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Starting Monday 5 June 2017 the SD team will be on vacation for about a week.

Charles Earland - Front Burner

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream  
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:15
Size: 101,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:33)  1. Moonlighting (Theme)
(7:27)  2. My Two Sons
(5:18)  3. I Will Always Love Her
(5:22)  4. Gospel Time
(9:51)  5. Mom and Dad
(6:25)  6. Can You Wait
(5:15)  7. Kickin' the '3

Charles Earland is among the most consistent of organists, with nearly every one of his recordings on that instrument (as opposed to his interlude on synthesizers) being easily recommended to soul-jazz and hard bop collectors. For this CD, Earland heads a sextet also including trumpeter Virgil Jones (long an underrated player), Bill Easley on tenor, guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer Buddy Williams and occasionally Frank Colon on conga. Other than a throw-away version of the theme from Moonlighting, the mostly basic music on this set is rewarding, with Earland infusing the tunes with plenty of grease and funk. ~ Scott Yanow

Personnel: Charles Earland (organ); Bobby Broom (guitar); Bill Easley (tenor saxophone); Virgil Jones (trumpet); Buddy Williams (drums); Frank Colon (congas)

Front Burner

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Gwyneth Herbert - All The Ghosts

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:02
Size: 96,7 MB
Art: Front

( 3:36)  1. So Worn Out
( 3:54)  2. Annie's Yellow Bag
( 3:40)  3. Lorelei.
( 3:37)  4. My Narrow Man
( 3:04)  5. Jane Into A Beauty Queen
( 4:42)  6. Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is..
( 3:00)  7. Nataliya
( 4:34)  8. My Mini And Me
(11:51)  9. Some Days I Forget..

On her fourth album, Gwyneth Herbert builds on the strengths that made her last release, Between Me And The Wardrobe, a success. Focussing on her folk-jazz vocal style and on her own compositions rather than cover versions, All The Ghosts should see her career continue on its recent upwartrajectory.Herbert's songs are rightly starting to draw comparisons with those of 60s Ray Davies and Paul McCartney. She has a fine sense of melody and her latest songs tell stories that equal ''Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station, every Friday night'' or ''Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins''. The songs create a cast of inner-city archetypes, each with an intriguing tale to tell. Many of the protagonists are society's losers or victims. Unlike Davies or McCartney, Herbert unfailingly sees the world from a woman's point of view. It is no coincidence that four of the track titles contain women's names. Her voice and phrasing are often reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, noticeably on Nataliya. The elasticity of her voice perfectly conveys the songs' emotions and softens their occasional bleakness. Men are either objects of desire, as on My Narrow Man, or contempt, as on Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is. The accompaniment from pianist Steve Holness, bassist Sam Burgess, percussionist Dave Price and guitarist Al Cherry is subtly understated, complementing the voice well. Rarely in the limelight, the music impresses when it is featured. Cherry's acoustic guitar is the highlight of My Mini and Me, notably the slide guitar coda. 

Previously available online in 2008 as a download-only album entitled Ten Lives, this expanded and retitled version is a coherent and compelling song suite. One of the added tracks comes as a surprise after the nine Herbert originals. Almost as an afterthought, the album closes with a raw version of Bowie's Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.It seems an odd finale given Herbert's age. She was born years after Ziggy Stardust gave his last performance. Nonetheless, as on the original Bowie release, it brings this impressive album to a suitably emotional and rousing conclusion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviewsGwyneth Herbert – vocals, piano (on "My Narrow Man")

Personnel:  Gwyneth Herbert – vocals, piano (on "My Narrow Man");  Al Cherry – guitars;  Dave Price – percussion;  Sam Burgess – bass;   Steve Holness – piano and organ;  Jonathan Bierman – "droid" electronics on "So Worn Out"

All The Ghosts

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Cedar Walton - Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:44
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

( 0:12)  1. Opening Remarks
( 9:43)  2. Midnight Waltz
(11:56)  3. Jacob's Ladder
( 8:37)  4. For All We Know
(11:05)  5. Byrdlike
(10:22)  6. Ugetsu
(13:46)  7. Impressions

The “moment” in question occurred in late 1977; the event was the Rahsaan Roland Kirk Memorial Jazz Festival at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner. The Cedar Walton Quartet, co-headlining with Leon Thomas and Bobby Hutcherson, were joined by Walton’s old Jazz Messengers compatriot Freddie Hubbard, returning to a straight-ahead context in the wake of the trumpeter’s controversial plunge into jazz-funk fusion. Judging by what’s here, these were three nights of hard-charging swing and unfettered creativity. 

Walton’s piano lines, complex and multi-textured yet resolutely straight-ahead, are powered by a percussive impetus that both complements and goads drummer Billy Higgins’ dexterous punctuations; when tenorman Bob Berg weighs in with his astringent tone and Trane-like roils and flurries, he brings a bracing element of rawness and emotive unpredictability into the mix. We first hear Hubbard on Walton’s “Ugetsu,” a tune that dates back to the pair’s ’60s-era tenure with the Messengers. The aggression with which Hubbard fires out his hard-bop lines-blunt and confrontational, despite that soft-edged flugelhorn tone-suggests that he may have been sending a message to the purists who’d been accusing him of fusionist apostasy. (He sounds less combative but no less fired up on “Byrdlike,” his tribute to Donald Byrd, another postbop icon who’d been castigated for selling out to Mammon.) “Jacob’s Ladder,” Latin-tinged and soulful, invokes Horace Silver, a connection Walton makes clear with a quote from “Song for My Father” (one of numerous witty quotes scattered throughout). The final workout on “Impressions” transforms Coltrane’s standard into a free-swinging jam-session set piece-a perfect capstone to a set that proclaims joy, discovery and new beauty from first note to last. ~ David Whiteis https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/cedar-walton-featuring-freddie-hubbard-live-at-the-keystone-korner-reliving-the-moment/ 

Personnel: Cedar Walton (piano); Bob Berg (tenor saxophone); Billy Higgins (drums).

Reliving the Moment: Live at the Keystone Korner

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Freddie Hubbard - The Blue Note Years

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:02
Size: 169,7 MB
Art: Front

(11:34)  1. Crisis
( 7:10)  2. Open Sesame
( 9:39)  3. Lament for Booker
( 5:16)  4. Hub Cap
( 6:28)  5. Gypsy Blue
( 6:26)  6. D Minor Mint
( 6:35)  7. You're My Everything
( 6:45)  8. Asiatic Raes
( 6:31)  9. Body and Soul
( 7:33) 10. The Melting Pot

In the pantheon of jazz trumpeters, Freddie Hubbard stands as one of the boldest and most inventive artists of the bop, hard-bop and post-bop eras. Although influenced by titans like Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, Hubbard ultimately forged his own unique sound – a careful balance of bravado and subtlety that fueled more than fifty solo recordings and countless collaborations with some of the most prominent jazz artists of his era. Shortly after his death at the end of 2008, Down Beat called him “the most powerful and prolific trumpeter in jazz.” Embedded in his massive body of recorded work is a legacy that will continue to influence trumpeters and other jazz artists for generations to come. Hubbard was born on April 7, 1938, In Indianapolis, Indiana. As a student and band member at Arsenal Technical High School, he demonstrated early talents on the tuba, French horn, and mellophone before eventually settling on the trumpet and flugelhorn. He was first introduced to jazz by his brother, Earmon, Jr., a piano player and a devotee of Bud Powell. Hubbard’s budding musical talents caught the attention of Lee Katzman, a former sideman of Stan Kenton. Katzman convinced the young trumpeter to study at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music with Max Woodbury, the principal trumpeter of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

As a teenager, Hubbard worked and recorded with the Montgomery Brothers Wes, Monk and Buddy. His first recording session was for an album called The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others. Around that same time, he also assembled his first band, the Jazz Contemporaries, with bassist (and manager) Larry Ridley, saxophonist/flutist James Spaulding, pianist Walt Miller and drummer Paul Parker. The quintet became recurring players at George’s Bar, the well known club on Indiana Avenue. In 1958, Hubbard moved to New York at age 20 and quickly established himself as one of the bright young trumpeters on the scene, astonishing critics and fans alike with the depth and maturity of his playing. Within the first two years of his arrival in the Big Apple, he landed gigs with veteran jazz artists Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton and Eric Dolphy. He joined Quincy Jones in a tour of Europe that stretched from 1960 to 1961.Per a recommendation from Miles Davis, Hubbard was signed to Blue Note, where he recorded Open Sesame, his solo debut, in 1960 at the age of 22. The album, which also featured Tina Brooks and McCoy Tyner, marked the launch of one of the most meteoric careers in jazz. Within a year’s time, Hubbard followed up with his second and third recordings – Goin’ Up (1960), with Tyner and Hank Mobley, and Hub Cap (1961), with Julian Priester and Jimmy Heath. In 1961, Hubbard released what many consider to be his masterpiece, Ready For Freddie, which marked his first Blue Note collaboration with Wayne Shorter. Later that same year, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In the span of a few short years, this hard-blowing young lion had quickly established himself as an important new voice in jazz.

Hubbard left the Jazz Messengers in 1964 to form his own small group, whose ranks included Kenny Barron and Louis Hayes. Throughout the remainder of the decade, he also played in bands led by a variety of other high-profile jazz artists. He was a significant presence on Herbie Hancock’s Blue Note recordings, beginning with Takin’ Off (1962) – Hancock’s debut as a leader – and continuing on Empyrean Isles (1964) and Maiden Voyage (1965). Hubbard’s other noteworthy session work in the 1960s included Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz(1960), Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961), Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch (1964), and John Coltrane’s Ascension (1965). He achieved his greatest popular success in the 1970s with a series of crossover albums on Atlantic and CTI Records. His early ‘70s jazz albums for CTI  Red Clay (1970), Straight Life (1970) and First Light (1971) were particularly well received (First Light won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance). Later in the decade, he returned to the acoustic, hard-bop idiom with the V.S.O.P. quintet, which teamed him with members of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Ron Carter. Hubbard also stepped briefly into the pop arena when he played a solo on “Zanzibar,” a track from Billy Joel’s Grammy-winning 1978 album, 52nd Street. As the ‘80s got under way, Hubbard was once again leading his own group, playing at concerts and festivals in the U.S. and Europe. He frequently collaborated with Joe Henderson, playing a repertory of hard-bop and modal-jazz pieces. Other associations throughout the decade included Monterey Jazz Festival dates with Bobby Hutcherson; studio projects with Woody Shaw and Benny Golson; and a live recording in Holland (Feel the Wind) with Blakey in 1988.

In 1990, he appeared in Japan in an American-Japanese concert package that also featured Elvin Jones, Sonny Fortune, George Duke, Benny Green, Ron Carter and Rufus Reid. He also performed at the Warsaw Jazz Festival – a date that was recorded and released in 1992. Other pursuits in the early ‘90s included the formation of a new band of emerging young artists: Christian McBride, Javon Jackson, Carl Allen and Benny Green. He continued to seek out fresh young talent as the decade unfolded by collaborating with the New Jazz Composers Octet. Hubbard performed and recorded with the Octet – a collective led by fellow trumpeter David Weiss – for the last decade of his career, culminating with his final recording, On The Real Side, released in 2008. Despite failing health as the new century got under way, Hubbard continued to carry the jazz torch by participating in clinics and residencies at various colleges around the country to share the wealth of his knowledge with up-and-coming artists. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts granted Hubbard its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He suffered a heart attack in late November 2008 in Sherman Oaks, California, and died a few weeks later, on December 29, at the age of 70. At his peak, Freddie Hubbard was a brilliant virtuoso performer with a rich, full tone that remained consistent in slow passages as well as fast ones. As one of the greatest hard-bop trumpeters of his era, he created impassioned blues lines without sacrificing the context of the music he was playing. He was perhaps one of the greatest technical trumpeters ever to play in the jazz idiom, and arguably the most influential. http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/landing.php

The Blue Note Years

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Clark Terry - Wham (Live At Jazzhouse Hamburg)

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 121,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:33)  1. Perdido
( 8:19)  2. On The Trail (Grand Canyon Suite)
( 4:36)  3. Jazzhouse Blues
( 2:30)  4. In der Heimat gibt's ein Wiederseh'n
( 5:36)  5. Straight, No Chaser
(11:48)  6. Wham
( 9:52)  7. Take The "A" Train

The irrepressible Clark Terry was all over jazz in the second half of the 20th century, playing a technically demanding but playful style that made him a crowd favorite. Here on this live album from Hamburg, Germany originally released in 1976 he’s joined by pianist Scott Bradford, bassist Larry Gales (misspelled as “Gailes”), and drummer Hartwig Bartz. One of the earliest jazz proponents of flugelhorn, Terry plays that instrument throughout. He actually opens with trumpet, then trades off the two horns (holding one in each hand) for a very peppy version of “Perdido.” Terry then takes the band through an easy-swinging “On the Trail” that features speedy runs that give Dizzy Gillespie a run for his money (for more of this, also check out “Straight No Chaser”). There's a slow improvised blues that functions as a vehicle for his famous scat singing, and Terry opts to close out with Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train” where he again is in vocal mood after everyone solos. It's now available digitally for the first time, with a fresh mastering job to boot. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wham-live-at-jazzhouse-hamburg/id873105286

Personnel:  Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals – Clark Terry;  Bass – Larry Gailes;  Drums – Hartwig Bartz;  Piano – Scott Bradford

Wham (Live At Jazzhouse Hamburg)

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Freddie Hubbard - Keystone Bop: Sunday Night

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:47
Size: 158,2 MB
Art: Front

(15:22)  1. Birdlike
(10:25)  2. The Littlest One Of All
(16:02)  3. The Intrepid Fox
(17:02)  4. Sky Dive
( 9:54)  5. Body And Soul

An LP-and-a-half's worth of material recorded by Freddie Hubbard and his sextet (with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Billy Childs, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Larry Klein, and drummer Steve Houghton) at the legendary San Francisco club Keystone Korner one night in 1981. The great trumpeter is in excellent form on three of his compositions ("Birdlike," "Sky Dive," and "The Intrepid Fox"), Hutcherson's "The Littlest One of All," and "Body and Soul." Although few surprises occur, Hubbard fans can be assured that this set finds him in excellent form on a good night. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/keystone-bop-sunday-night-mw0000126498

Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Billy Childs (piano); Larry Klein (bass); Steve Houghton (drums).

Keystone Bop: Sunday Night

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Laurie Antonioli - Foreign Affair

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:13
Size: 105,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Ballad For Djole
(4:05)  2. Holy Water
(4:50)  3. Where Flamingos Fly
(5:44)  4. Tschusch Chochek
(4:45)  5. I Know You
(3:40)  6. Mayana
(4:07)  7. Crni Narcis (Black Narcissus)
(3:27)  8. The Cure
(8:00)  9. Music Box

Foreign Affair is Laurie Antonioli's debut as a solo artist, although she has appeared on record with artists such as George Cables and Joe Bonner. Antonioli is a musical singer gifted with a flexible, darkish voice and soulful, natural phrasing and as witnessed on this record, she has surrounded her attractive vocal stylings with fairly interesting, though at times restrained and minimalistic arrangements. Throughout this record Antonioli's vocals direct and steer the musings of the supporting band, which consists of bassist Nenad Vasilic, guitarist Armend Xhaferi, drummer John Hollenbeck, and saxophonist Johannes Enders. The album is memorable mostly for slow and contemplative tracks like the opening "Ballad For Djole," "Holy Water," "I Know You," and "Mayana," while Enders' saxophone further enhances the album's overall moody emotions throughout. 

The opener is a slow track written by bassist Nenad Vasilic where a light, smooth feel blends with Antonioli's smoky vocals. "Tsuchusch Chochek" is a swinging piece with repetitive melodies where she seems inspired by the band to fully demonstrate her vocal possibilities. Her compelling, emotional performance on the final track, "Music Box," makes for a poignant duet with Enders' soprano sax. One would usually expect obvious references to Balkanesque melodies or rhythms from someone who originates from this region (since Antonioli's origins are in Montenegro). However, these influences are more sublime and deep, rather than ready-made or stereotypical. Antonioli's passsionate and soulful performances reveal an artist who is not afraid to stray away on occasion from the classical vocal jazz tradition in order to deliver performances that are accessible and enjoyable. ~ Nenad Georgievski https://www.allaboutjazz.com/foreign-affair-laurie-antonioli-nabel-review-by-nenad-georgievski.php

Personnel:  Laurie Antonioli-vocals;  Nenad Vasilic-bass;  Johannes Enders-saxophone;  John Hollenbeck-drums;  Armend Xhaferi-guitar

Foreign Affair

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Tommy Flanagan - Sea Changes

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:10
Size: 146,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Sea Changes
(4:25)  2. Verdandi
(5:00)  3. Dalarna
(7:07)  4. Eclypso
(6:39)  5. How Deep Is The Ocean
(4:44)  6. See See Rider
(6:47)  7. Between The Devil And The Deep
(5:32)  8. Beat's Up
(6:11)  9. I Cover The Waterfront
(5:16) 10. Relaxin' At Camarillo
(4:53) 11. Dear Old Stockholm

Sea Changes is an honest-to-god jazzconcept albumfrom composer / pianist Tommy Flanagan. Born in 1930 Detroit, but known more resonantly as a ‘Big Apple’ jazzman, where by the mid-1950s he had moved to groove alongside the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Miles Davis and Oscar Pettiford. Flanagan was frequently Bud Powell’s replacement at Birdland, and has also worked extensively with vocalists Tony Bennett and for nearly a dozen years (off and on) with Ella Fitzgerald. For the past two decades he has performed almost exclusively in small ensembles such as the one captured here with the remarkably single-minded rhythm team of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Louis Nash. On Sea Changes, the pianist reinvents several tunes from his debut album under his own name, Overseas, released in 1957 by the Swedish company Metronome and featuring Flanagan with drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Wilbur Little, his then-current cohorts in the J. J. Johnson band on tour in Sweden. He reprises several of his own compositions "Eclypso," "Verdandi," "Delarna," "Beats Up"and his cover of Charlie Parker’s "Relaxin’ At Camarillo," then cleverly complements these with marine-influenced new titles like "How Deep Is The Ocean?" (Irving Berlin), "I Cover The Waterfront" (Johnny Green) and "The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" (Harold Arlen). 

Flanagan also honors the city in which he recorded Overseas for Metronome with a glowing rendition of "Dear Old Stockholm" to end Sea Changes.Flanagan find some seriously deep blues in the workhorse "C. C. Rider" and in "Ocean," so deep they’re almost purple, and as a listener you find yourself wondering if you’ve ever heard Irving Berlin sound quite this funky before. "Beats Up" and "Verdandi" (which Flanagan recalls dedicating "to the Swedish Temperance Society. I think it’s best to be sober to get through that tune!" in the liner notes) crackle crisply through more frantic yet never out-of-control rhythms. Washington and Nash perform together like an absolute two-headed, four-handed rhythm monster throughout. As a composer, Flanagan frequently delivers user-friendly, simple yet memorable melodies  I seriously doubt that I’ve ever heard "Delarna" or "Eclypso" before, but they both sound so darn Familiar; "Delarna" brings to mind the gorgeous wonder of "Embraceable You," or perhaps it’s "Isn’t It Romantic?", and "Eclypso" bops and weaves like a compact left hook in a clever Sonny Rollins workout. You’d imagine that an artist reaching the fourth decade into his body of work might have "sea-n changes". But in its own dignified, almost quiet, way, Sea Changes demonstrates that Tommy Flanagan remains a musician’s musician in every sense of the word – as an improviser and soloist, as a composer and arranger, as a melodic interpreter and as an accompanist for ample, robust solos by his musical partners. Proves it one more time, yet again and still. ~ Chris M.Slawecki https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sea-changes-tommy-flanagan-evidence-music-review-by-chris-m-slawecki.php

Personnel: Tommy Flanagan (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Lewis Nash (drums).

Sea Changes

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Konstantin Klashtorni - Led By You

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:37
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Back It Up
(4:04)  2. So Lovely
(4:55)  3. It Dews
(4:05)  4. Haven't Got The Heart
(4:04)  5. Led By You
(3:41)  6. Close
(3:59)  7. On The Way
(4:30)  8. Ocean Of Joy
(4:50)  9. Look Around
(4:10) 10. Stay Romantic

‘Led By You’ is the latest project from Konstantin Klashtorni. It follows on the heels of his critically acclaimed debut solo release ‘Downtown’ and promises to make a major mark in the ultra competitive world of smooth jazz saxophone. This is very much a virtuoso project for Konstantin. As well as writing, programming and producing all ten tracks he variously plays saxophones, flute, keys and additional guitars but still finds space to include some excellent backing musicians. Yerman Aponte plays bass, Udo Demandt is on drums, the guitar of Roy Lewis features on four of the cuts and, in addition, Klashtorni blends in some significant guest performances. The music of Konstantin Klashtorni is seriously catchy with none more so than the title cut. The phrasing of the uplifting intro is revisited throughout the track to frame the simple melody and produce a chunk of top notch feel good smooth jazz. Another one that stays in the head and won’t go away is ‘So Lovely’. Both gentle and infectious it evokes thoughts of summer sun glinting on rippling water. Feel good and uplifting could be the theme of the entire album and this is typified by the opening track, the mid tempo and lightly funky foot tapper ‘Back It Up’ where the trumpet of Michael Simon and trombone of Santiago Cananda Valvere add to the full, rich sound. Simon and Valvere also feature on ‘To Feel Free’. It’s a piece of smooth jazz for any occasion that seems straight from the west coast. This same sun drenched ‘driving with the top down’ vibe is apparent with ‘Ocean Of Joy’, on which Ibernice McBean flirts with atmospheric subliminal vocals, and on ‘Stay Romantic’ where Klashtorni succeeds in producing a big sound that is at the same time mellow and sweet. 

The backing vocals of Ibernice McBean are also used on the romantic ‘Close’ where they blend to sensational effect with Klashtorni’s ultra smooth sax and on ‘Haven’t Got The Heart’, a quality slice of smooth melodic R & B with Mitchell Brunings taking the lead on vocals and Klashtorni maintaining the lightest of touches on sax. ‘It Dews’ is late night smooth jazz for lovers through which Klashtorni weaves a catchy hook and he is again in turned down mode with the melodic chill of ‘Look Around’, a tune further enriched by the trumpet of Michael Simon. ‘Led By You’ will be released on May 22. It is an outstanding collection of commercially attractive smooth jazz that, in many ways, represents a coming of age for Klashtorni. He perfectly meshes production skills to rival Paul Brown and Brian Culbertson with his own individual musical talents and captures the twin peaks of melody and rhythm that are at the heart of everything good in smooth jazz. http://smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/04/konstantin_klas.html

Personnel:  Konstantin-saxophones,keyboards,programming;  Udo Demandt-drums;  Yerman Aponte-bass;  Roy Louis-guitar;  Michael Simon-trumpet,flugel;  Santiago Canada Valvere-trombone;  Mitchell Brunings-vocals on #4;  Ibernice McBean-backing vocals

Led By You

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Makoto Ozone - Spring Is Here

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:47
Size: 119,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:25)  1. Beautiful Love
(5:29)  2. Spring Is Here
(6:12)  3. Someday My Prince Will Come
(7:39)  4. On the Street Where You Live
(7:20)  5. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
(7:56)  6. My One & Only Love
(5:25)  7. O' Grande Amore
(5:17)  8. Tangerine

A premier jazz musician in Japan, Makoto Ozone has made a successful transition to America, where he became equally prominent in this nation's improvisational community. He began on organ at four, then took up piano as a teenager. He went to Berklee in 1980 and studied composing and arranging. He was noticed by Gary Burton and later recorded with him and was part of his band. Ozone's striking ability (especially on mid-tempo pieces) and impressive technique made him a big hit at the Kool Jazz Festival. His 1984 debut recording featured Burton and bassist Eddie Gomez. It was a stunning example of complete knowledge and mastery of the full jazz piano spectrum. Ozone later worked with European pianist Michel Petrucciani and spent extensive time studying classical music. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/artist/makoto-ozone-mn0000670021/biography

Personnel:  Bass – George Mraz;  Drums – Roy Haynes;  Piano – Makoto Ozone

Spring Is Here

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The Wynton Kelly Trio - Undiluted

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:57
Size: 82.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1965/2016
Art: Front

[3:58] 1. Bobo
[6:31] 2. Swingin Till The Girls Come Home
[3:49] 3. My Ship
[3:59] 4. Out Front
[4:02] 5. Never
[4:50] 6. Blues On Purpose
[3:46] 7. If You Could See Me Now
[4:59] 8. Six Eight

Bass – Paul Chambers; Drums – Jimmy Cobb; Leader, Piano – Wynton Kelly. Recorded: February 5th, 1965.

This is the best example of the Wynton kelly trio. Two tracks I feel are particularly extraordinary - Blues on purpose and swinging till the girls come home. The swing generated here supercedes any piano trio I have ever heard . Its beyond my comprehension that Verve see fit to leave this recording in the vaults collecting dust. Paul Chambers is also at the top of his game and jimmy Cobb has never played as well as he does here. However its straight Undiluted Wynton that we hear ,and thats as good as it gets. ~Tom O. Hare

Undiluted

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Freddie Ravel - Sol To Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:56
Size: 137.2 MB
Styles: Crossover jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 1995/2006
Art: Front

[4:21] 1. Sol To Soul
[4:14] 2. Havana Nights
[5:06] 3. We Belong Together
[3:42] 4. Erotika (With Maurice White)
[4:38] 5. A Perfect Day
[4:47] 6. Slip In The Gap
[5:04] 7. Sailaway
[4:13] 8. Quedate Conmigo
[4:47] 9. Dance For The Sol
[4:21] 10. Over You
[4:54] 11. Mambozique
[3:47] 12. Passion Dance
[5:56] 13. In A Sentimental Mood

Jazz keyboardist Freddie Ravel has a host of session credits to his name, along with a number of recordings of his own. Born and bred in Los Angeles, Ravel's Colombian and Eastern European heritage immediately opened him up to a wide range of cultures; and his appetite for other outside cultures -- thanks in no small part to extensive world traveling -- has exposed him to numerous styles of music. Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Jarreau, Strunz & Farah, Madonna, Quincy Jones, and Sergio Mendes can claim to have worked with Ravel at one point or another, just to mention a few major artists. He began issuing records of his own in the early '90s, beginning with 1991's Midnight Passion and 1995's Sol to Soul, both of which were released by Verve Forecast. Six years passed until his debut for GRP, Freddie Ravel. He's also a well-versed orchestral composer. ~bio by Andy Kellman

Sol To Soul

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Dionne Warwick - My Friends And Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:48
Size: 109.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, R&B, Adult Contemporary
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Walk On By (Feat. Gloria Estefan)
[2:58] 2. Message To Michael (Feat. Cyndi Lauper)
[3:58] 3. Close To You (Feat. Mya)
[4:17] 4. I'll Never Love This Way Again (Feat. Gladys Knight)
[2:25] 5. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (Feat. Kelis)
[3:55] 6. Déjà Vu
[3:06] 7. I Say A Little Prayer (Feat. Reba Mcentire)
[3:42] 8. Anyone Who Had A Heart (Feat. Wynonna Judd)
[3:24] 9. Then Came You (Feat. Lisa Tucker)
[3:01] 10. Wishin' And Hopin' (Feat. Olivia Newton-John)
[4:55] 11. Love Will Find A Way (Feat. Cheyenne Elliott)
[3:25] 12. The Windows Of The World (Feat. Deborah Cox)
[5:44] 13. Do You Know The Way To San Jose (Feat. Celia Cruz)

My Friends & Me, Dionne Warwick's collection of duets that revisit her classic recordings, benefits from her many talented friends in the music industry, but most of all from a family member. Her son Damon Elliott has worked with his mother for close to ten years, when he's not producing for contemporary hitmakers Pink, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Kelis, and Mya. Elliott's production for this record is engaging and charming, right up to the minute digitally on the rhythm end, but with plenty of space within the tracks to echo the airy productions of Warwick's long-time producer, Burt Bacharach. Also, Elliott kept most of these versions piano-based and added a tight backing chorus that is virtually necessary for anyone familiar with the original "Walk on By" or "Anyone Who Had a Heart." Dionne Warwick's voice, however, hasn't aged as well as her contemporaries, and the record often resembles a tribute album whose subject only stops by occasionally. (More often than not, the guests are featured more than Warwick herself.) The only track with radical changes is "The Windows of the World," which is presented with no less than four vocal guests (Angie Stone, Chanté Moore, Deborah Cox, Da Brat) and in a version that allows Da Brat to rap on the state of the world between the lines of the verses. Elsewhere, highlights come with Cyndi Lauper's quiet, pleading version of "Message to Michael," Kelis' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and Wynonna Judd's surprisingly smoky "Anyone Who Had a Heart." ~John Bush

My Friends And Me

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Al Caiola - The Very Best Of Al Caiola

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:01
Size: 112.2 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[2:03] 1. Wheel Of Fortune
[0:00] 2. Ring On Her Finger
[1:41] 3. El Relicario
[2:50] 4. Beautiful Dreamer
[3:26] 5. Malagueña
[3:31] 6. On Top Of Old Smokey
[2:33] 7. Espana Cani
[2:07] 8. Be Mine Tonight (Noche De Ronda)
[2:16] 9. La Paloma
[2:23] 10. Cielito Lindo
[3:21] 11. Clementine
[2:59] 12. Dixie
[3:03] 13. My Old Kentucky Home
[2:18] 14. Nelly Bly
[1:56] 15. Oh Susanna
[3:09] 16. Ole Kentucky
[2:20] 17. Ring, Ring De Banjo
[2:00] 18. In The Mood
[3:08] 19. Granada
[1:47] 20. Tico Tico

Guitarist Al Caiola initially made his reputation as a session musician, playing on records made by Percy Faith and Andre Kostelanetz, among others. Caiola was the conductor and arranger for United Artists Records in the late '40s and early '50s. After leaving UA, he signed with RCA, where he released a number of singles in the '50s. In the early '60s, he went back to United Artists, which is where he scored his first hit with the theme to the film The Magnificent Seven. The single peaked at 35 in early 1961 and it was quickly followed by the theme to the television series Bonanza, which climbed to number 19. For the rest of the '60s, Caiola released a number of easy listening instrumental albums and also hosted a television show, which was only aired for a short while. Caiola continued to record throughout subsequent decades; he died in Allendale, New Jersey in 2016 at the age of 96. ~ bio by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Very Best Of Al Caiola

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David Grisman, Frank Vignola, Robin Nolan, Michael Papillo - The Living Room Sessions

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 125.7 MB
Styles: Gypsy jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[6:10] 1. Claire De Lune
[5:38] 2. Black Orpheus
[4:03] 3. September Song
[8:17] 4. Sway With Me
[6:54] 5. Dawg's Waltz
[5:34] 6. Swing Gitan
[6:51] 7. Tears
[7:21] 8. Premier Guitar
[4:02] 9. Autumn Leaves

Ever wonder what it's like to be sitting in a living room feet away from master acoustic instrumentalists jamming on a Saturday afternoon? Well now is your chance. David Grisman, Frank Vignola, Michael Papillo and gypsy guitarist, Robin Nolan enjoyed a spontaneous afternoon of jamming in Seattle so we all decided to bring in a recording crew and capture the unbelievable music that went on this special day!

The Living Room Sessions

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Annie Ross - Loguerhythms

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 77:30

Size: 177.4 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz, Poetry

Year: 1962/2014

Art: Front

[3:57] 1. Bellini

[4:30] 2. The Ballad Of The Water And The Flame

[3:31] 3. The Ass' Song

[5:17] 4. The Liberal Man

[3:45] 5. Johnny

[4:27] 6. Sick Man

[3:32] 7. Things

[0:50] 8. He

[3:10] 9. Go To The Wall

[5:25] 10. The Ballad Of The Ape And The Judge

[1:02] 11. The General

[2:58] 12. Western Ladies

[1:42] 13. Lithe Girl, Brown Girl

[2:07] 14. Steep Gloom Among Pine-Trees

[0:13] 15. Sometimes It's Like You're Dead

[1:54] 16. Drunk As Drunk On Turpentine

[1:43] 17. Wings Whirr By Moon And Midnight

[1:37] 18. Can You Trap Shadows Like This

[3:15] 19. Tonight, I Write Sadly

[3:00] 20. The Way You Look Tonight

[2:38] 21. I'm Beginning To Think You Care For Me

[2:17] 22. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

[3:11] 23. Everytime

[3:11] 24. The Song Is You

[2:44] 25. Jackie

[3:18] 26. The Time Was Right

[2:06] 27. I Want You To Be My Baby

English poet Christopher Logue wrote screenplays for Ken Loach and Ken Russell and appeared as Cardinal Richelieu in the latter’s The Devils. Jazz singer Annie Ross was the driving force behind the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. The two are uneasily paired in a Cherry Red’s set that reissues an album of Ross’ jazz adaptations of Logue’s poetry. Originally released in 1963, Loguerhythms‘ dozen tracks are supplemented by Logue’s own readings. The two vocalists’ deliveries could not be more different, and even though Ross is the headliner, the performing poet comes off better.

Ross’ set, recorded live with drummer Tony Kinsey’s jazz combo band begins with “Bellini,” a song in the vein of witty song play like Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top,” that namechecks Billie Holiday but also Ho Chi Minh and Jean-Paul Sartre. It’s an auspiciously playful start, but “The Ballad of the Water and the Flame” sinks the album quickly, its music and lyrics ponderous in lines like “With the water I drown Hell.” Loguerhythms gives this set its name, but it’s the weakest material here, lyrically witty but musically forced. That forced writing can come across in Ross’ phrasing, which strains to make vocal conversation out of poetry that doesn’t sound conversational at all. Ross was the star of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross because of her sex appeal, smarts and comic timing, the group’s sultry face and its most distinct musician. But her solo work shows that sometimes she needs a straight man or two.

Part of the problem is that Ross is singing music that rhythmically confines her. The vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, whose vocalese repertoire took instrumental jazz compositions and wrote lyrics not just for the heads but for solos, was the best showcase for her talent. Their take on saxophonist Wardell Gray’s ‘Twisted” is classic vocalese that challenges Ross, who takes the role of lead instrument and rises to the occasion. Logue’s poetry constrains Ross, caging her rhythmic chops. The arrangements don’t help. The long “The Ballad of the Ape and the Judge” even resorts to a circus rhythm, then to nearly unaccompanied vocals which leave Ross out in the cold without a groove. This is more dramatic reading than jazz. Ross is a good actress – see her performance in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, but she’s only as good as her material, and Logue’s mannered language understandably gives Ross some trouble. Who would sound natural singing about an ape and a judge?

Logue’s own jazz version of his poetry, originally released on the 1959 EP Red Bird Jazz & Poetry, follows Ross’ set. His mannered delivery is accompanied by the same Tony Kinsey combo that backed Ross, but in a more relaxed setting. Logue’s style of dramatic readings with jazz accompaniment is not the kind of thing I seek out, but it suits his material more naturally than Ross’ Loguerhythms. Logue sounds like he’s leading the band, while Ross, uncomfortable with material that just isn’t right for her, too often sounds like the band leads her. On paper, a track like “Can You Trap Shadows Like This” sounds like it shouldn’t work. Logue performs an up-tempo reading of his poem over a bright jazz combo. The poet doesn’t have what anyone would call jazz chops, but he has good timing, and his confident interplay with the band makes it work better than anything in the headliner’s set.

Cherry Red packs the CD to run a generous 77+ minutes with Annie Ross performances of jazz standards with Gigi Gryce and other simpatico combos. This material is better suited to Ross’ gifts than the Logue material, but she still sounds curiously out of sorts. The version of “Jackie” included here lacks the confidence of the version Ross recorded with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Annie Ross may be the marquee name on this set, but fans of Christopher Logue may find it more satisfying.

Loguerhythms    

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Benny Carter - All Of Me

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet And Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:16
Size: 147,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. All Of Me
(2:46)  2. Cuddle Up
(3:16)  3. Ev'ry Goodbye Ain't Gone
(3:09)  4. Babalu
(3:20)  5. Midnight
(3:08)  6. My Favorite Blues
(3:10)  7. Lullaby To A Dream
(3:04)  8. What A Difference A Day Made
(2:47)  9. Sunday
(3:05) 10. Ill Wind [alt. take]
(2:56) 11. Back Bay Boogie
(2:51) 12. Tree Of Hope
(2:52) 13. 35th And Calumet
(2:56) 14. The Sheik Of Araby
(2:46) 15. Push Out
(3:22) 16. Confessin'
(3:17) 17. Boulevard Bounce
(3:40) 18. The Lonely Beat
(2:05) 19. The Mugger
(2:28) 20. The Jukebox
(2:46) 21. Phantom Raiders

A strong sampling of Benny Carter's music is heard in this hodgepodge CD reissue. Twelve of the altoist's 16 Bluebird big-band recordings of 1940-41 (including a previously unissued version of "Ill Wind") precede nine titles gathered from a wide variety of sessions with one song apiece taken from dates led by Mezz Mezzrow, Willie Bryant, Ethel Waters, Artie Shaw and Lucky Thompson and four performances reissued from Carter's soundtrack album of his score for the M Squad in 1959. Obviously not a set recommended to completists (the European Classics series is much preferred), the high quality of the music ("All of Me" has a classic Carter arrangement) makes this a worthwhile purchase for more casual collectors. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/all-of-me-mw0000674400

Personnel: Benny Carter (alto saxophone, clarinet, trumpet), Ethel Waters (vocals), Bud Freeman, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone), Doc Cheatham, Henry "Red" Allen (trumpet), Teddy Wilson (piano), Barney Kessel (guitar), Red Callender, Milt Hinton (bass), Chick Webb (drums).

All Of Me

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Marian Montgomery - Lovin' Is Livin'.... And Livin' Is Lovin

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 25:48
Size: 68,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:17)  1. Teach Me Tonight
(3:07)  2. Just A Dream
(1:53)  3. There! I've Said It Again
(2:01)  4. The Moment Of Truth
(1:50)  5. Lovin' Is Livin'
(2:00)  6. I Still Get Jealous
(2:00)  7. Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey
(2:18)  8. I Wanna Be Loved
(2:27)  9. I'm Falling For You
(2:10) 10. Please Do It Again
(3:40) 11. Love Is An Old Maid's Dream

Born Maude Runnels, 17 November 1934, Natchez, Mississippi, USA, d. 22 July 2002, Bray, Berkshire, England. Montgomery quit school to sing on television in Atlanta, Georgia. After working in advertising and publishing, performing in plays and singing in strip joints and jazz clubs, she became an established cabaret performer. Montgomery was signed to Capitol Records after Peggy Lee heard her demo tape, and she recorded three albums for the label. She moved to the UK in 1965 to sing at a new London club, the Cool Elephant, with John Dankworth’s band. That same year she married composer and musical director Laurie Holloway and began to establish herself on the London club scene, equally at home at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club as she was on the less demanding cabaret circuit.

Possessing a voice that was once likened to ‘having a long, cool glass of mint julep on a Savannah balcony’, she expanded her career with a starring role in the 1969 West End revival of Anything Goes, and frequent appearances on radio and television, as well as concerts and cabaret in the UK and abroad. Her one-woman show was televised by the BBC in 1975. Besides her musical association with Holloway, she successfully collaborated with classical composer/pianist Richard Rodney Bennett on several projects, including Puttin’ On The Ritz, Surprise Surprise andTown And Country. With an instantly recognizable, relaxed and intimate style, Montgomery became one of a handful of American artists to take up permanent residence in the UK. She lost her long battle against cancer contracted from passive smoking in July 2002. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marian-montgomery-mn0000233883

Lovin' Is Livin'.... And Livin' Is Lovin

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Christian Winther - The Only Plan

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:39)  1. New York Strut
(7:25)  2. Back It Up
(6:56)  3. Misty Thursday
(8:52)  4. Bright Light
(7:04)  5. There It Is
(7:03)  6. High Ground
(7:28)  7. The Only Plan
(8:39)  8. Dahomey Dance

Winther emigrated from his native Denmark, studied jazz at the University of New Orleans and now resides in the Crescent City. This album reflects his adoption of and adaptation to the local musical culture. It marks his rise as another promising tenor saxophonist among the ranks of well-schooled young jazz musicians. The feeling of this album is bright and sunny. (It was recorded before Hurricane Katrina.) Rhythms indigenous to New Orleans abound, as pianist Richard Doron Johnson, bassist Neal Caine and drummer Ali Jackson Jr. dish out the infectious grooves. The ensemble sound of the horns (Winther and trumpeter Marcus Printup) recall the Blue Note era. You might call this a hard-bop-meets-New Orleans scene. Winther originals dominate the program, beginning with the second-line-tinged “New York Strut.” His jaunty, stride-piano-introduced “There It Is” and Monkish “High Ground” are also worthy of note. Winther’s tenor is warm and fluid, with traces of Eric Alexander and perhaps the late New Orleans tenorman Red Tyler. On “High Ground,” he hints at Charlie Rouse. Printup, who increasingly impresses with each new album he appears on, is in admirable form, with boldness and exuberance that suggest a young Freddie Hubbard. ~ Owen Cordle https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/christian-winther-the-only-plan/ 

The Only Plan

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