Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom - Green Eyed Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:03
Size: 144.3 MB
Styles: B3 Organ Jazz/Soul/Blues/Funk
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[7:22] 1. Always Outnumbered
[7:18] 2. The Soulside
[6:18] 3. Like, Like Dope
[5:25] 4. Lovin' You Again
[7:44] 5. Green Eyed Soul
[7:18] 6. Silver Plated
[5:11] 7. Soulard Soul Stew
[7:12] 8. Yo Bro Youssel
[9:11] 9. El Fuego De Lowell

A tasty bit of organ jazz from Ron Levy -- an unsung hero of the Hammond, and one of the leading lights of the Northeast scene! Ron's playing is steeped in the classic styles of the 60s -- some nice Jack McDuff touches on the keys at times, but overall with a heavier approach to the funk that reminds us more of some of the heavy-hitters in the Prestige jazz funk early 70s years -- like Leon Spencer or Groove Holmes. The album's got a surprisingly classic feel -- no gimmicks, no "jam too much" playing -- just tight, right, and outta site funky jazz -- played in a style that really appreciates the classics, but which gives it the kind of energy that we first heard getting pumped back into the music from the Desco/Daptone crew!

Green Eyed Soul

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Gene Ammons - A Stranger In Town

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 67:51

Size: 155.3 MB

Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 2002

Art: Front

[9:41] 1. The Song Is You

[3:59] 2. Light'n Up

[3:32] 3. Short Stop

[3:58] 4. They Say You're Laughing At Me

[4:13] 5. Salome's Tune

[4:10] 6. Blue Coolade

[5:58] 7. A Stranger In Town

[5:32] 8. Scam

[4:24] 9. Count Your Blessings

[3:07] 10. Cara Mia

[5:18] 11. Night Lights

[5:41] 12. Calypso Blues

[8:11] 13. Nature Boy

Alto Saxophone – Oliver Nelson;Baritone Saxophone – Gene Easton, Robert Ashton; Bass – George Duvivier, Wendell Marshall; Congas – Henry Pucho Brown, Ray Barretto; Drums – Billy English, Ed Thigpen, George Brown, Rudy Collins, Walter Perkins; Piano – John Houston, Mal Waldron, Patti Brown, Richard Wyands, Wynton Kelly; Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, George Barrow, Red Holloway; Trombone – Henderson Chambers; Trumpet – Clark Terry, Hobart Dotson, Nate Woodward.

More so than other independent jazz labels such as Blue Note and Riverside, the powers to be at Prestige seemed to take great liberties in producing albums that would often contain cuts from multiple sessions, a discographical nightmare at its most basic. But even more troubling, this often made for a lack of coherence that could be disconcerting at times. What then made all of this worse was that the practice was often used with some of the label’s most important and visible artists.

The forgoing will hopefully put into perspective the circumstances surrounding the strange mélange that makes up the Gene Ammons compilation A Stranger In Town. Taken from no less than five recording sessions that span from 1954 to 1970, the 13 tracks assembled here originally appeared on the albums Velvet Soul, Sock!, and Night Lights. That’s the easy part; and then it gets confusing as you try to keep up with the rotating cast of characters on hand. A boisterous “The Song Is You” gets us started with some great small group charts provided by Oliver Nelson, only to give way to a spate of quartet performances that while solid are not particularly all that revelatory. The closing three tracks, particularly a tasty “Calypso Blues,” are the cream of the crop as Ammons' blustery attack gets bluesy support from the ubiquitous Wynton Kelly. ~C. Andrew Hovan

A Stranger In Town

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Katrine Madsen - You Are So Beautiful

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:48
Size: 127.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1999/2013
Art: Front

[5:18] 1. Early In The Autumn
[4:29] 2. You Are So Beautiful To Me
[5:34] 3. When Nightbirds Sing
[5:25] 4. You Must Believe In Spring
[3:31] 5. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[5:14] 6. I Lost Myself To You
[4:15] 7. Let There Be Love
[5:44] 8. Shadow Woman
[2:51] 9. Isn't It A Pity
[3:09] 10. Let Me Love You
[5:33] 11. Speak Low
[4:40] 12. Everything Must Change

Bass – Jesper Bodilsen; Drums – Ed Thigpen; Piano – Carsten Dahl; Vocals – Katrine Madsen, Svante Thuresson.

You Are So Beautiful is a 1999 music album with Danish jazz singer Katrine Madsen. On two of the tracks she sings duet with Svante Thuresson.

You Are So Beautiful

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Mal Waldron Quintet - Mal-1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:07
Size: 88,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:55)  1. Stablemates
(7:50)  2. Yesterdays
(7:19)  3. Transfiguration
(5:52)  4. Bud Study
(7:02)  5. Dee's Dilemma
(5:07)  6. Shome

Mal Waldron's recording debut as a leader presents the pianist with his many gifts already well developed. For the 1956 quartet date, he takes charge to strike a balance between the sound of a blowing session and the refinement of a more polished date. The spontaneity is there, but the set also benefits from Waldron's thoughtful charts. At this stage of his development, Waldron was a distinctive bop pianist whose occasional sputtering, knotty phrasing revealed the acknowledged influence of Thelonious Monk, as well as similarities with contemporaries Al Haig and Bud Powell. For this set, though, the focus is not on Waldron's playing, but on his ability to lead from the piano bench. The horn players top-flight boppers Idrees Sulieman on trumpet and Gigi Gryce on alto sax contribute hot solos played with class and authority, and disciplined ensemble work supports the overall structure of Waldron's charts. Some of the arrangements seem written with a larger ensemble in mind, but they also work in the quartet setting, with Waldron's effective use of staggered horn entries, dynamics, interesting harmonies, and occasional countermelodies adding color and variety to the performances. 

The tracks comprise a bright, focused performance of Benny Golson's "Stablemates," a sparse, bluesy take of the standard "Yesterdays," a pair of good Waldron originals and one from Sulieman, along with Lee Sears' "Transfiguration." Bassist Julian Euell and drummer Arthur Edgehill supply a strong and reliable bop pulse. ~ Jim Todd http://www.allmusic.com/album/mal-1-mw0000188794

Personnel: Mal Waldron (piano); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Idrees Sulieman (trumpet); Julian Euell (bass); Arthur Edgehill (drums).

Mal-1

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Tiziana Ghiglioni - I'll be Around

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:22
Size: 90,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:15)  1. Am I Blue
(5:14)  2. They Can't Take that Away from Me
(7:18)  3. You Don't Know what Love Is
(3:21)  4. All or Nothing at All
(5:16)  5. Glad to Be Unhappy
(2:48)  6. I'll Be Around
(2:22)  7. Yesterdays
(4:16)  8. Where Are You?
(0:20)  9. Darn that Dream
(2:08) 10. But not for Me

Tiziana Ghiglioni began his musical training in the seventies, attending the seminars of the pianist and composer Giorgio Gaslini and studying vocal technique with the soprano Gabriella Ravazzi. Among the first professional experience is the theater tour with the Shakespeare / Ellington show with the same Giorgio Gaslini and Giorgio Albertazzi .In the early eighties he began his career as a jazz singer and bandleader immediately obtaining the attention of audiences and critics thanks to the reviews of the journalist and jazz historian Arrigo Polillo who commented very positively both his first public performances is his first album ( "Lonely Woman" of 1981 ) engraved with certain emerging young among them Piero Leveratto and Luigi Bonafede .The reception of the first disc is such that in the second etching ( "Sounds of Love" of 1983 ) the singer is joined by internationally renowned musicians like Kenny Drew on piano and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass. In subsequent years Ghiglioni affirms its leading role in the Italian jazz working with some of the most famous national jazz musicians (including Luca Flores , Enrico Pieranunzi , Paolo Fresu , Franco D'Andrea , Gianluigi Trovesi and Enrico Rava ) and international ( including Chet Baker , Steve Lacy , Mal Waldron , Paul Bley and Lee Konitz ).

Despite being very appreciated for its executions of the traditional jazz repertoire, Ghiglioni shows a particular predilection for the free jazz and for contamination. She herself said that her passion for jazz was born after listening saxophonist Archie Shepp , one of the protagonists of the movement free. No coincidence that in his first incision is deeply involved with a piece by Ornette Coleman "Lonely Woman", which also became the title of the album. This interest in the avant-garde is witnessed, among others, from the album "SONB" of 1992 , which earned her second place in the ranking of the best albums of the magazine Musica Jazz and the nickname "First Lady" of Italian jazz (for by the then director of Pino Candini magazine). Among the most recent experiments you can cite the disc "Rotella Variations", signed together with the violinist Emanuele Parrini : an ambitious attempt to carry into music by the contemporary suggestions Mimmo Rotella .

In 2009 she was President of the Artistic Committee of the 3rd edition of the Italian Jazz Awards - Luca Flores. He currently resides between Genoa and Milan. He is professor of jazz singing teacher at the conservatory of Rovigo. On 23 and 24 June 2012 was the guest of honor at the end of essay academy year cultural musician "La Fenice" in Gioia del Colle. He sang with the children of the school who have also received from her a certificate of "Master Class". Translate by Google  https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiziana_Ghiglioni

Personnel: Vocals – Tiziana Ghiglioni; Piano – Mal Waldron; Trumpet – Enrico Rava

I'll be Around

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Hiromi - Brain

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:31
Size: 143,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:53)  1. Kung-Fu World Champion
( 7:11)  2. If...
( 5:43)  3. Wind Song
( 9:05)  4. Brain
( 7:08)  5. Desert on the Moon
( 4:38)  6. Green Tea Farm
(10:02)  7. Keytalk
(10:47)  8. Legend of the Purple Valley

Japanese pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara dazzled the jazz world with her 2003 debut, Another Mind. Its mash of keyboard pyrotechnics and range of compositional styles was multiplied exponentially by her irrepressible energy. On that set she used variously sized ensembles to articulate her compositions. On Brain, Hiromi strips it back to a trio and offers a more intimate look at her wide musical universe, utilizing drummer Martin Valihora, bassist Tony Grey (both fellow Berklee College of Music alums), and alternately bassist Anthony Jackson. The album opens with the wacky "Kung-Fu World Champion" with its mélange of sequenced keyboards. It's a fusion tune to be sure, but it's so kooky and funky that it transcends the label despite its reliance on staggering time signatures and stop-on-air turnarounds and changes. It's a careening tour de force where electronic keyboards and pianos are layered over a scattershot rhythm that pulls and pushes the deep pocket funk and strafes it with a post-bop sensibility. Grey's bassing here is so choice, so utterly fluid and physical. But it's back to jazz on "If..." with Jackson taking the bass chair. It's a strolling soul-jazz figure, bubbling over a series of chromatically arranged ostinati. Its beauty is crystalline despite all the activity. "Wind Song" is a mid-tempo ballad with beautiful ringing lines in the middle register. 

Its repetitive figure shifts and shapes an alternate melodic line in the solo.The knottiness of the title track offers a close, scrutinizing view of Hiromi's mad muse; using her piano to articulate a figure she creates a warped and angular counterpoint with electronic keyboards keeping the rhythm section striating in between, with precise interstitial motifs before the entire cut gives way to a blessed out of minor key prelude on the piano and her rhythm section dancing around the changes in hushed tones. The centerpiece of the set is a stunningly beautiful tune called "Green Tea Farm." A solo piece, it is pastoral. In sum, Hiromi has built upon her previous effort by stripping down her band and showcasing the less physical but no less ambitious side of her improvisational and compositional flair. Her sound might still be confounding to the purists, but who cares? Hiromi is a jazz pianist for the new century, one whose "yes" to the wealth of musical styles that are available to her is only eclipsed by her ability to work them into a unique whole that bears her signature. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/brain-mw0000220366

Personnel: Hiromi Uehara (piano); Anthony Jackson, Tony Grey (bass); Martin Valihora (drums).

Brain

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Ernie Watts - Reaching Up

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:58
Size: 158,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:50)  1. Reaching Up
( 8:53)  2. Mr. Syms
( 5:55)  3. I Hear A Rhapsody
( 6:14)  4. Transparent Sea
( 5:21)  5. The High Road
( 5:38)  6. Inward Glance
( 6:54)  7. You Leave Me Breathless
( 4:51)  8. Sweet Lucy
(10:21)  9. Angel's Flight
( 3:56) 10. Sweet Solitude

For this quartet set with pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Charles Fambrough, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Ernie Watts definitely came to play. Virtually all of his solos are high powered and even his ballad statements are filled with clusters of passionate notes. Trumpeter Arturo Sandval has two appearances and makes the music even more hyper. In addition, the rhythm section keeps the proceedings consistently stimulating. The main focus on these standards and originals is generally on Watts' tenor, and even though there isn't all that much variety, this CD is a strong example of his jazz talents. 

~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/reaching-up-mw0000108870

Personnel: Ernie Watts (saxophone); Arturo Sandoval (trumpet); Mulgrew Miller (piano); Charles Fambrough (acoustic bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums).

Reaching Up

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Bert Kaempfert - Strangers In The Night

Styles: Jazz, Big band
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:46
Size: 146,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Strangers In The Night
(3:06)  2. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(3:20)  3. It's Only A Paper Moon
(2:58)  4. You turned my world around
(2:11)  5. You Are There
(3:33)  6. Stardust
(2:43)  7. Something
(2:48)  8. When You're Smiling
(3:11)  9. Out Of Nowhere
(2:43) 10. My way of life
(4:27) 11. Moonlight Serenade
(3:39) 12. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(3:21) 13. Didn't we
(3:31) 14. The World We Knew (Over And Over)
(3:35) 15. My Blue Heaven
(2:50) 16. Lover
(2:20) 17. The good life
(3:08) 18. The Continental
(2:55) 19. My melancholy baby
(3:56) 20. My Way

In 1965, Bert Kaempfert was commissioned by the American film company Universal Pictures to compose the music for “A Man Could Get Killed” a comedy film about a gang of crooks. Set in Portugal’s capital Lisbon, the film’s main ingredients were a diamond robbery, secret agents and a romance; two of the leading roles were taken by Melina Mercouri and James Garner. The present disc, recorded in 1966, includes the two main themes from the film: But Not Today, heard during the Main Title, and, of course, Strangers In The Night, the love theme, which was entitled Beddy-Bye in the film score. But Not Today is proof enough that Bert Kaempfert was not only capable of writing a lovely film melody but that he also knew how to capture a Spanish-Portuguese touch, even adding a dash of Greece as a tribute to the unforgotten Melina Mercouri. In those days Bert Kaempfert could scarcely have foreseen that his love theme Strangers In The Night would become an international Super-hit within an amazingly short time and that it would, to this day, take its place among those songs which have received the most awards. Bert Kaempfert’s publisher, Hal Fein, instinctively knew the true value of this song which he offered to Frank Sinatra, who immediately recorded it and thus made his great comeback. After only a few weeks, Frankieboy’s vocal and Bert Kaempfert’s orchestral versions took the charts by the storm and even ousted the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys from their places at the top of the international hit parade. In Germany alone Fremde in der Nacht was available contemporaneously in four different vocal versions, and in 1967 this composition was named the “Hit of the Year” by the German copyright society GEMA.

Over the years Bert Kaempfert not only received numerous gold discs for Strangers In The Night but was showered with other prizes, such as the “Golden Globe”. As recently as 1990 the evergreen was honored with a fourth “BMI Award”. The press commented: “Bert Kaempfert’s songs are still record-breakers! The American copyright society BMI has registered four million radio performances of Strangers In The Night, which constitutes non-stop broadcasting for 22.8 years!” But it is not only these two film melodies that are worth a mention. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Mexican Shuffle and Tijuana Taxi were also enormously successful; Bert Kaempfert’s Milica, also known as Sweet Maria, was also a huge hit, particularly in the USA; and finally his Two Can Live On Love Alone was chosen by the Anita Kerr Singers for their album entitled Bert Kaempfert Turns Us On. http://kaempfert.de/en/album/strangers-in-the-night/

Strangers In The Night

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Margie Anderson - The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:56
Size: 82.3 MB
Styles: Jazz/blues vocals
Year: 1959/2011
Art: Front

[4:41] 1. My Funny Valentine
[2:54] 2. Ca, C'est L'amour
[4:44] 3. The Thrill Is Gone
[4:13] 4. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[2:37] 5. A Foggy Day
[2:42] 6. Paris Blues
[2:31] 7. Haiti Blues
[3:12] 8. By Myself
[2:13] 9. Hong Kong Sentinel
[2:42] 10. London Blues
[3:22] 11. Follow That Girl

Margie Anderson is a Boston-based singer who still lives in Boston, although she is no longer active as a singer. She has been a close friend of mine for many years. The CD is her own reissue of a session recorded in the late 1950's. The material was issued on a variety of budget labels. I gave up years ago trying to sort out who's backing her on this session, although she does remember that the band was led by pianist Bob Freedman. Margie also recorded for Columbia in the early 1950's. There is some information about her (and from her) in the book about Gigi Gryce by Noal Cohen and Mike Fitzgerald. She had known Gigi in his Boston days (early 1950's). ~Funkateer

The Blues

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Delfeayo Marsalis - The Last Southern Gentlemen

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:34
Size: 161.6 MB
Styles: Trombone jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:37] 1. The Secret Love Affair
[6:00] 2. Autumn Leaves
[3:12] 3. She's Funny That Way
[5:43] 4. Can You Tell Me How To Get To
[5:35] 5. I'm Confessin'
[6:59] 6. But Beautiful
[7:45] 7. Speak Low
[5:52] 8. Nancy
[4:20] 9. The Man With 2 Left Feet
[5:17] 10. That Old Feeling
[3:46] 11. My Romance
[4:49] 12. If I Were A Bell
[5:33] 13. I Cover The Waterfront

Bass – John Clayton; Drums – Marvin "Smitty" Smith; Piano – Ellis Marsalis; Trombone – Delfeayo Marsalis.

The Last Southern Gentlemen is a landmark recording for Delfeayo Marsalis, pairing father Ellis Marsalis, Jr. with son on a collaborative album for the first time. Marsalis' finest outing to date, the superb recording quality and meticulous production showcase his brilliant, classically trained tone as it swings effortlessly through standards and original compositions. The music is relaxed, thoughtful and provocative, acknowledging the love and respect of all people shared by Louis Armstrong and most early jazz entertainers. This sense of humanity and humility is at the center of the Southern lifestyle that birthed the original American music. Built on the intimacy of American ballads and the trombone's expressive mimicry of the human voice, The Last Southern Gentlemen is a firm acknowledgement of the existence and importance of these sweet, gentle sounds.

The Last Southern Gentlemen

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Todd Rundgren - Anthology (1968-1985)

The flagship of Rhino's Todd Rundgren reissue series was Anthology (1968-1985), a double-disc set that traced the rock & roll maverick's career from the Nazz through his decade-and-a-half with Bearsville Records. Designed as the definitive statement of Rundgren's solo work (his work with Utopia received its own Anthology), Anthology (1968-1985) comes very close to fulfilling its goal. Since it covers so much ground, it's inevitable that a few essential items and fan favorites are missing, especially since Rundgren was incredibly prolific during these 17 years. And it is true that early masterpieces like "I'm in the Clique," "Once Burned," "Chain Letter," "The Range War" and "Long Flowing Robe" are missing, as are several highlights from Something/Anything?, but in their place are stronger tracks from less consistent albums, which makes it a nice retrospective for converted fans who want a comprehensive compilation to supplement the acknowledged classics. That said, the curious or casual listener may find Anthology a bit too sprawling for their tastes, even it does provide an excellent summary of Rundgren's heyday as a cult recording artist. In that case, Rhino's The Very Best of Todd Rundgren is a good choice, since it is a more concise collection that contains all the hits and rock-bottom essentials, plus several Utopia cuts and "The Want of a Nail." ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album: Anthology (1968-1985) Part 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 46:33

Size: 106.6 MB

Styles: AM Pop, Contemporary pop-rock

Year: 1989

Art: Front

[3:07] 1. We Gotta Get You A Woman

[3:09] 2. Wailing Wall

[3:25] 3. Be Nice To Me

[3:52] 4. Hello It's Me

[2:59] 5. I Saw The Light

[3:53] 6. It Wouldn't Have Made Any Differene

[3:22] 7. Couldn't I Just Tell You

[4:20] 8. Sometimes I Don't Know What To Do

[4:59] 9. Just One Victory

[2:25] 10. A Dream Goes On Forever

[4:51] 11. The Last Ride

[6:06] 12. Don't You Ever Learn

Anthology (1968-1985) Part 1

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Album: Anthology (1968-1985) Part 2

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 56:56

Size: 130.3 MB

Styles: AM Pop, Contemporary pop-rock

Year: 1989

Art: Front

[4:27] 1. Real Man

[4:43] 2. Black And White

[3:36] 3. Love Of The Common Man

[4:03] 4. Cliché

[3:12] 5. All The Children Sing

[3:38] 6. Can We Still Be Friends

[2:35] 7. You Cried Wolf

[3:36] 8. Time Heals

[4:47] 9. Compassion

[4:59] 10. Hideaway

[3:36] 11. Bang The Drum All Day

[5:27] 12. Drive

[3:54] 13. Johnee Jingo

[4:15] 14. Something To Fall Back On

Anthology (1968-1985) Part 2

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The Modern Jazz Quartet - The Artistry Of The Modern Jazz Quartet

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:41
Size: 145.8 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1986
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. La Ronde
[2:12] 2. Rose Of The Rio Grande
[3:11] 3. The Queen's Fantasy
[3:56] 4. Delauney's Dilemna
[3:17] 5. In A Sentimental Mood
[2:56] 6. The Stopper
[3:22] 7. Almost Like Being In Love
[3:29] 8. No Moe
[7:01] 9. Django
[2:58] 10. One Bass Hit
[4:21] 11. Milano
[7:07] 12. Ralph's New Blues
[5:05] 13. I'll Remember April
[3:37] 14. Concorde
[7:56] 15. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise

Spanning one of the few transitional periods for the Modern Jazz Quartet when Connie Kay replaced Kenny Clarke as the group's drummer, The Artistry of the Modern Jazz Quartet covers the years from 1952-1955. By this point in the group's career, John Lewis was largely overseeing the quartet's repertoire, penning the bulk of the original material. Indeed, on The Artistry Of, the pianist contributes six compositions to Milt Jackson's one (the excellent "Ralph's New Blues"). The set is balanced out by renditions of the most common of jazz standards in "Almost Like Falling in Love," "I'll Remember April," and "In a Sentimental Mood," and the work of more contemporary artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins. Though the chops of each member are undeniable, the performances are, for the most part, rather reserved, placing technique and group coordination above strong emotion. Lewis' "La Ronde" was an early favorite, and it's easy to see why. Here the all-rhythm lineup is completely locked in, particularly the drums and vibes, and the head packs a punch lacking on much of the material. Jackson balances restraint and umph! on a memorable solo while Lewis responds with excellent bopisms on piano. Two songs later, however, the group are strolling through the awkward "The Queen's Fancy," a composition whose overly sentimental melody line, complete with regal undertones, has faired less well over time. More impressive are readings of "Rose of the Rio Grande" and Lewis' "Delaunay's Dilemma." In 1951, the MJQ had backed Sonny Rollins on a Prestige date, and The Artistry Of finds the saxophonist repaying the favor, lending prime solos to a handful of cuts including his own "The Stopper" and "No Moe." In the end, this album is a fine introduction to the sound and sensibility of the MJQ. ~Nathan Bush

The Artistry Of The Modern Jazz Quartet

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Caroline Dahl - No Hats

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:43
Size: 132.1 MB
Styles: Blues/jazz piano, Boogie woogie
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 3:20] 1. Caroline's Boogie
[ 4:27] 2. Tico Tico Medley
[ 4:18] 3. Sharp Swinger
[ 4:24] 4. Up And Running
[ 4:33] 5. Sugarplum's Blues
[10:26] 6. Kentucky Sampler
[ 4:56] 7. Twilight Blue
[ 3:58] 8. Parrot Dance
[ 4:25] 9. Chicken Nothin' Special
[ 3:20] 10. Bluegrass Boogie Woogie
[ 5:42] 11. Rhumba Apocalypso
[ 3:49] 12. Young Mother Of Old

From Louisville, Kentucky, where she was with the Metropolitan Blues All Stars (June Appal, Taxim) self-taught Caroline Dahl is a master pianist of American roots: boogie-woogie, blues, vintage R&B, swing, country and roots R&R. On this mostly-original debut she is on acoustic grand piano and accordion with no other accompaniment than trap drums featuring the best of S. F. Area sticksmen: Jimmy Sanchez (Rhythmtown-Jive), Kent Bryson (Johnny Nocturne Band), John Hanes (Pearl Harbour, Paris Slim), and Bowen Brown (Indigo Swing, John Lee Hooker). Also a piano player for the driving American roots R&B group, Rhythmtown-Jive she has worked with Brenda Boykin, Jerry Shelfer, Those Darn Accordions, The Lickettes, amd The Melotones.

No Hats

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Red Garland - Red Garland Revisited!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:21
Size: 115.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1957/1998
Art: Front

[6:19] 1. Billy Boy
[7:58] 2. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
[5:14] 3. Four
[5:34] 4. You Keep Coming Back Like A Song
[3:39] 5. Hey Now
[8:42] 6. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
[7:10] 7. Walkin'
[5:42] 8. It Could Happen To You

For pianist Red Garland's fourth recording as a leader, he's teamed up with bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Art Taylor, and (on "Four" and "Walkin'") guest guitarist Kenny Burrell. Garland plays in his distinctive style consistently throughout Red Garland Revisited!. Highlights include "Billy Boy" (which was adapted from Ahmad Jamal's rendition), "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over," "It Could Happen to You," and two Burrell tracks. Predictably excellent music; Garland recorded more than 20 additional albums within the next five years. ~Scott Yanow

Red Garland Revisited!

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Herbie Nichols - Herbie Nichols Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:22
Size: 99,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:27)  1. The Gig
(5:41)  2. House Party Starting
(4:04)  3. Chit-Chatting
(4:25)  4. The Lady Sings the Blues
(4:01)  5. Terpsichore
(4:56)  6. Spinning Song
(3:29)  7. Query
(4:06)  8. Wildflower
(4:05)  9. Hangover Triangle
(4:03) 10. Mine

One of jazz's most tragically overlooked geniuses, Herbie Nichols was a highly original piano stylist and a composer of tremendous imagination and eclecticism. He wasn't known widely enough to exert much influence in either department, but his music eventually attracted a rabid cult following, though not quite the wide exposure it deserved.  Nichols was born January 3, 1919, in New York and began playing piano at age nine, later studying at C.C.N.Y. After serving in World War II, Nichols played with a number of different groups and was in on the ground floor of the bebop scene. However, to pay the bills he later focused on Dixieland ensembles; his own music a blend of Dixieland, swing, West Indian folk, Monk-like angularity, European classical harmonies via Satie and Bartók, and unorthodox structures was simply too unclassifiable and complex to make much sense to jazz audiences of the time. Mary Lou Williams was the first to record a Nichols composition "Stennell," retitled "pus Z," in 1951; yet aside from the song he wrote for Billie Holiday, "Lady Sings the Blues," none of Nichols' work got enough attention to really catch on. He signed with Blue Note and recorded three brilliant piano trio albums from 1955-1956, adding another one for Bethlehem in late 1957. Nichols languished in obscurity after those sessions, though; sadly, just when he was beginning to find a following among several of the new thing's adventurous, up-and-coming stars, he was stricken with leukemia and died on April 12, 1963. In the years that followed, Nichols became a favorite composer in avant-garde circles, with tributes to his sorely neglected legacy coming from artists like Misha Mengelberg and Roswell Rudd. He also inspired a repertory group, called the Herbie Nichols Project, and most of his recordings were reissued on CD. https://itunes.apple.com/kg/artist/herbie-nichols-trio/id220354924

Personnel:  Piano, – Herbie Nichols;  Bass – Al McKibbon, Teddy Kotick;  Drums – Max Roach

Herbie Nichols Trio

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Elis Regina - Elis Regina in London

Styles: Vocal, Brazilian Jazz 
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:04
Size: 75,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:00)  1. Corrida de Jangada
(2:15)  2. A Time for Love
(2:55)  3. Se Você Pensa
(2:19)  4. Giro
(4:06)  5. A Volta
(2:42)  6. Zazueira
(2:17)  7. Upa Neguinho
(2:54)  8. Watch What Happens
(3:17)  9. Wave
(2:21) 10. How Insensitive
(2:23) 11. Você
(2:28) 12. O Barquinho

Legendary Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina's stunning 1969 landmark London album. An amazing, unique and highly successful mix of bossa nova, MPB, swinging funky orchestral grooves and more as Elis Regina hits the London studio scene, with UK musical direction by Peter Knight (arranger for Scott Walker). Elis in London is a stunning and unique album mixing Brazilian and late 1960s British music sensibilities, from the queen of Brazilian music. Featuring definitive versions of classic tunes such as Edu Lobo Upa Neguinho as well as songs by Jorge Ben, Tom Jobim and Menescal. Elis Regina is perhaps the greatest talent ever to come out of Brazil  and this unique album was recorded at the height of her career. Brazilian musician legends Wilson das Neves, Meirelles and Antonio Adolfo alongside an absolutely on-fire set of Britain s studio musicians creates one of the most successful meetings of musical worlds.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elis-Regina-London/dp/B008C1WVJM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1498338565&sr=1-1&keywords=elis+regina+london

Elis Regina in London

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Glenn Miller Orchestra - In The Digital Mood

Styles: Jazz, Swing, Big Band
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:25
Size: 79,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:39)  1. In The Mood
(3:41)  2. Chattanooga Choo-Choo
(3:25)  3. The American Patrol
(3:16)  4. A String Of Pearls
(3:08)  5. Little Brown Jug
(2:42)  6. Kalamazoo
(3:39)  7. Tuxedo Junction
(4:19)  8. St. Louis Blues March
(3:13)  9. Pennsylvania 6-5000
(3:18) 10. Moonlight Serenade

This CD may be scoffed at by serious jazz listeners, and even by big-band devotees wary of modern "ghost band" performances, but the fact is that it sold over 100,000 pieces when it first appeared in 1983, and its CD version was among the very earliest compact discs ever released commercially in the United States (indeed, so early that the actual CDs had to be imported from Japan). The second-ever release by GRP Records, it put the label on the map, and it also stood as testimony to how good those original arrangements of the Glenn Miller Orchestra were. So how is it as music? At worst entertaining, and at best revealing, and also at times a little frustrating on the plus side, even heard in 2007, twenty-four years after the fact, the sound here is damned impressive; you can safely rank this release as one of the very earliest, if not the very first audiophile CDs to be released. The fact that it features 18 top-flight musicians under the baton of Larry O'Brien, then the leader of the touring Glenn Miller Orchestra, only makes it more impressive. What's more, with the quality of the playing, one will be able to make out minuscule elements of the original arrangements that were long obscured on the classic late-'30s/early-'40s Glenn Miller sides. Musicians with an appreciation of these arrangements will probably love this recording, and casual fans should embrace it heartily: these boys swing in 1983 about as well as their predecessors from 41 years earlier did. And the vocal numbers are no exception -- in contrast to Columbia Records' mid-'60s efforts to revive the Miller orchestra as a recording unit (which failed not just because of the timing of the project but also the uneven quality of the resulting albums), numbers like "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" are as hot here as there were four decades before. And the singers include Mel Tormé and Julius LaRosa (doing a solo) in their ranks. Still, it's the instrumentals that make up the bulk of this album, and on that level it's similarly unimpeachable, at least most of the way through "Tuxedo Junction" (which includes Dave Grusin sitting in on piano) is so close to the original that it's easy to forget who you're listening to and when they put this track down; and serious listeners should probably hold out for the "Gold Disc" edition or the Japanese version of this CD, which contain a bonus track, "At Last," featuring a trombone solo by Urbie Green that is worth the price of the CD by itself. Now, all of that said, there are a couple of quibbles: the absence of the cowbell on "In the Mood," and the "clever" notion on "Pennsylvania 6-5000" of ending the number with well, you can guess. This is still one cool, swinging release and, with its virtuoso musicianship, offers many of the same appealing qualities as the original Miller recordings. ~ Bruce Eder http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-digital-mood-mw0000188430

Personnel: Marlene VerPlanck, Michael Mark, Julius La Rosa, Mel Tormé, Marty Nelson (vocals); Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Walter Levinsky (clarinet, saxophone); Morty Lewis, Phil Bodner, Sol Schlinger, Billy Slapin (saxophone); Irvin "Marky" Markowitz, Marvin Stamm, Jimmy Maxwell, John Frosk (trumpet); Sonny Russo, George Masso, Urbie Green, Wayne Andre, Paul Faulise (trombone); Dave Grusin, Bernie Leighton (piano); Ronald Zito (drums).

In The Digital Mood

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Jackie McLean & John Jenkins - Alto Madness

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:45
Size: 91,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:52)  1. Alto Madness
( 7:03)  2. Windy City
( 6:54)  3. The Lady Is A Tramp
( 7:39)  4. Easy Living
( 6:15)  5. Pondering

Altoists Jackie McLean and John Jenkins previously shared equal billing with Phil Woods, Gene Quill, and Hal McKusick for the album Bird Feathers, on which the saxophonists paid tribute to Charlie Parker on Parker's blues "Bird Feathers" supported by the fine boppish rhythm section of pianist Wade Legge, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. McLean, Jenkins, Legge, Watkins, and Taylor also recorded the five tracks here heard on Alto Madness at the same May 3, 1957 session that produced "Bird Feathers," and they continued the tribute to Parker in practically every phrase they played. McLean became much more individual within a few years, while Jenkins would fade from the scene altogether. This likable jam session features plenty of tradeoffs by the two altoists. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/alto-madness-mw0000203137

Personnel: Jackie McLean, John Jenkins (alto saxophone); Wade Legge (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

Alto Madness

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Sonny Criss - Live In Italy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 62:45

Size: 143.6 MB

Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz

Year: 2003/2010

Art: Front

[ 9:43] 1. Tin Tin Deo

[ 8:29] 2. Lover Man

[ 4:34] 3. Sonny's Blues

[ 8:02] 4. Summertime

[10:58] 5. Willow Weep For Me

[ 8:58] 6. Sunny

[ 9:06] 7. Hooti's Blues

[ 2:51] 8. Untitled Blues

Sonny Criss (as), George Arvanitas (p), Jacky Samson (b), Charles Saudrais (d). Recorded Live in Bologna, Italy, January 28, 1974.

This live set by the unjustly underappreciated alto saxophonist Sonny Criss from Italy in 1974 is a case in point for his tremendous lyricism, original tone, and hard-swinging soulfulness. Fronting the Georges Arvanitas Trio, Criss ushers the company through a series of fine pop and jazz standards, including Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" (a tune that was a Criss signature), Gershwin's "Summertime," "Willow Weep for Me," "Lover Man," Jay McShann's "Hooti's Blues," and a stunning, driving read of the Latin-infused "Tin Tin Deo." Criss also contributes his lovely "Sonny's Blues," as it comes out of "Lover Man" and changes the deeply grooving slow pace with a moaning blues, Bobby Timmons-style. Criss, despite his often heartbreakingly beautiful melodicism, is a blues shouter in the old tradition, as informed by Charlie Parker's brand of bop. And while the critics are dead wrong when comparing him to Bird or Sonny Stitt, this set shows he could play a cutting session with either of them. But with a decent rhythm section, and this one is more than that, Criss could display his greatest gift, making the improvisation in any tune a song of its own. Fresh Sounds gets high marks for issuing one of the rare live Criss sides on CD -- with two added unreleased tracks from the gig making it complete. The sound is a little thin in places, but the performance, including the over the top cover of "Summertime," more than compensates. ~Thom Jurek

Live In Italy

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Colleen McCollough - To Be Loved

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 21:48
Size: 49.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[1:53] 1. Almost Like Being In Love
[3:57] 2. Nature Boy
[2:32] 3. Orange Colored Sky
[3:30] 4. P.S. I Love You
[2:56] 5. Route 66
[4:25] 6. Tenderly
[2:32] 7. It's Only A Paper Moon

To Be Loved

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