Perla Batalla - Heaven And Earth: The Mestiza Voyage

Size: 122,8 MB
Time: 52:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Pop Folk
Art: Front

01. Teotihuacan (7:00)
02. Heaven And Earth (4:36)
03. Tears Of The Sun (4:32)
04. The First Time I Felt Rain (4:58)
05. Burning (4:31)
06. Turtle Island (4:15)
07. Starbound (3:45)
08. Eternity (3:08)
09. Out Of The Labyrinth (5:06)
10. Salvation (5:00)
11. Making Up For Lost Time (5:43)

"Mestiza" refers to a woman of mixed Native American and European ancestry, and it would certainly have been nice if the liner notes to Heaven and Earth: The Mestiza Voyage would have explained to the uninitiated what "Mestiza" means and what this multifaceted, multi-stylistic journey is about -- something to clue listeners in to the overall concept and storyline. Instead, listeners must decipher this worldbeat/folk/rock excursion through travelogue and spacy lyrical images, mainly in English and a few in foreign tongues. Batalla has a powerful, clear voice that can be hypnotic and mystical (on the atmospheric opening track "Teotihuacan") or straightforward and edgy (on the percussive folk-rocker "Heaven and Earth"). "Tears of the Sun" has an emotional intensity about it, but again, the images of sun and Milky Way without an accompanying road map don't make enough sense. "Burning" offers a cool Brazilian lilt, while "Turtle Island" has a '60s "Ode to Billy Joe" kind of air. From titles beginning with "Burning" through "Out of the Labyrinth" and "Salvation," the theme of the Mestiza's spiritual redemption seems to emerge. But Batalla shouldn't make listeners work so hard to figure that out. ~ by Jonathan Widran

Heaven And Earth

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Nicki Parrott - Unforgettable: The Nat King Cole Songbook

Size: 120,4 MB
Time: 51:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Walkin' My Baby Back Home (2:56)
02. Let's Fall In Love (4:46)
03. The Very Thought Of You (5:16)
04. Hit That Jive Jack (3:18)
05. Mona Lisa (3:30)
06. Meet Me At No Special Place (4:10)
07. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (4:24)
08. Unforgettable (4:11)
09. Straighten Up And Fly Right (2:28)
10. For Sentimental Reasons (4:11)
11. When I Fall In Love (3:53)
12. L-O-V-E (2:35)
13. Answer Me My Love (2:55)
14. Perfidia (2:58)

Nicki Parrott plays bass and sings Nat King Cole's songbook with the help of fellow jazzmates John Di Martino on piano, Frank Vignola on guitar and Lisa Parrott on saxophone and clarinet.

Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki started her musical training at age four with the piano, followed by the flute, soon after. Nicki switched to double bass at the age of 15. After graduating high school she moved to Sydney to study jazz at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music where she began to play with Australian musicians such as Mike Nock, Dale Barlow, Paul Grabowsky, Bernie McGann, and Ten Part Invention. She also toured Australia with Russian musicians Daniel Kramer and Alexander Fischer and American trumpeters Bobby Shew and Chuck Findley. She continued her studies with various bassists including visiting artists Ray Brown and John Clayton.

In June 2000, Nicki began performing on Monday nights at the Iridium Jazz Club with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. As part of the Les Paul Trio, Nicki worked side-by-side with guitar greats from Paul McCartney, Slash, Steve Miller to fellow Aussie, Tommy Emmanuel. Since then she has performed with such notable musicians as Michel Legrand, Joe Wilder, Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Jose Feliciano, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Patti Labelle & the New York Pops Orchestra, Harry Allen, Marlena Shaw, David Krakauer, Ken Peplowski, Ann Hampton Callaway, Bill Mays, Scott Hamilton, Lillian Boutte, Larry Carlton and Houston Person, just to name a few.

Unforgettable

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Beegie Adair - By Request

Size: 119,9 MB
Time: 51:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front

01. Taking A Chance On Love (3:02)
02. East Of The Sun (3:30)
03. Autumn In New York (3:44)
04. Love Nest (3:06)
05. Emily (3:53)
06. I'm Glad There Is You (3:42)
07. I Hadn't Anyone Till You (3:12)
08. Moonlight In Vermont (4:30)
09. Tenderly (4:23)
10. The Shadow Of Your Smile (3:59)
11. I Wished On The Moon (3:17)
12. Don't Blame Me (4:19)
13. Rosetta (3:06)
14. For All We Know (3:34)

Most requested and personal favorites. Pianist Beegie Adair (pronounced B-G) has accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton, and worked with such entertainers as Neil Diamond, Mama Cass Elliott, and Peggy Lee in her position as in-house pianist for The Johnny Cash Show for ABC-TV. Adair serves as adjunct professor in jazz studies at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music and currently teaches singers repertoire at the Nashville Jazz Workshop.

By Request

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Regina Carter - Ella: Accentuate The Positive

Size: 126,6 MB
Time: 54:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive (6:52)
02. Crying In The Chapel (6:18)
03. I'll Never Be Free (5:17)
04. All My Life (5:28)
05. Dedicated To You (7:03)
06. Reach For Tomorrow (6:59)
07. Undecided (6:53)
08. Judy (3:37)
09. I'll Chase The Blues Away (5:49)

A hundred years after her birth, there are still plenty of lessons to be learned from listening to Ella Fitzgerald. But that s not the only takeaway that Regina Carter has gleaned from Ella s storied career. On her new album, Ella: Accentuate the Positive, the virtuoso violinist reveals the many aspects of Fitzgerald that have influenced her own remarkable path in music. That translates to an album that avoids the more obvious song choices in favor of more obscure though no less rewarding tunes from deep inside Ella s bountiful catalogue. Instead of trying to echo Fitzgerald s own choices and arrangements, or attempting the near-impossible task of evoking her beloved voice on the violin, Carter has done what has always set her apart followed her own dauntless instincts, resulting in a singular new take on both familiar and hidden classics.

Carter s enchantment with Ella Fitzgerald continued from childhood into adulthood and she grew to realize how much technique and virtuosity were involved in producing a sound so warm and inviting. The ability to spark that connection was central to Carter s choice of songs for Ella: Accentuate the Positive. From the gospel-tinged performance on the opening Ac-cen-tchu-ate the Positive to the airily funky arrangement of Crying in the Chapel and the bluesy take on I ll Never Be Free that sets the tone for the slinky groove of All My Live.

Regina Carter draws from a diverse well of influences that include classical, jazz, Motown swing, funk, and world music among others. Over a span of more than two decades, she has established herself as an enduring and creative force in jazz, thanks to a string of highly acclaimed solo and collaborative recordings, a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship and a relentless tour schedule that has taken her to all corners of the globe. She has performed with a variety of high-profile jazz and pop artists including Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Max Roach and Oliver Lake. A master of improvisational jazz violin, Carter s performances highlight the often overlooked potential of the jazz violin for its lyric, melodic and percussive potential.

Ella

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Rebecca Ferguson - Lady Sings The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:26
Size: 120.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:48] 1. Get Happy
[2:33] 2. Fine And Mellow
[3:35] 3. Embraceable You
[3:03] 4. That Ole Devil Called Love
[2:46] 5. Blue Moon
[2:59] 6. I Thought About You
[2:46] 7. Summertime
[3:18] 8. I'll Never Smile Again
[3:15] 9. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
[2:35] 10. All Of Me
[3:30] 11. God Bless The Child
[2:34] 12. What Is This Thing Called Love
[3:07] 13. Stormy Weather
[3:33] 14. Lady Sings The Blues
[2:35] 15. Willow Weep For Me
[3:50] 16. Don't Explain
[3:33] 17. My Man

Still the best voice to have come out of a Simon Cowell talent contest, former X Factor 2010 runner up Rebecca Ferguson has a rich, tender, soulful tone, a kind of lived-in essence that oscillates precariously between happiness and sadness. It is a quality familiar in the work of tragic jazz legend Billie Holiday, whose centenary is celebrated this year (2015).

Lady Sings The Blues is a more or less straight run through some Holiday classics (including God Bless This Child, Lover Man, and of course, Lady Sings the Blues), freshened up only by the depth of the contemporary recording sound and the particular personality of Ferguson’s first class vocals. The instrumentation is traditional jazz pop, emphasising piano and horns, with orchestras adding an extra glaze of faux sophistication. These songs are so familiar that no one ever really need record them again and yet the American songbook has become a standard fixture in middle of the road pop careers precisely because this perfect alignment of melody, lyric and emotion works every time. Ferguson is never overwhelmed or in awe, singing with rhythmic sass and feeling. A lean, propulsive reconfiguration of What Is This Thing Called Love offers a brief glimpse at a much bolder album that could have been made with these songs and this voice. ~Neil McCormick

Lady Sings The Blues

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Charles Lloyd - Of Course, Of Course

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:05
Size: 128.4 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1966/2014
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Of Course, Of Course
[2:27] 2. The Song My Lady Sings
[5:16] 3. The Best Thing For You
[6:07] 4. The Things We Did Last Summer
[3:57] 5. Apex
[5:06] 6. One For Joan
[3:36] 7. Goin' To Memphis
[6:42] 8. Voice In The Night
[6:15] 9. Third Floor Richard
[4:53] 10. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
[3:23] 11. Island Blues
[3:32] 12. Sun Dance

Bass – Ron Carter; Drums – Tony Williams; Guitar – Gabor Szabo; Saxophone [Tenor], Flute – Charles Lloyd.

Charles Lloyd's second album as a leader teams him with guitarist Gabor Szabo (his old friend from the Chico Hamilton group), bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. Although Lloyd was still a member of Cannonball Adderley's group, his playing on the set shows that he was clearly ready to become a leader. Seven of the nine diverse compositions are his originals; he takes "The Things We Did Last Summer" as a duet with Szabo and rips through "Apex," a trio number without the guitarist, but it is this cut most certainly reflects Ornette Coleman's influence (whereas Lloyd and everyone else who played tenor were being written about in the shadow of Coltrane). Certainly Coltrane's flurry of notes and deconstruction of chords is evident in places, but here, it is Coleman's unshakable sense of melody and rhyme that is most prevalent, and it sports is a brief but wonderfully woody solo by Carter. Other notable selections include "Goin' to Memphis" and Sammy Kahn's "Things We Did Last Summer" (where, according to Stanley Crouch's new liner notes, the saxophonist directly quotes the melody of Coleman's "Free at 3:00 of..."). Other cuts that really stand out here are the title track and the serious blowing session of "One for Joan," where the twinning and counterpoint interplay between Szabo and Lloyd is almost synchronous. Whether on tenor or flute, Lloyd was quickly coming into his own as an original voice, and this underrated set is a minor classic. [In 2007, Mosiac Records in its Singles series, reissued the recording for the first time on CD. In addition to a beautiful remastering job that is warm and clean, there are three bonus tracks also recorded in 1965 but not released until Lloyd's Nirvana album in 1968. Two of these, "Island Blues," and "Sun Dance" feature Albert Stinson on bass and Pete La Roca on drums in place of Carter and Williams. Another oddity is that in addition to Szabo's guitar playing, the Band's Robbie Robertson makes an appearance on the Caribbean-flavored latter tune. The other bonus cut, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," uses the primary rhythm section, and was recorded for the original session, and left off the final version of the LP.] ~Scott Yanow

Of Course, Of Course

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Thomas Quasthoff - The Jazz Album: Watch What Happens

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:02
Size: 112.3 MB
Styles: Classical crossover
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
[2:58] 2. Watch What Happens
[4:05] 3. Secret Love
[4:50] 4. You And I
[3:50] 5. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
[4:51] 6. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
[2:43] 7. Can't We Be Friends
[4:25] 8. Smile
[2:15] 9. They All Laughed
[5:55] 10. My Funny Valentine
[5:42] 11. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
[4:30] 12. In My Solitude

Thomas Quasthoff's acquaintance with jazz goes back quite a while to when he sang the music in nightclubs as a voice student. This is an experience he shares with other classically trained singers, although not so many German ones. He sings (and speaks) American English essentially without a foreign accent, and he is justified in his claims that when he sings jazz, he sounds like a jazz singer rather than a classical singer singing jazz. Yet if that were all there were to it, his performances would be less compelling than they in fact are. Quasthoff has the great virtue of approaching standards as songs that have new and personal meaning for him. Indeed, the booklet notes that "all the songs included in the present release are closely related to his own experiences and points of view." The listener can speculate on exactly what that means, but what's beyond speculation is that there's a certain wide-eyed quality of discovery in Quasthoff's jazz singing that's immensely appealing. A greater challenge than learning idiomatic American English for a German singer is learning idiomatic jazz vocal devices for a singer trained in the classics. Quasthoff croons, slides, caresses the microphone, whispers, and bends tones with the best of them. His upbeat numbers (try Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive or They All Laughed) have a solid, chunky rhythmic quality, but perhaps most compelling are the chances Quasthoff takes on some of the slower pieces -- specifically Stevie Wonder's "You and I," which is a song heavily influenced by jazz, to be sure, but that also implies soul vocals in some of the explosive expansions of its melodic line. It is here that one realizes most fully that one is hearing a rare vocal virtuoso, and that one enjoys a rare vocal delight to its fullest. ~James Manheim

The Jazz Album: Watch What Happens

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Charlie Parker - The Platinum Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:49
Size: 171.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Lover Man
[3:11] 2. My Old Flame
[3:33] 3. Star Eyes
[2:58] 4. Ornithology
[2:41] 5. Bird's Nest
[3:36] 6. Just Friends
[2:50] 7. Dizzy Atmosphere
[3:22] 8. Embreaceable You
[4:03] 9. Out Of Nowhere
[3:02] 10. Parker's Mood
[3:04] 11. Hot House
[2:46] 12. Don't Blame
[3:01] 13. Moose The Mooche
[2:38] 14. Yardbird Suite
[2:45] 15. Groovin' High
[2:57] 16. Scrapple From The Apple
[3:15] 17. Billie's Bounce
[3:11] 18. A Night In Tunisia
[3:00] 19. Relaxin' At Camarillo
[3:07] 20. Cool Blues
[3:00] 21. Ko-Ko
[2:58] 22. Cheryl
[3:10] 23. Bird Of Paradise
[3:15] 24. Now's The Time

Legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker was born Charles Christopher Parker Jr. on August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, Kansas. His father, Charles Parker, was an African-American stage entertainer, and his mother, Addie Parker, was a maid-charwoman of Native-American heritage. An only child, Charlie moved with his parents to Kansas City, Missouri when he was 7 years old. At the time, the city was a lively center for African-American music, including jazz, blues and gospel.

Charlie discovered his own talent for music through taking lessons at public schools. As a teen, he played the baritone horn in the school band. By the time Charlie was 15, the alto saxophone was his instrument of choice. (Charlie's mother had given him a saxophone a few years prior, to help cheer him up after his father had abandoned the family.) While still in school, Charlie started playing with bands on the local club scene. He was so enamored of playing the sax that, in 1935, he decided to drop out of school in pursuit of a full-time musical career.

The Platinum Collection

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Louis Prima - On Broadway

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:44
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:45)  1. Mame
(2:27)  2. Cabaret
(1:56)  3. Illya Darling
(2:57)  4. I Believe In You
(2:48)  5. Sunrise, Sunset
(3:20)  6. The Impossible Dream
(2:30)  7. Hello Dolly
(2:19)  8. On A Clear Day, You Can See Forever
(2:36)  9. Poor Old Marat
(2:02) 10. My Cup Runneth Over

Louis Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an Italian-American singer, actor, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he formed a seven-piece New Orleans-style jazz band in the late 1920s, fronted a swing combo in the 1930s and a big band group in the 1940s, helped to popularize jump blues in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s, and performed as a Vegas lounge act in the late 1950s and 1960s. From the 1940s through the 1960s, his music further encompassed early R&B and rock'n'roll, boogie-woogie, and even Italian folk music, such as the tarantella. Prima made prominent use of Italian music and language in his songs, blending elements of his Italian identity with jazz and swing music. At a time when "ethnic" musicians were often discouraged from openly stressing their ethnicity, Prima's conspicuous embrace of his Italian ethnicity opened the doors for other Italian-American and "ethnic" American musicians to display their ethnic roots. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Prima

Thank You Scoredaddy!!
On Broadway

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Eric Kloss - Consciousness!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:41
Size: 98,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:40)  1. Sunshine Superman
(10:10)  2. Kay
( 6:08)  3. Outward Wisdom
( 7:02)  4. Songs To Aging Children
( 8:39)  5. Consciousness

Eric Kloss is a world renowned alto and tenor saxophonist, a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, composer, clinician, educator, and television personality. Blind from birth music became his vision. A true child prodigy he performed with his mentor Sonny Stitt at age 12. Backed by jazz guitarist Pat Martino, his recording career began at age 16 with the release of “Introducing Eric Kloss”. Blending hard bob, be-bop, pop, rock, funk, free jazz, classical and world music, he went on to release 22 critically acclaimed recordings on the Prestige and Muse labels. A who’s who of jazz masters appeared as sidemen on his albums including Gerald Veasley, Barry Miles, Don Patterson, Jaki Byard, Gil Goldstein, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Owens, Kenny Barron, Booker Ervin, Leroy Vinnegar, Billy Higgins, Kenny Barron, Bob Cranshaw, and Alan Dawson. His most acclaimed album, Eric Kloss and the Rhythm Section, features the Miles Davis rhythm section of Corea, DeJohnette, and Dave Holland. Kloss toured the USA and Europe for 25 years wowing audiences with his technical brilliance and wild improvisations. Eric was a frequent guest on the PBS TV show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, second only to pianist Johnny Costa for most appearances by any musician. In 1989 he became a spokesman for Yahoo Music promoting and performing with the sax-like MX-11 wind synthesizer. In the 1990s he began teaching at Duquesne University and went on to become head of the jazz department at Carnegie Mellon University. As an educator and clinician he mentored a new generation of jazz performers and instructors. The Fantasy Jazz label has reissued several of his recordings: First Class, About Time, the 2 CD box set Eric Kloss & the Rhythm Section/Love and All That Jazz, and the 2 CD box set Sky Shadows/In the Land of the Giants. Eric withdrew from teaching and performing in 2001 when he became seriously ill. He continues to write and plans to perform and record if his health improves. The unreleased work Cosmic Adventures demonstrates his musical mastery ~  https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/erickloss

Personnel: Eric Kloss (alto sax) (soprano sax); Dave Holland (bass) (bass guitar); Chick Corea (piano) (electric piano); Jack DeJohnette (drums); Pat Martino (guitar).

Consciousness!

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Sylvie Vartan - Gift Wrapped From Paris

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:21
Size: 71,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:22)  1. One More Day
(2:38)  2. I Can't Make Him Look At Me
(2:19)  3. One More Time
(2:13)  4. I Heard Somebody Say
(2:37)  5. I Made A Choice
(2:05)  6. My Boyfriend's Back
(2:11)  7. Gonna Cry
(2:45)  8. Since You Don't Care
(2:34)  9. I Wish You Well
(2:09) 10. Love Has Laid His Hand On Me
(2:06) 11. Alley Oop
(2:16) 12. It's Not A Game

Although actor/pop singer Sylvie Vartan is Bulgarian, she would eventually receive recognition from the French, usually singing entirely in the language of her adopted homeland. Born August 15, 1944, in Iskretz, Bulgaria, Vartan showed great talent for both acting and singing at an early age, resulting in an appearance in the Bulgarian film Under the Yoke in 1950. Two years later (while only ten years old), Vartan and her family relocated to France. 1961 would prove to be an important year for Vartan's career, as she entered a recording studio for the first time, picked up some TV work, and appeared at the famed Olympia Theater. The early '60s saw the release of a steady stream of singles, EPs, and albums (such as 1962's Sylvie), in addition to further appearances in European movies -- including A Moonlight in Maubeuge and Just for Fun. Other impressive accomplishments for Vartan in the early '60s included recording a pair of songs ("If I Sing" and "Most Beautiful to Go to Dance") with famed country artists Chet Atkins and Ray Stevens, and playing on the same bill as the Beatles at the Olympia in January of 1964. During the mid-'60s, Vartan concentrated on making inroads to the American music market, as she appeared on such TV shows as The Ed Sullivan Show, Hullaballooh, and Shindig, while one of her best singles, "2'35 de Bonheur," hit the charts in early 1967. Subsequently, Vartan kept on issuing albums and touring at a steady rate right up to the 21st century, as 2001 saw the release of the 14-track career overview L'Essential. ~ Greg Prato https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/sylvie-vartan/id14974022#fullText

Gift Wrapped From Paris

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Bob Mover Trio - The Night Bathers

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:17
Size: 107,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:14)  1. The Night Bathers
( 3:31)  2. Berg-Like
( 1:21)  3. Hélène
(10:23)  4. Suite in 4 Parts
( 1:39)  5. We Burn
( 6:33)  6. Beach Music
( 5:02)  7. Randomland
( 2:06)  8. John's 1st Synthony
( 3:09)  9. Fathoms
( 1:51) 10. Sonny Claws
( 3:22) 11. Angelica

When one considers the instrumentation (alto, piano and guitar) and the personnel (Bob Mover, Paul Bley and John Abercrombie), it is not surprising that this date is full of thoughtful, chance-taking and often lyrical improvisations. Most of the selections are either duets or unaccompanied solos, and although there are some melodies, the music was pretty much all improvised on the spot. An intriguing set. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-night-bathers-mw0001016781

Personnel:  Bob Mover - alto and soprano saxophones;  Paul Bley – piano;  John Abercrombie - electric guitar, guitar synth

The Night Bathers

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Jane Bunnett - Spirits Of Havana

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:51
Size: 148.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Cuban jazz
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. Hymn
[3:01] 2. Ochun
[6:01] 3. Yo Siempre Oddara
[9:12] 4. Song From Argentina
[2:27] 5. Quirino
[9:35] 6. La Luna Arriba
[7:17] 7. G.M.S. (Gandinga, Mondongo, Sandungo)
[6:57] 8. Epistrophy
[5:13] 9. Yemaya
[3:01] 10. Sweet Dreams
[8:53] 11. Spirits Of Havana

Canadian flutist and soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett traveled to Cuba and immersed herself in the island's music to make this CD, combining other Canadian musicians with a host of gifted Cubans. Guided by senior percussionist Guillermo Barreto on timbales, the result is a genuine exploration of what is most distinctive and valuable in Cuban music and the special relationship of its African elements to jazz. The traditions come together most fully in Gonzalo Rubalcaba's exploration of Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy," but there are numerous delights here, from Bunnett's immersion in Cuban rhythms to the enchanting singing of Merceditas Valdes on several traditional songs in Yoruba dialect. ~Stuart Broomer

Spirits Of Havana

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East Coast Jazzband - Our Love Is Here To Stay

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:30
Size: 122.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[4:37] 2. Nature Boy
[3:43] 3. I've Found A New Baby
[5:21] 4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[5:01] 5. Loverman
[5:14] 6. Route 66
[4:04] 7. De 24 Røvere
[4:24] 8. These Foolish Things
[3:31] 9. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[5:30] 10. Cheek To Cheek
[4:07] 11. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
[3:58] 12. Bye, Bye, Blackbird

Birgitte Laugesen, vocal; Gunnar Lautrup, trumpet and flugelhorn; Niels Barfod, sopran- and altsax; Storm Kleist, trombone; Rasmus Stenholm, piano; Paul Engberg Pedersen, drums; Poul Nyholm, double-bass.

It all started in Paul’s poultry house outside Ormslev. The year was 1991. Here the foundation for East Coast Jazz Band was made. For long time the old fellows from Cotton Club Jazzband Niels Barfoed and Paul Engberg, had infested the music scene of Jutland and now the dream orchestra was to be realized! One thing characterized the band from the beginning: The desire for playing good music and deliver good entertainment more than please narrow style ideas. The inspiration came from Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and all the other old. Added jazz of the 30’s New Orleans and a little of the 40’s and 50’s Chicago Blues. Today the orchestra is still playing a broad range of the best within jazz, swing and blues. Mixed with evergreens in new and beautiful arrangements. Known as persuasive ensemble music spiced up with extraordinary soli. Played with real enthusiasm and a musical desire, which can wake up any audience. The orchestra has played in all of Denmark. At festivals, in jazz clubs, private arrangements. Always good for a swinging evening for people who likes to dance. But never playing and working better than now.

Our Love Is Here To Stay

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Ann Hampton Callaway - Slow

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:45
Size: 136.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[5:10] 1. Slow
[4:27] 2. You Belong To Me
[6:51] 3. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
[3:41] 4. Tonight You're All Mine (With Carole King)
[5:50] 5. Someone To Light Up My Life
[5:06] 6. I've Dreamed Of You
[5:13] 7. Lullaby In Blue
[3:59] 8. Moondance (With Liz Callaway)
[4:17] 9. Never Really Mine To Lose
[5:58] 10. Love Dance
[4:28] 11. Never Let Me Go
[4:39] 12. My Answered Prayer

The sultry, sweet-molasses voiced veteran singer/songwriter has an impressive pedigree as an entertainment Renaissance woman, with a Tony nomination for Swing!, the theme song to TV's The Nanny, and some 40 CDs as a soloist and guest artist to her credit. Best of all, she lives up to her promises, most notably, the vibe she hints at in the album title. Her goal was to make a dreamy "make out" album and she succeeds, creating a lush, moody, sparsely arranged atmosphere-rich collection of sweet originals played at very slow tempos. Those arrangements are geared towards allowing her voice to stand out and ultimately caress the listener, but the drawback is that there's not a great deal of variety in rhythm and movement from track to track. Those who love the original version of Carole King's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" may be maddened by its languid pace (despite its shimmering beauty), but King loved it so much that she wrote the following track, the much more engaging, AC radio-accessible "Tonight You're All Mine," with Callaway co-producing and singing backup on the track. Callaway also picks up the pace to joyous effect, singing beautifully with her sister Liz (with whom she performs cabaret shows) on a lightly swinging version of "Moondance." Other familiar tracks include a thoughtful reading of Ivan Lins' "Love Dance," and "I've Dreamed of You" (Callaway's song which Barbra Streisand sang at her wedding to James Brolin and later included on three albums.) ~Jonathan Widran

Slow

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Vic Juris - Night Tripper

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:43
Size: 152.7 MB
Styles: Post bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[4:51] 1. I Heard You Cried Last Night
[5:44] 2. Dekooning
[8:36] 3. Liebeslied
[5:21] 4. Next Victim
[9:49] 5. Estate
[4:06] 6. Night Tripper
[6:16] 7. Without You
[7:45] 8. Falling In Love With Love
[7:00] 9. For Harry
[7:11] 10. Marigold

Bass – Steve LaSpina; Drums – Jeff Hirshfield; Guitar – Vic Juris; Piano – Phil Markowitz. Recorded April 1994.

During some of the selections on his SteepleChase CD, guitarist Vic Juris displays an echoey tone reminiscent of John Scofield while on a few other numbers he has a dryer and subtle acoustic sound. Juris' improvising is on a high level, performing "Estate," "Falling in Love With Love," two obscurities, and six group originals (four of which are his) with creativity. His sidemen (pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Steve LaSpina, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield) are alert and have quick reactions. Two high points are the eccentric "Dekooning" and a tasteful bossa nova rendition of "Estate," numbers that best show off Juris' impressive flexibility. ~Scott Yanow

Night Tripper

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Adam Makowicz Trio - My Favorite Things - Music of Richard Rodgers

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:01
Size: 147,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. Where Or When
(5:26)  2. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(5:19)  3. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(6:42)  4. My Favorite Things
(6:16)  5. The Lady Is A Tramp
(4:00)  6. This Can't Be Love
(4:29)  7. My Funny Valentine
(6:33)  8. My Romance
(6:30)  9. Lover
(7:36) 10. It Might As Well Be Spring
(5:02) 11. Have You Met Miss Jones

Adam Makowicz made a strong impression when he first came to the U.S. and at the time, he was often compared to Art Tatum. Although his technique is nearly on Tatum's level, Makowicz has long had his own style, mixing together different aspects of jazz, ranging from swing to hard bop. He started playing jazz in the late '50s and with Tomasz Stanko formed one of the first European free jazz groups, the Jazz Darings. He led his own groups in Warsaw from 1965 on and in 1970 played electric piano in Michal Urbaniak's band. Makowicz also worked with Urszula Dudziak and recorded several albums in Poland before coming to the United States in 1977. Although the initial publicity (when he was championed by John Hammond) has long since died down, Makowicz has, if anything, continued to improve as a pianist. He has recorded many records as a leader for such labels as Columbia, Stash, Choice, Sheffield Lab, Novus, and Concord. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/adam-makowicz-mn0000499915/biography

Personnel: Adam Makowicz (piano), George Mraz (bass), Alan Dawson (drums)

My Favorite Things - Music of Richard Rodgers

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Malene Kjaergard - On Cole Porter

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:08
Size: 116,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:57)  1. Let's Do It
(3:58)  2. Night And Day
(4:19)  3. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:32)  4. Dream Dancing
(6:47)  5. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(4:42)  6. Anything Goes
(3:17)  7. I Concentrate On You
(6:25)  8. Get Out Of Town
(4:00)  9. Just One Of Those Things
(6:07) 10. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Kjaergaard/Cigna/Dall interpret the great songbook of the American composer Cole Porter. At a concert with the Kjaergaard/Cigna/Dall Trio you will hear interpretations of standards from the great American composer Cole Porter. The trio has worked intensively on giving the songs new life and making new, up-to-date arrangements. You will hear some of Cole Porters most well known songs such as ”I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, ”Let’s Do It” and ”It’s Alright With Me”, but you will also hear some of the less know though very catchy and beautiful such as ” Get Out Of Town”, ”Dream Dancing” and ”From This Moment On”. http://www.artisttrove.com/artist/863376987114100/Kjaergaard-Cigna-Dall+on+Cole+Porter

Personnel:  Malene Kjærgård (Vocal), Francesco Cigna (Guitar), Tobias Dall Mikkelsen (Double Bass)

On Cole Porter

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Nicholas Payton - Payton's Place

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:27
Size: 164,2 MB
Art: Jazz

(5:54)  1. Zigaboogaloo
(5:26)  2. The Three Trumpeteers
(6:29)  3. Back To The Source
(5:13)  4. A Touch Of Silver
(7:09)  5. Concentric Circles
(5:07)  6. Li'l Duke's Strut
(5:39)  7. Time Traveling
(5:38)  8. With A Song In My Heart
(9:40)  9. Paraphernalia
(4:18) 10. Brownie A La Mode
(5:23) 11. People Make The World Go Round
(5:25) 12. The Last Goodbye

Think of all the great jazz quintets over the years that have used trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass, and drums. They're at the core of the answer to the "What is Jazz?" question, and Nicholas Payton's fourth release as leader honors that tradition. Along with tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Adonis Rose, the young trumpeter weaves his modern mainstream compositions around echoes of jazz legends; nine of these twelve pieces are Payton's originals. The trumpeter's father, New Orleans bassist Walter Payton, saw to it that his son was exposed to good music from his earliest years. Receiving his first trumpet at age four, sitting in on his father's rehearsals at the house, and performing with his father's jazz ensemble while still in grammar school, Payton had encouragement to suit his talent. Payton attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the University of New Orleans, but it's the encouragement from family and friends such as Clark Terry, Ellis and Wynton Marsalis, and Doc Cheatham, that seems to have made its mark on the talented youngster; Payton turns 25 this year. Guest Joshua Redman replaces Warfield on "A Touch of Silver" alongside the walking bass, swinging drummer and loping piano accompaniment. He and Payton work well together as a team. The effect is smooth and relaxed, yet they offer the listener just enough spice to keep it interesting. Wynton Marsalis assumes Warfield's chair on "Brownie a la Mode" as the two trumpeters engage in a good-natured cutting contest. "With a Song in my Heart" is performed up-tempo with guest Roy Hargrove sharing the spotlight. "The Three Trumpeters" brings the three together in an easy-going exchange. 

While Marsalis and Payton have distinctively brassy tones, Hargrove's contrasts and serves to round off the edges. Each trumpeter uses a gentle vibrato; they approach accented figures differently, and Marsalis supplies a few 1/2-valve phrases. Payton is in good "trumpet-tooting" company, good mainstream quintet company, and has already made quite a mark on the jazz world. Highly recommended. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/paytons-place-nicholas-payton-verve-music-group-review-by-jim-santella.php?width=1920

Personnel: Nicholas Payton (trumpet); Joshua Redman, Tim Warfield (tenor saxophone); Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Anthony Wonsey (piano); Adonis Rose (drums).

Payton's Place

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Clifford Jordan Quartet - Spellbound

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 40:10

Size: 92.0 MB

Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 1960/1992

Art: Front

[4:24] 1. Toy

[5:12] 2. Lush Life

[4:39] 3. Moon-A-Tic

[5:50] 4. Spellbound

[5:04] 5. Hot Water

[6:28] 6. Last Night When We Were Young

[8:31] 7. Au Privave

Bass – Spanky DeBrest; Drums – Albert "Tootie" Heath; Piano – Cedar Walton; Producer – Cannonball Adderley; Tenor Saxophone – Clifford Jordan. Recorded: New York City, August 10, 1960.

Tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan was sponsored by Cannonball Adderley on this set for Riverside, reissued on CD under the OJC imprint. At this point, Jordan did not quite have the distinctive sound that he would develop in his period with Charles Mingus, but he was already a strong hard bop stylist. Assisted by pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Spanky DeBrest, and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, Jordan performs four originals ("Toy" is best known), an unusual waltz version of "Lush Life," the ballad "Last Night When We Were Young," and the romping Charlie Parker blues "Au Privave." It's an excellent straight-ahead outing. ~Scott Yanow

Spellbound

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