Chico Hamilton Quintet 1958-1959 - Complete Studio Sessions (2-Disc Set)

Eric Dolphy (as, fl), Dennis Budimir (g), Nate Gershman, Fred Katz (cello), Wyatt Ruther, Ralph Peña (b) Chico Hamilton (d), String Orchestra (9 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos). Recorded in Hollywood, 1958-1959

Chico Hamilton, a musician of extraordinary vision and understanding, knew the risks that small jazz bands take when they enter the so-called classical realms. So he licked the problem largely by selecting his men and materials with extreme caution and rare perspicacity. In the special talents of guitarist Dennis Budimir and cellist Nathan Gershman, the leader added two individual and skilled voices, one jazz-slanted and one classically oriented, but both highly flexible. And in Eric Dolphy, he acquired a remarkable instrumentalist whose command of horns and musical language ranged from Hodges to Parker. Dolphy was particularly outstanding in this third version of Hamiltons quintet. He thoroughly understood the disparate concepts of pitch and tone that frequently stand in the way of those who would deal with both jazz and legitimate techniques. This set is, in essence, a summation of the evolution Chico Hamiltons quintet had gone through before it reached the end of its time as a working group.

Album: Complete Studio Sessions (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:50
Size: 166.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:46] 1. Pottsville, U.S.A
[3:47] 2. Don's Delight
[2:28] 3. Andante
[2:58] 4. Fair Weather
[6:41] 5. Modes
[4:28] 6. Under Paris Skies
[3:54] 7. Something To Live For
[2:26] 8. Speak Low
[3:06] 9. Strange
[4:35] 10. Close Your Eyes
[2:08] 11. Ev'rything I've Got
[2:56] 12. Long Ago (And Far Away)
[4:37] 13. I Gave My Love A Cherry
[3:03] 14. Beyond The Blue Horizon
[5:03] 15. Nature By Emerson
[2:56] 16. Tuesday At Two
[4:46] 17. Gongs East
[4:02] 18. Far East
[3:01] 19. Good Grief, Dennis

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Album: Complete Studio Sessions (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:43
Size: 118.4 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. Passion Flower
[3:59] 2. Where I Live
[1:41] 3. Opening
[3:10] 4. Truth
[2:56] 5. Fat Mouth
[2:43] 6. Theme For A Starlet
[1:45] 7. Little Lost Bear
[2:30] 8. Champs Elysees
[1:51] 9. Pretty Little Theme
[3:20] 10. Lost In The Night
[3:21] 11. Frou Frou
[3:02] 12. Lullaby For Dreamers
[2:34] 13. Cawn Pawn
[2:41] 14. Lady E
[5:52] 15. More Than You Know
[4:36] 16. Newport News
[2:15] 17. Miss Movement

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Mario Pavone - Street Songs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:05
Size: 123.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Avant garde
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. Elkna
[3:27] 2. Streetsongs
[4:42] 3. Cobalt Stories
[4:17] 4. Short Story
[7:26] 5. Alban Berg
[8:43] 6. Mythos
[8:11] 7. The Dom
[6:04] 8. Deez
[5:59] 9. Eyto

Mario Pavone: bass; Dave Ballou: cornet,flugelhorn; Peter Madsen: piano; Adam Matlock: accordion; Carl Testa; bass; Steve Johns: drums.

Listing an accordion in a jazz sextet's lineup evokes either thoughts of avant-garde leanings or maybe kitschy hipsterism. Not so for bassist Mario Pavone. Street Songs includes Adam Matlock's bellows-driven squeezebox, not as a gimcrack ornament, but a link to the immigrant working class neighborhood music of Pavone's post-WW II youth. The musician's history is significant because his bass has anchored modern music including bands by innovators such as Paul Bley, Bill Dixon, Thomas Chapin, Anthony Braxton, and Wadada Leo Smith. As a leader he has released two dozen sessions with his previous being Arc Trio (Playscape, 2013). Pavone also leads his Orange Double Tenor sextet with Tony Malaby and Jimmy Greene.

This sextet swaps the tenors for a second bassist, Carl Testa, and accordionist. The remainder of the bandmates are his frequent collaborators, drummer Steve Johns, pianist Peter Madsen, and trumpeter Dave Ballou. As customary for Pavone-led groups, the music contains compelling compositions by the bassist and smart arrangements, the duties shared by Pavone, Ballou, and Steven Bernstein.

He navigates the opening track "Elkna" with a marching tone. Muted trumpet plays off the deep tones and tight bends of the piece. Matlock's accordion parades with the bass allowing for Madsen's Monk-like notes to spill forth. Pavone favors an intricate weave to his music with tight turns on "Streetsong," a sly and squiggly dance between players "Cobalt Stories," but also an urbane sense of swing, "Alban Berg." Ballou's horn completes the music here with crystal notes, gutbucket blats, and skittering waterbug expressions. The accordion flavors the music by separating the bowed bass of Testa from the plucked one of Pavone on "Deez." Its bellowed sounds make even the most cosmopolitan arrangements seem at home in the old neighborhood. ~Mark Corroto

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Etta Jones - Something Nice (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:35
Size: 83.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. Through A Long And Sleepless Night
[2:49] 2. My Heart Tells Me
[3:58] 3. That's All There Is To That
[3:12] 4. I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:06] 5. Till There Was You
[3:40] 6. Love Is The Thing
[3:38] 7. Maybe You'll Be There
[2:42] 8. Almost Like Being In Love
[4:53] 9. Easy Living
[2:34] 10. Canadian Sunset
[4:02] 11. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)

It's surprising that this recording, coming on the heels of Etta's most successful release, "Don't Go to Strangers," was so lean and mean in terms of production values. Etta's voice during her years with Prestige deserves at the very least the support of some of the era's top jazz instrumentalists if not full-scale orchestral arrangements by a Mandell or Riddle. On the other hand, she has such a natural gift that her voice can practically create the magic without benefit of lavish support. An unfamiliar song like "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" is instantly warm and accessible whereas an old chestnut like "Almost Like Being in Love" sounds so fresh a listener is apt to greet it as a new discovery. She literally redesigns melodies and reshapes the meanings of lyrics as few other singers.

Etta is the quintessential "jazz singer," every bit as deserving of the title as an Ella, Sarah or Billie. I wish that like Ella and Sarah there were more recordings of her working live with a mere back-up trio during this time, if only for some relief from the Van Gelder studio sound and for more interaction between the audience and a singer who is at her best creating "in the moment." Don't put this one ahead of "Strangers," "Lonely and Blue," or "Love Shout," but add it to the list of essentials. Any Etta Jones' recording on Prestige is five stars without a second thought. ~Samuel C.

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Organissimo - B3tles (A Soulful Tribute To The Fab Four)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:45
Size: 155.1 MB
Styles: Acid jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Taxman
[6:12] 2. Dig A Pony
[6:06] 3. And I Love Her
[5:40] 4. All You Need Is Love
[5:24] 5. Can't Buy Me Love
[5:20] 6. I Will
[6:56] 7. Dear Prudence
[4:37] 8. Come Together
[6:00] 9. The Long And Winding Road
[4:18] 10. If I Fell
[5:59] 11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
[5:59] 12. Within You Without You

Jim Alfredson; Hammond organ, Wurlitzer Electric piano; synthesizers; Lawrence Barris: guitar; Randy Marsh: drums; Bill Vits: percussion (1, 3, 5, 9, 12); Mike List: tabla (12).

Guitarist Grant Green was one of the early birds on this: turning Beatles tunes into soulful jazz workouts, with his I Want to Hold Your Hand (Blue Note, 1965), featuring Hammond organ master Larry Young on the B3, recorded a little over a year after the Fab Four's musical invasion of America. But it was mostly a jazz standards/Great American Songbook outing, with only the opener/title tune nodding to the—ultimately—most influential of pop music groups.

Now, fifty years later, Organissimo goes all in, with B3tles, a CD full of Beatles tunes in a cool, soul jazz mode. Jim Alfredson hold down the B3 chair, and adds the Wurlitzer and some synthesizer sounds to arsenal. He is joined by guitarist Lawrence Barris and drummer Randy Marsh, on a set that reinterprets these familiar tunes, sometimes injecting them with soul, sometimes taking them in unexpected directions.

The CD's cover art harkens to the cover of the Beatles first great album, their artistic breakthrough, Revolver (Capitol Records, 1966). With that it mind, the music starts fittingly with the Organissimo's version of George Harrison's "Taxman," the song that opened Revolver. Funky it is. The same for "Dig A Pony," a tune that seems made for the organ trio treatment. "Come Together"—that probably should have Chuck Berry added to Lennon McCartney tag for a songwriting credit, so you know it's got some hard-edged, Chess Records soul to it—sounds like a song the previously-mentioned Grant Green/Larry Young teaming should have tackled on a second recorded nod to the Beatles. But they couldn't have done it better or with more of a bluesy funk than Organissimo does.

"The Long And Winding Road" is lighter, more pop-ish in feel, buoyant and effervescent. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the George Harrison gem, takes things away from the soul atmosphere, slowing down the original's tempo, giving the song a beautiful, aching-in-the-bones sadness, leading into the set's closer, "Within You Without You," George Harrison's first full-on foray into Indian music. Organissimo's take is propulsive over dense drones, dense rhythms, and it sounds marvelously modern, on this outstanding and dynamic re-investigation of some classic Beatles tunes. ~Dan McClenaghan

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Esquivel - Exploring New Sounds In Stereo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:07
Size: 62.1 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Lounge
Year: 1959/2008
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. My Blue Heaven
[2:26] 2. Bella Mora
[3:01] 3. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
[2:43] 4. Lazy Bones
[3:28] 5. Spellbound
[2:15] 6. All Of Me
[2:33] 7. Whatchamacallit
[2:26] 8. La Ronde
[2:56] 9. My Number One Love
[2:23] 10. Third Man Theme

Exploring New Sounds in Stereo is the first of the typical Esquivel albums from which the CD compilations draw heavily. There is a lot to recommend it. "Whatchamacallit" is probably his second best-loved tune (released also as a single backed with the non-LP track, "I Feel Merely Marvelous"). The track features the ondioline, an electronic-organ-like instrument often associated with the theremin. And on Exploring New Sounds in Stereo, there is indeed theremin in Esquivel's spacy treatment of "Spellbound" (from the movie of the same name). Other highlights include the exotic "Bella Mora," the cheesy "My Number One Love," and "The 3rd Man Theme." The album also has slightly different arrangements than the monaural Exploring New Sounds in Hi-Fi. ~Tony Wilds

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Michael Kaeshammer - Tell You How I Feel

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:00
Size: 107.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Boogie woogie
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. Doodlin'
[2:39] 2. Move It On Over (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:40] 3. Sweet Georgia Brown (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:57] 4. I'll Always Love You
[4:43] 5. Sunny Side Of The Street (Feat. Danny B.)
[4:57] 6. John Brown's Body
[4:08] 7. Caravan
[4:13] 8. Jivin' With Dal (Feat. Guido Basso)
[5:36] 9. Basin Street Blues (Feat. Carol Welsman)
[3:01] 10. Airmail Special (Feat. Kevin Breit & Guido Basso)
[4:26] 11. Same Old Blues (Feat. Doug Riley & Joe Sealy)

What sort of strange, cross-cultural jazz hybrid do we have here? This twenty-one-year-old whiz kid was born in Germany, moved to Vancouver and tickles the ivories like old time stride/boogie-woogie legends Fats Waller, Pete Johnson and Meade "Lux" Lewis! The eleven tracks on Tell You How I Feel, Michael's second release, run the stylistic gamut from Horace Silver (Doodlin'), Duke Ellington (Caravan), Benny Goodman (Airmail Special), to country legend Hank Williams (Move It On Over). Michael has enlisted the aid of some top-notch sidemen for this project. Guido Basso (trumpet), Doug Riley (organ), Phil Dwyer (saxophone) and Carol Welsman (vocals) all contribute Class-A accompaniment throughout the set. A pair of Kaeshammer originals, I'll Always Love You and the barrelhouse swing of Jivin' With Dal, show that this lad is not only a fleet-fingered pianist, but a talented composer as well. Tell You How I Feel captures the sheer joy of a maturing artist gleefully st! rutting his stuff. This one is a lot of fun. ~John Sharpe

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LaVern Baker - Blues Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:41
Size: 63.4 MB
Styles: Blues vocals
Year: 1960/2005
Art: Front

[2:33] 1. I Cried A Tear
[2:37] 2. If You Love Me
[2:14] 3. You're Teasing Me
[1:54] 4. Love Me Right
[1:50] 5. Dix-A-Billy
[2:04] 6. So High, So Low
[2:33] 7. I Waited Too Long
[2:25] 8. Why Baby Why
[2:33] 9. Humpty Dumpty Heat
[2:20] 10. It's So Fine
[2:08] 11. Whipper Snapper
[2:24] 12. St. Louis Blues

Before she became a successful rock & roll vocalist, Lavern Baker did straight jazz and gutbucket blues, and that's what she's singing here. These tunes didn't have any crossover appeal, but they're gritty, unpolished, and sung with the intensity and energy that made Baker's later material so memorable. ~Ron Wynn

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The Quintet, Ryan Kisor, Grant Stewart - A Night In Tunisia

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:39
Size: 116.0 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Quicksliver
[7:40] 2. A Night In Tunisia
[4:33] 3. Confirmation
[4:01] 4. If I Had You
[6:22] 5. Split Kick
[5:12] 6. Mayreh
[5:45] 7. Now's The Time
[6:23] 8. Once In A While
[5:06] 9. Wee-Dot

Night in Tunisia is the second import CD by the Quintet, a group of thirty-something jazz musicians on the rise with trumpeter Ryan Kisor getting top billing, plus veteran drummer Victor Lewis. Also on hand are tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, pianist Sam Yahel (who, since this 2004 session, has been better known for his work on organ), and bassist James Genus. A quick glance at the play list indicates this group is focused on bop and hard bop; there are no originals or groundbreaking arrangements, just sincere performances of material that will be familiar to bop fans. Kisor and Stewart take solo honors for the session, though the choice of one or two obscure compositions from the bop era might have added a little more spice to the date. ~Ken Dryden

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Enrico Rava, Ran Blake - Duo En Noir

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:19
Size: 87.7 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 2000/2009
Art: Front

[4:05] 1. Nature Boy
[5:09] 2. Vertigo Laura
[2:54] 3. The Spiral Staircase
[1:50] 4. Shake The Cage
[2:30] 5. Certi Angoli
[4:52] 6. There's No You
[3:45] 7. Let's Stay Together
[3:06] 8. I Should Care
[4:37] 9. Tea For Two
[5:26] 10. There's A Small Hotel

Trumpeter Enrico Rava has proven himself adept at virtually every style of jazz, from bop through the avant-garde. For this short recording, he teams up with third-stream pianist Ran Blake in a series of 12 emotionally drenched tunes emphasizing the kind of dark, foreboding atmosphere for which Blake is well-known. Highlights include wonderful interpretations of "Tea for Two," "I Should Care," "Let's Stay Together," a pairing of "Vertigo" and "Laura," and "Nature Boy." Rava does his best to adapt his usually brighter playing to the overall noir atmosphere, and he generally succeeds, making this a must-have for followers of both Blake's and Rava's work. A strong lyrical element permeates, as the two explore all of the nooks and crannies of each tune, often in slow motion. The results speak for themselves, and the enthusiastic live audience was clearly touched. ~Steve Loey

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Hoagy Carmichael - Hoagy Sings Carmichael

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:46
Size: 88.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1956/2000
Art: Front

[3:57] 1. Georgia On My Mind
[4:13] 2. Winter Moon
[3:55] 3. New Orleans
[3:49] 4. Memphis In June
[4:03] 5. Skylark
[4:35] 6. Two Sleepy People
[3:54] 7. Baltimore Oriole
[2:34] 8. Rockin' Chair
[3:07] 9. Ballad In Blue
[2:48] 10. Lazy River
[1:46] 11. Georgia On My Mind (Instrumental)

This classic album was recorded by Hoagy for Pacific Jazz in 1956, and featured the old music master doing his own songs backed by Johnny Mandel's charts and a killer band of Art Pepper, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Don Fagerquist and Jimmy Rowles. It's sublime. Includes Georgia on My Mind; Winter Moon; New Orleans; Memphis in June; Skylark; Two Sleepy People; Baltimore Oriole; Rockin' Chair; Ballad in Blue; Lazy River , and, as a bonus, an instrumental version of Georgia on My Mind .

"In 1956, 57-year-old Hoagy Carmichael, a giant of American songsmiths, recorded this album for Hollywood's progressive Pacific Jazz label. Johnny Mandel's swinging, uncluttered arrangements placed Carmichael, a product of the 1920s Jazz Age, in an unadulterated modern-jazz setting true to both his past and the current scene. Representing the latter were several top exponents of the West Coast school that the label helped nurture, most notably the principal soloist: alto sax giant Art Pepper. Mandel's arrangements and Pepper's cool, rich eloquence clearly forced normally amiable, laid-back Carmichael to alter his usual approach somewhat. A subtle yet discernable edge permeated his interpretations of "Georgia on My Mind" and "Rockin' Chair" and rendered his vocal on the bluesy "Baltimore Oriole" unusually raw. Two lesser-known ballads, "Winter Moon" and "Ballad in Blue," are beautifully presented, and Mandel's joyously explosive, Basie-esque "Lazy River" unleashed Carmichael's playful side. While his songs are timeless, hearing a man then pushing 60 having a ball with musicians old enough to be his kids is always both exhilarating and inspirational." ~Rich Kienzle

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Andy Sheppard - Trio Libero

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:34] 1. Libertino
[3:36] 2. Slip Duty
[4:12] 3. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
[3:09] 4. Spacewalk (Pt. 1)
[4:17] 5. Dia Da Liberdade
[3:46] 6. Land Of Nod
[3:57] 7. The Unconditional Secret
[3:44] 8. Ishidatami
[6:09] 9. Skin Kaa
[3:43] 10. Spacewalk (Pt. 2)
[3:41] 11. Whereveryougoigotoo
[3:11] 12. Lots Of Stairs
[4:01] 13. When We Live On The Stars..

Andy Sheppard: tenor and soprano saxophones; Michel Benita: double bass; Sebastian Rochford: drums.

Sometimes unexpected connections yield the most wonderful results. Saxophonist Andy Sheppard, bassist Michel Benita and drummer Sebastian Rochford all have more than enough cred to suggest capability in any context, but none of their individual pursuits could presage a collaboration like Trio Libero, quite possibly the finest saxophone trio recordings of the new millennium, and one to rival previous ECM successes like bassist Dave Holland's Triplicate (1988) or saxophonist Jan Garbarek's Triptykon (1973). Trio Libero doesn't swing like Triplicate, nor does it possess the fiery free energy that so launched Garbarek's early career; instead, Trio Libero is an album of gentle freedom, spare but unfailing lyricism, and the kind of constant revelation that makes it a new experience with every listen.

With six of Trio Libero's thirteen tracks collectively credited, what's most special about the set is how it achieves that rarest of feats in free improvisation: true spontaneous composition—in-the-moment, yet possessed of a structure that belies inherent freedom and speaks to a deeper level of interaction. Sheppard's first release as a leader for ECM, 2009's Movements in Colour, was a more ambitious and preconceived affair; here, tracks such as the closing "When We Live On The Stars" possess immediate structure despite being credited to the trio, its folkloric melancholy coming from Sheppard's spare melodies, bolstered by Benita's utterly perfect choices and Rochford's deeply intuitive colors. There's no grandstanding here, only painstaking attention to the demands of the moment, though it's a certainty that in order to play music this selfless, all three players must possess tremendous command of their instruments.

Rochford, in particular, is a surprise and a delight. More extroverted in groups such as Acoustic Ladyland and Polar Bear, he's nevertheless proven himself contextually flexible. By no means imitative, but as a player more concerned with texture and implication, it's hard not to think of recent departee and ECM stalwart, drummer Paul Motian. If anything, Rochford is subtler still, his brushwork on a rubato look at Trio Libero's only cover, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," seeming tenuous at first—though never tentative—creating feather-light forward motion when connected with Sheppard's searching motifs and Benita's empathic foil. Sheppard's "Land of Nod" is more propulsive, opening with a drum solo as extroverted as Trio Libero gets, yet ever-gentle, even as Sheppard's melody line pulls on the waltz time to create delicate tension.

The two-part "Spacewalk" bookends five other tracks mid-way through the set, evoking a hovering stasis that develops almost imperceptibly, constructed over Benita's mix of arco and pizzicato, Rochford's cymbal swells and Sheppard's minimal tenor, which moves from low register to vibrato-laden high with unerring sense of purpose.

Rather than a demonstration of prowess, Trio Libero is proof that there's power in subtlety and drama in understatement—that tension can sometimes be found in the slightest of gestures. While time can only tell whether or not Trio Libero will actually achieve the status it deserves, Sheppard, Benita and Rochford have nevertheless created an album that stands apart from other saxophone trio recordings, a remarkable example of what happens when three masterful players check their egos at the door and surrender completely to the moment. ~John Kelman

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Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra - Play The Jazz Arrangements Of Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan & Ralph Aldrich

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:42
Size: 168.7 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Buster's Last Stand
[3:04] 2. Under The Willow Tree
[4:22] 3. Arab Dance
[4:26] 4. La Paloma
[2:59] 5. Anthropology
[2:47] 6. Sorta Kinda
[3:15] 7. Robbins' Nest
[3:22] 8. Lover Man
[3:13] 9. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
[2:59] 10. Donna Lee
[3:17] 11. Yardbird Suite
[3:06] 12. Poor Little Rich Girl
[2:32] 13. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:51] 14. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:06] 15. Godchild
[2:58] 16. The Song Is You
[2:34] 17. To Each His Own
[2:51] 18. Elevation
[3:01] 19. Jeru
[2:54] 20. Rose Of The Rio Grande
[2:33] 21. Poor Little Rich Girl
[2:55] 22. Family Affair
[2:56] 23. Five Brothers
[2:41] 24. Mambo Nothing

This edition presents the historic 1942-1953 recordings of the lively sound of Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra at it's best.

For many years, Claude Thornhill's orchestra of the Forties and early Fifties was frequently referred to as a musicians orchestra, as it focused as much on the musicians as the music itself. Thornhill's music was clearly way ahead of its time, yet today his sumptuous, mellow jazz sound remains one of the biggest influences for many contemporary big band jazz arrangers. He worked to extend the range of a popular dance orchestra by continually adding new harmonies and voices. In the truest sense of the word, the Thornhill orchestra was an experimental group and this experimentation made mostly exciting and provocative listening. As the respected music critic George T. Simon stated: "One of the many charms of Claude Thornhill's music has always been his amazing ability to mingle seemingly opposite forms of dance music with one another, setting one against the other so delicately and so delightfully that each benefits by comparison, and yet never losing its own identity of that of a Thornhill orchestra." The richness of the Thornhill sound ranged from the delicate treatment of ballads to imaginative instrumentals that exploited the full sonorities of the group. The reed section was the most outstanding part of the band. This was more than just a five-man sax team, for a great deal of the material was written with two French horns, then scored right along with the reeds.

Claude, like very few other leaders, always displayed a rare talent for organizing and encouraging adventurous musicians, for uncovering budding talent and giving it the opportunity to grow. In this compilation we can hear the most outstanding jazz arrangements that Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan penned for the orchestra right before these gifted musicians achieved fame as two of the most talented, creative and progressive arrangers in the modern jazz language. Both were major voices in forcing and shaping the sound of the historic 1949 recordings of the Miles Davis Nonet for the Capitol label. They added both form and depth to Thornhill's style and what is loosely termed as jazz feeling. What started out as the greatest sweet band in the land became one of the finest modern jazz aggregations of them all. In addition, it continued to play the prettiest, most mood-provoking ballads in the history of the dance band idiom.

Play The Jazz Arrangements Of Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan & Ralph Aldrich

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Stuff Smith - Cat On A Hot Fiddle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:21
Size: 87.8 MB
Styles: Violin jazz
Year: 1959/2004
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. Undecided
[3:42] 2. The Man I Love
[2:17] 3. Oh Lady Be Good
[4:01] 4. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[4:09] 5. Take The A Train
[3:02] 6. Blue Violin
[5:05] 7. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:38] 8. Somebody Loves Me
[3:41] 9. 's Wonderful
[3:13] 10. Nice And Warm
[2:52] 11. Strike Up The Band

Bass – Lewis Powers (tracks: 2 to 4, 7 to 9, 11), Red Mitchell (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 10); Drums – Harry Saunders (tracks: 2 to 4, 7 to 9, 11), Sid Bulkin (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 10); Piano – Paul Smith (5) (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 10), Shirley Horn (tracks: 2 to 4, 7 to 9, 11); Violin – Stuff Smith; Vocals – Stuff Smith (tracks: 3, 8). Tracks 1, 5, 6, 10 recorded October 22, 1959 at United Recorders, Hollywood. Tracks 2 to 4, 7 to 9, 11 recorded August 7, 1959 at Edgewood Recording Studios, Washington, DC.

Recorded on two dates in 1959, this full-length by Stuff Smith features a pair of rhythm sections. One contains the great Red Mitchell on bass, the other the magnificent Shirley Horn on piano. In 1959, Smith had been on the scene for over two decades. And while he was well-known by the public at large for his novelty persona and his singing -- as evidenced by his 1936 smash hit "I'se A-Muggin'," this long-player aptly displays his stunning virtuosity as a jazz violinist, from standard jazz repertoire such as Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me" to "Strike Up the Band." His bowing is dizzying and the band pushed hard to keep up with him. On "Nice Work if You Can Get It," the tempo middles along but Smith swings hard in his tasty way. And Smith's vocal skills are showcased on the classics "Oh, Lady Be Good" and "Somebody Loves Me," offering a well-rounded portrait of a man who many thought was past his prime. Not so. This date smokes and is a welcome addition to the jazz violin canon. ~Thom Jurek

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Eddy Louiss, Richard Galliano - Face To Face

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:45
Size: 136.8 MB
Styles: Accordion & Hammond Organ jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:06] 1. Sang Mêlé
[4:26] 2. Face To Face
[4:21] 3. Tribute To Joe Diorio
[4:40] 4. Beija-Flor
[6:21] 5. I Remember Clifford
[5:17] 6. Enlacés
[2:59] 7. Laurita
[5:13] 8. Berimbau Sermao
[4:30] 9. Amandine
[4:22] 10. Framboise
[5:06] 11. Sous Le Ciel De Paris
[4:34] 12. Azul Tango
[2:43] 13. Avec Le Temps

Richard Galliano – Victoria Accordion & Alfred Arnold Bandoneon; Eddy Louiss – Hammond Organ. The two legendary French jazz musicians unite for the first ever recorded collaboration. Louiss' B-3 and Galliano's accordion blend together in a sound that is unique and captivating.

Accordion player Richard Galliano and organist Eddy Louiss have created a stirring set of duets. Both have impressive pedigrees as players and composers, and this set, recorded over three days at a Paris studio in the spring of 2001, is a brilliant pairing. The sympathetically matched tones of their two instruments create beautifully interwoven lines that at times sound like a single complex and pulsing instrument. The classic Hammond sound of Louiss anchors the bottom end, with Galliano's melodies swooping in and around the organ's mid and upper registers. Besides a commonality in American jazz, they also embrace elements of musette, tango, waltz, and blues. The duo segues perfectly between the disc's 13 pieces. Benny Golson's classic "I Remember Clifford" intermingles naturally with a couple French songs, a Brazilian medley by Baden Powell, and a few other choice covers. Originals by both men straddle tradition and invention with subtle grace. Since the death of Astor Piazzolla, Galliano has become one of the primary composers for the accordion. His "Framboise" evokes his multinational background (he's a Frenchman of Italian descent), while "Azul Tango" would have made the late master proud. ~David Greenberger

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Dip Ferrell & The Truetones - Dip In The Road

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:36
Size: 93.0 MB
Styles: Urban, R&B
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Where You Tryin' To Go
[4:17] 2. Lonely Girl
[3:08] 3. Dip In The Road
[4:42] 4. Where Do I Go From Here
[3:06] 5. Since Emptiness Filled My Heart
[3:42] 6. Must've Been A Fool
[4:34] 7. Some Say Hey
[3:20] 8. One True Truth
[2:43] 9. Love Is Gone
[3:41] 10. Way Of The Dinosaur
[3:32] 11. Devil In Your Soul

FLORENCE, S.C. -- Brothers Billy and Jackie Jeffords, longtime Florence businessmen, have been involved with music all their lives. Their passion for music and songwriting has brought accolades their way since their early teenage years. Together they have written more than 400 songs, more than 100 of which have been published. In 2005 Dip Ferrell (Billy) and the Truetones was formed primarily to record Billy and Jackie’s original songs. However, the brothers seemed to “stumble into beach music” as someone mentioned to Billy that one of their songs was getting a lot of air time and they didn’t know it until that song was nominated for song of the year.

“We never really considered ourselves to be beach music players -- we initially wrote James Taylor-like songs and rhythm and blues.” Billy Jeffords said. “We were trying to write and produce songs and hope that a big name would pick up a song or two. Most of our success, if you want to call it that, has been though the rhythm and blues section of beach music.”

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Art Hodes Quintet, Don Ewell Quartette - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:14
Size: 163.1 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:33] 1. After You've Gone
[3:22] 2. Apex Blues
[4:42] 3. Ain't She Sweet
[3:12] 4. Libert Inn Drag
[2:50] 5. I've Found A New Baby
[4:07] 6. Dardanella
[3:52] 7. B-Flat Blues
[4:40] 8. Chimes Blues
[2:36] 9. Angry
[4:32] 10. Michigan Water Blues
[5:42] 11. Atanta Blues
[5:10] 12. Tishomingo Blues
[4:47] 13. Georgia Bo Bo
[4:08] 14. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues
[4:11] 15. Blues (My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me)
[4:42] 16. Ole Miss
[4:57] 17. Yellow Dog Blues

This CD features two small group sessions recorded in the late 1950s featuring two of the finest traditional jazz pianists - Art Hodes and Don Ewell. (Tracks 1-9 - Art Hodes Quintet. Tracks 10-17 - Don Ewell Quartette.)

"The Hodes session is 'Some Legendary Art' and was recorded in Chicago on December 8, 1957. Musicians are Hodes on piano, Eddie Burleton on clarinet, Marty Grosz on guitar, Truck Parham on bass and Freddie Kohlman on drums. A beautiful session. The Ewell session may even be better. Also recorded in Chicago this session is from May 21, 1959 and has Ewell on piano, Nappy Trottier on trumpet, Marty Grosz again on guitar and Earl Murphy on bass.

The music on both of these sessions is very well recorded (by Ewing D. Nunn) and swings wonderfully. It's classic traditional jazz at its best. Anybody familiar with Art Hodes and Don Ewell will know exactly what to expect from this disc. This is legendary stuff and thanks must go to the wonderful folks at Jazzology/GHB Records for making this music available to all." ~Jazzman

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John Hicks - Beyond Expectations

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:03
Size: 164.9 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[ 6:32] 1. Expectations
[ 8:05] 2. Once I Loved
[ 8:18] 3. Every Time We Say Boodbye
[ 8:44] 4. There Is No Greater Love
[10:08] 5. Up Jumped Spring
[ 6:03] 6. Peace
[ 8:21] 7. Stella By Starlight
[ 5:23] 8. Au Privave
[ 5:32] 9. Turn Out The Stars
[ 4:53] 10. Bouncing With Bud

Bass – Ray Drummond; Drums – Marvin "Smitty" Smith; Piano – John Hicks.

John Hicks was 51 when, in 1993, he recorded Beyond Expectations for the independent Reservoir label, and at that age no one was demanding that the veteran pianist reinvent the jazz wheel. However, it wasn't unreasonable to ask that he show some imagination when it came to choosing material. Some of Hicks' '90s albums placed too much emphasis on overdone warhorses, and that is true of Beyond Expectations. Leading an acoustic piano trio that employs Ray Drummond on bass and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums, Hicks doesn't offer a lot of surprises. Most of the songs that he embraces (which range from Horace Silver's "Peace" to "There Is No Greater Love" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye") have been recorded time and time again over the years. But while this CD isn't very adventurous, it is still solid and enjoyable. Yes, Hicks is too reliant on warhorses, and instead of yet another version of "Stella by Starlight," how about surprising listeners with some less-obvious choices? How about finding the hard bop/post-bop possibilities in Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye or unearthing some of Duke Ellington and Antonio Carlos Jobim's lesser-known jewels? No one is demanding that Hicks be a trendsetting innovator -- he should stick to hard bop and post-bop because that's what he does best -- but it would be nice to hear him make less-obvious choices when it comes to picking material. Nonetheless, Hicks is still a warm, soulful, expressive improviser and he certainly has a great sound -- one that is greatly influenced by McCoy Tyner yet is recognizably John Hicks. Contrary to what its title suggests, Beyond Expectations isn't the Hicks album to end all Hicks albums. But it's a pleasing, if conventional, document of the pianist at 51. ~Alex Henderson

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David Murray, Gwo Ka Masters - The Devil Tried To Kill Me (Feat. Taj Mahal)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:21
Size: 147.3 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, African rhythms
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[10:35] 1. Kiama For Obama
[ 8:06] 2. Africa
[ 8:17] 3. Southern Skies (Radio Edit) 2
[ 9:43] 4. The Devil Tried To Kill Me
[ 7:34] 5. Congo
[10:32] 6. Canto Oneguine
[ 4:44] 7. Southern Skies (Radio Edit)
[ 4:47] 8. Africa (Radio Edit)

David Murray: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Taj Mahal: vocals (2, 3); Sista Kee: vocals (3, 4); Jaribu Shahid: electric bass; Renzel Merrit: drums; Klod Kiavue: ka drums, vocals; Francois Ladrezeau: ka drums, vocals; Rasul Siddik: trumpet; Christian Laviso: guitar; Herve Samb: guitar.

This global block party, by saxophonist David Murray, blends ebullient African- rhythms with funk and jazz, brought by a fiery band that integrates two Gwo ka masters (Guadalupean drummers/vocalists), some sassy urban soul from pianist/vocalist Sista Kee, and the world renowned blues voice of Taj Mahal. The Devil Tried To Kill Me is Murray's third release with the Gwo ka Masters, following 2004's well received Gwotet (Justin Time), a recording that also featured avant-garde icon, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders.

Recorded in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadalupe's largest city, the recording is an emphatic celebration of the island's proud past and compelling present—reminding of its history of slavery, struggle, and independence before integration into France (circa 1794). The music is fueled by the indigenous beats of Gwo ka drums, stirring vocals and lyrics that speak life—as Murray states in the CD's liner notes, ..."music that is aimed towards the future."

The heartbeat of the Gwo ka is undeniable, starting with "Kiama For Obama," its pulse growing feverishly by the drumming and voices of Klod Kiavue and Francois Ladrezeau as the other band members improvise over the contagious theme. The cadence slows on "Africa" as Taj Mahal sings poignant lyrics of love and healing to the beautiful continent and its people, with Murray echoing the sentiment via a warm baritone solo. The funk comes hard in the super-bad "Southern Skies," treated with a double-dose of bluesy lyrics by Taj Mahal and sassy spoken word from the multi-talented San Franciscan, Sista Kee. The band burns white hot; Murray's tenor flying free, followed by Christian Laviso and Herve Samb's super-heated guitars. The title track is another free funk jazz killer, with Sista Kee spinning a humorous tale (lyrics by Ishmael Reed) of an escape from American cyberspace. "Congo" and "Canto Oneguine" are Afropop-influenced tracks that continue the recording's upbeat spirit, as the Gwo ka masters provide fervent call and response verses to the band's incessant playing. Radio-edits of "Southern Skies" and "Africa" are thrown in for those who want shortened versions but are otherwise redundant. It would have been better to have more tunes, especially with Sista Kee and Taj Mahal. Regardless, David Murray and the Gwo ka masters have created another stupendous release that makes the trip to Guadalupe an extraordinary journey. ~Mark F. Turner

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Jane Bunnett & The Spirits Of Havana - Ritmo + Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:52
Size: 162.2 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban rhythms
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[ 6:32] 1. Santos Saurez
[ 8:40] 2. Joyful Noise
[10:28] 3. El Rio
[ 3:55] 4. Osain
[10:02] 5. Drume Negrita
[ 5:59] 6. Journey Back
[ 5:21] 7. 3 Voices One Spirit
[ 7:00] 8. Hebioso
[12:52] 9. Fransisco's Dream

Merging a traditional Afro-Cuban spirit with the sound of acoustic mainstream jazz, Jane Bunnett and her Spirits of Havana have topped their previous projects. Since her 1992 Spirits Of Havana album on the Denon label, the saxophonist/flutist has brought more than 40 Cuban musicians on tour with her in Canada and in the United States. In addition, she and trumpeter Larry Cramer have established the Spirits of Music project to raise money for the repair of broken musical instruments in Cuba’s conservatories. They’ve produced a documentary film about Cuban music that will be presented this fall and winter at various film festivals around the world. In the film, Bunnett and Cramer perform with contemporary groups from all over Cuba, from son montuno groups, a 38-piece conga band, and even a 10-piece a cappella choir that sings in Creole.

With Ritmo + Soul, trumpet and soprano saxophone work together on "Santos Suárez," as two interwoven voices playing in harmony. Bunnett’s lively C flute and Cramer’s muted trumpet make "Joyful Noise" with a laid-back mood supported by the band. Composed by the husband-wife pair, these two songs and "Francisco’s Dream" offer a mellow adventure through consonant scenes, applying unisons and octaves liberally. Equal parts traditional Afro-Cuban and mainstream jazz, the band’s sound gets a big boost from pianist Hilario Duran and bassist Roberto Occhipinti. Their solo work stands out as both complex and comfortable. Recommended, the 71-minute program has an appeal across genre boundaries. ~Jim Santella

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Jeff Richman - Like That

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:27
Size: 129.2 MB
Styles: Jazz-rock guitar
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:38] 1. Like That
[5:28] 2. In Spirited
[5:41] 3. Small Kid Time
[6:27] 4. Awful Pretty
[5:47] 5. The Endless Inbetween
[5:24] 6. Rock Tall
[4:45] 7. Tsuyako
[5:09] 8. Touch And Go
[6:45] 9. In Flux
[5:19] 10. Truffaz

Jeff Richman’s 15th solo release delivers ten hard-hitting, playful compositions with catchy melodies and a refreshingly modern sound. Richman continues to shine in his ability to write music with creative intricacy and sophistication, articulating his individual point of view. This time around, his guitar tone is deeper, more resonant, robust and alive. Richman’s style of playing complex changes fluidly over these infectious grooves will satisfy over many listenings.

Like a musical alchemist, Richman’s purposeful selection of accompanying musicians creates a unique magic and delivers pleasing surprises along the way. A Vinnie Colaiuta solo highlights the expansive, wild adventure on “In Spirited” and Will Kennedy puts his signature on title track “Like That” with a funky backbeat. Larry Golding’s solo on “Tsuyako” adds to its romantic flair, Mitchel Forman lays an all-out solo on “Rock Tall”, and Deron Johnson’s hypnotic acoustic piano on “Endless Inbetween” gives it depth and dimension. Alex Acuna’s vibrant percussion adds just the right amount of muscial spice.

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