldero

Listen Here!

Jef Neve Trio - Nobody Is Illegal

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:19
Size: 122.1 MB
Styles: R&B, Piano jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Airplane
[8:57] 2. Nothing But A Casablanca Turtle Slide-Show Dinner
[6:23] 3. Abschied
[3:40] 4. Astra
[6:25] 5. Nobody Is Illegal
[1:04] 6. Unprepared
[9:32] 7. Second Love
[2:07] 8. Goldfish
[6:46] 9. Together At Last
[4:13] 10. Until Now
[1:51] 11. Delayed

Double Bass – Piet Verbist; Drums – Teun Verbruggen; Horns – Hans Verhulst (tracks: 2, 3, 7), Simon Haspeslag (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Piano, Producer – Jef Neve; Saxophone [Tenor] – Nicolas Kummert (tracks: 4, 6, 8); Trombone [Bass] – Pieter Kindt (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Trombone [Tenor] – Frederik Heirman (tracks: 2, 3, 7); Tuba – Berlinde Deman (tracks: 2, 3, 7). Tracks 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11: Recorded at 'La Chapelle', Waimes, on April 17-19, 2006. Tracks 5, 10: Recorded at Bijloke, Ghent, on July 18th, 2006.

Pianist/composer Jef Neve (1977) has become a prominent figure in his homeland Belgium and his reputation is rapidly spreading to the rest of the world. He studied at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven and graduated in 2000 as Master of Music in Jazz and classical piano, both with great distinction. In 2001 he specialized in Chamber Music and was rewarded the diploma 'cum laude'. He followed master classes with Brad Mehldau, Martial Solal, Lew Tabackin, Billy Hart, Bill Carothers, Kenny Werner, Bruce Barth and others.

Nobody Is Illegal