Ahmad Jamal - Jazz Cafe Presents Ahmad Jamal

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:39
Size: 88.5 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[6:22] 1. Waltz For Debby
[5:40] 2. Folks Who Live On The Hill
[5:24] 3. People
[8:31] 4. Baia
[4:39] 5. The Good Life
[5:16] 6. Autumn In New York
[2:44] 7. I've Never Been In Love Before

The Jazz Cafe is an award winning live venue with a live music rota that leans towards the jazz & eclectic side of things. Some very fresh and upfront music across a variety of genres - from the coolest things in live electronic to soulful jazzy beats.

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jamal began playing Piano at a young age and his talents were acknowledged fast within the community. He has been described as one of the “Zen masters of jazz piano” and one of the greatest innovators of the genre. He came at a time where improvisation and speed were core to the success of jazz, however true to his personality he took steps in an opposing direction and formed what he later coined as “cool jazz”, this was an attempt to bring jazz out of the underground and further into the public domain.

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Vic Juris - Blue

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:12
Size: 147.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[6:18] 1. Lonely Woman
[5:00] 2. What's Goin' On
[5:49] 3. Ugly Beauty
[6:20] 4. Tereza My Love
[7:43] 5. The Wrong Blues
[7:27] 6. All The Things You Are
[7:07] 7. Slow Hot Wind
[5:45] 8. Blue
[6:37] 9. I Wish I Knew
[6:00] 10. Remembering The Rain

VIC JURIS guitar; JAY ANDERSON bass; ADAM NUSSBAUM drums.

Vic Juris’ new album “Blue” is heavily focused on ballads, which Vic’s signature fluid sound backed up by his mature artistry fits perfectly. One of today’s premier jazz guitarists Vic Juris has been active on the scene for over four decades amassing an impressive discography.

“Vic Juris is a versatile and impressively accomplished guitarist. His playing exudes warmth, intelligence and respect for the tradition. Perhaps best of all, he seems to understand that the foregoing positives also apply to a legion of contemporary guitarists, and he looks for ways to set his work apart, in terms of sound, approach, or material. “ ~Duck Baker/JazzTimes

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Maxine Brown - Out Of Sight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:20
Size: 76.3 MB
Styles: Pop/Soul
Year: 1968/2005
Art: Front

[2:25] 1. Sugar Dumplin'
[2:03] 2. Plum Outa Sight
[2:39] 3. Sunny
[2:48] 4. I Wish It Would Rain
[2:19] 5. I'm In Love
[2:34] 6. In My Entire Life
[2:48] 7. Don't Leave Me Baby
[2:14] 8. Just Give Me One Good Reason
[2:24] 9. Stop
[2:59] 10. Seems You've Forsaken My Love
[2:36] 11. When A Man Loves A Woman
[2:33] 12. Love In Them There Hills
[2:51] 13. From Loving You

Although she never had many hits, Maxine Brown was one of the most underrated soul and R&B vocalists of the '60s. During the '60s she released a series of singles for Nomar and Wand, with only a couple of songs -- "All in My Mind," "Funny," "Something You Got," "Oh No Not My Baby" -- managing to become either pop or R&B hits. Despite her lack of hits, Brown is acknowledged as one of the finest R&B vocalists of her time, capable of delivering soul, jazz, and pop with equal aplomb.

Born in Kingstree, SC, Brown began singing as child, singing with two New York-based gospel groups when she was a teenager. In 1960, she signed with the small Nomar label, who released the smooth soul ballad "All in My Mind" late in the year. The single became a hit, climbing to number two on the R&B charts (number 19 pop), and it was quickly followed by "Funny," which peaked at number three. Brown was poised to become a star, and she moved to ABC-Paramount in 1962, but she left the label within a year without scoring any hits. She signed to the New York-based, uptown soul label Wand in 1963.

Brown recorded her best work at Wand, having a string of moderate hits for the label over the next three years. Among these were Carole King/Gerry Goffin song "Oh No Not My Baby," which reached number 24 on the pop charts; "It's Gonna Be Alright"; and the Chuck Jackson duets "Something You Got," "Hold On I'm Coming," and "Daddy's Home." Part of the reason Brown didn't receive much exposure is that the label focused much of their attention on Dionne Warwick, leaving Maxine Brown to toil in semi-obscurity. In 1969, she left Wand and signed with Commonwealth United, where she had the minor hits "We'll Cry Together" and "I Can't Get Along Without You." In 1971, she moved to Avco Records, but all of her recordings for the label went ignored and she faded away over the course of the decade. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra - Without A Trace

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:33
Size: 118.0 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[6:47] 1. Speak Low
[7:34] 2. Without A Trace
[7:18] 3. All Or Nothing At All
[6:48] 4. Incandescence
[8:01] 5. Juju
[8:25] 6. Shapeshifter
[6:37] 7. Something For Tadd

Scott Reeves: trombone, alto flugelhorn; Steve Wilson: soprano saxophone, flute; Vito Chiavuzzo: alto saxophone, flute; Rob Middleton: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Tim Armacost: tenor saxophone; Terry Goss: baritone saxophone; Jay Brandford: baritone saxophone; Seneca Black: trumpet; Nathan Eklund: trumpet; Chris Rogers: trumpet; Bill Mobley: trumpet; Andy Gravish: trumpet; Tim Sessions: trombone; Matt McDonald: trombone; Matt Haviland: trombone; Max Siegel: bass trombone; Jim Ridi: piano; Dave Ellson: vibraphone; Todd Coolman: bass; Andy Watson: drums; Carolyn Leonhart: vocals.

The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra follows up the highly successful debut album Portraits and Places (Origin, 2016), with another masterpiece recording on Without A Trace offering new and exciting arrangements of three standards and four creative Reeves originals that all together, pack quite a powerful musical punch. A full-tenured professor at The City University of New York (CUNY), composer, trombonist and flugelhornist Reeves, takes this twenty-piece ensemble to a higher level in fashioning a riveting musical statement that is sure to resonate with lovers of the big band sound.

Comprising some of the finest musicians from the New York jazz scene, Reeves spices the cast by including such luminaries as saxophonists Steve Wilson and Tim Armacost, along with pianist Jim Ridi and vocalist Carolyn Leonhart among the world-class personnel. Penned with an Afro-Cuban rhythm in mind, the time-honored Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash composition "Speak Low," takes on a new life with solo moments from Wilson, trumpeter Chris Rogers and drummer Andy Watson. Pianist Ridi and tenor saxophonist Armacost provide the lead solos on the Reeves title track ("Without a Trace") that features Leonhart lending her lush vocals in a tune characterized by unconventional harmonies that work quite well here. The Altman/Lawrence standard "All or Nothing at All," highlights Reeves on a blazing trombone solo as the band turns brassy and bold on this interpretation of the classic with alto saxophonist Vito Chiavuzzo providing a pleasant spark.

From Wayne Shorter's 1965 release of "JuJu," Reeves provides the most recent arrangement from bassist John Patitucci on this large orchestration of the familiar piece while "Shape Shifter," delivers a much more intricate sound from a slow intro to a fast-paced swinging ¾ section, a solo by the leader on alto flugelhorn as well as a shift in tempo and mood. Ending in high-octane fashion, the band lets it all hang out on a tribute for the great Thad Jones on "Something for Thad," featuring sparkling solos from trumpeter Andy Gravish and trombonist Matt Haviland capping a vibrant and powerful session of big band jazz from the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, kudos to Reeves and the band. ~Edward Blanco

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Bill Harris -S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:37
Size: 70.1 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[1:32] 1. Cherokee
[2:33] 2. Moonglow
[3:01] 3. Out Of Nowhere
[2:44] 4. Ethyl
[2:46] 5. Possessed
[2:39] 6. Perdido
[1:49] 7. I Can't Get Started
[2:35] 8. Dreaming
[2:18] 9. K.C. Shuffle
[2:09] 10. Ivanhoe
[2:20] 11. Stompin' At The Savoy
[2:22] 12. Lover
[1:42] 13. Spring

A guitarist who spent at least two decades on the road with rhythm & blues vocal group the Clovers, Bill "Willie" Harris had a thick background in bebop and swing guitar as well as gospel. The latter style was at his fingertips even before he discovered guitarists such as Oscar Moore on records and radio, since Harris' father was a preacher who was in the position to turn the church organist job over to his offspring. Meanwhile, Harris' mother was drumming in basic harmony and an uncle had chipped in with a guitar, apparently to be the beauty move. The Army supplied a bugle that temporarily halted progress with strings attached, so to speak. Harris was discharged in the mid-'40s and promptly began studying guitar in Washington, D.C., becoming fairly good with both jazz and classical pieces. Harris was encouraged particularly in the classics by high-up staff at the Columbia School of Music, yet seems to have picked the Clovers due to a perceived scent of economic security. The choice, interestingly enough, still wound up leading to expanded musical horizons when fellow rhythm & blues and session guitarist Mickey Baker eavesdropped on a Harris dressing-room practice session and began pulling strings for what would be a series of releases under Harris' own name, such as the 1960 Great Guitar Sounds. The previous EmArcy Solo Guitar from 1956 is considered to be the first album of solo jazz guitar ever released. During the '70s, Harris operated Pigfoot, a Washington, D.C., restaurant, nightclub, and art gallery. ~bio by Eugene Chadbourne

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Chet Baker & Art Pepper Sextet - Playboys

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:21
Size: 157,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:02)  1. For Minors Only
(6:44)  2. Minor Yours
(5:42)  3. Resonant Emotions
(5:32)  4. Tynan Time
(6:45)  5. Picture Of Heath
(6:26)  6. For Miles And Miles
(5:14)  7. C.T.A.
(6:19)  8. Tynan Time
(4:17)  9. Little Girl
(7:14) 10. Minor Yours
(3:57) 11. Sonny Boy
(5:04) 12. The Route

These 1956 Pacific Jazz sides appeared in 1961 under the title Playboys. Myth and rumor persist that, under legal advice from the publisher of a similarly named magazine, the collection would have to be retitled. It was renamed Picture of Heath, as more than half of the tracks are Jimmy Heath compositions. Regardless, the music is the absolute same. These are the third sessions to feature the dynamic duo of Art Pepper (alto sax) and Chet Baker (trumpet). Their other two meetings had produced unequivocal successes. The first was during a brief July 1956 session at the Forum Theater in L.A. Baker joined forces with Pepper's sextet, ultimately netting material for the Route LP. Exactly three months to the day later, Pepper and Baker reconvened to record tracks for the Chet Baker Big Band album. The quartet supporting Baker and Pepper on Playboys includes Curtis Counce (bass), Phil Urso (tenor sax), Carl Perkins (piano), and Larance Marable (drums). Baker and Pepper have an instinctual rapport that yields outstanding interplay. The harmony constant throughout the practically inseparable lines that Baker weaves with Pepper drives the bop throughout the slinky "For Minors Only." The soloists take subtle cues directly from each other, with considerable contributions from Perkins, Counce, and Marable. With the notorious track record both Baker and Pepper had regarding other decidedly less successful duets, it is unfortunate that more recordings do not exist that captured their special bond. These thoroughly enjoyable and often high-energy sides are perfect for bop connoisseurs as well as mainstream jazz listeners.~ Lindsay Planer https://www.allmusic.com/album/playboys-mw0000196883

Personnel:  Chet Baker — trumpet;  Art Pepper — alto saxophone;  Phil Urso — tenor saxophone;  Carl Perkins — piano;  Curtis Counce — bass;  Larance Marable — drums.

Playboys

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Deborah Cox - I Will Always Love You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:37
Size: 85,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. I'm Every Woman
(5:00)  2. I Have Nothing
(3:55)  3. All the Man I Need
(4:52)  4. I Wanna Dance With Somebody
(4:55)  5. Run to You
(4:58)  6. The Greatest Love of All
(3:37)  7. Jesus Loves Me
(4:35)  8. I Will Always Love You

2017 release. Grammy Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/pop recording artist and film/TV actress Deborah Cox is currently crossing the country as superstar Rachel Marron in the hit musical The Bodyguard. "I Will Always Love You" is an eight track EP featuring the most requested songs from the smash-hit musical, including such iconic fan favorites as "All the Man that I Need", "I Have Nothing" and "I Will Always Love You." "Deborah Cox, a songstress with a silken, rangy voice, impresses with her energetic and emotive renditions of the songs." ~ The New York Times. "Deborah Cox astonishes!" ~  The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.amazon.com/I-Will-Always-Love-You/dp/B06XGDL523

I Will Always Love You

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Denny Zeitlin - Homecoming

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:55
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:35)  1. First Light
(3:41)  2. Homecoming
(5:10)  3. Waltz for Josephine
(3:13)  4. Morning Touch
(5:07)  5. Hymn
(3:12)  6. Just Passing By
(3:49)  7. Brazilian Street Dance
(6:35)  8. Millpond
(3:46)  9. Mayfly
(3:43) 10. Quiet Now

Paul Winter's Living Music label mostly specialized in new age and meditation music, so this solo jazz piano set from Denny Zeitlin was a bit unusual for the company. Actually, Zeitlin mostly concentrated on quiet ballads during the date, playing ten of his originals (best-known is "Quiet Now") and showing off his lyrical rather than his swinging side. More mood variations would have uplifted the music but the results are pleasing. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/homecoming-mw0000192448  

Personnel:  Denny Zeitlin - Piano

Homecoming

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Charlie Haden with Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Land of the Sun

Styles: Post Bop, Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:14
Size: 144,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. Fuiste Tu (It Was You)
(5:08)  2. Sueno Solo COn Tu Amor (I Only Dream of Your Love)
(7:00)  3. Cancion De Cuna a Patricia (Lullaby for Patricia)
(8:06)  4. Solamente Una Vez (You Belong to My Heart))
(5:41)  5. Nostalgia
(7:07)  6. De Siempre (Forever)
(3:21)  7. Anoranza (Longing)
(4:49)  8. Cuando Te Podre Olvidar (When Will I Forget You)
(6:42)  9. Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Yesterday I Heard the Rain)
(8:58) 10. Cancion a Paola (Paola's Song)

It should come as no surprise that Land of the Sun, a collection of Mexican ballads written by three of Mexico's most prominent modern composers, is yet another chapter in Charlie Haden's continually unfolding musical biography. Haden was given a folder of songs by the late and legendary Mexican composer José Sabre Marroquín by his daughter as a thank you for his recording of "Nocturnal." Haden went over the tunes and decided to record some of them; he turned them over to pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba for arranging, employed a stellar band, and Land of the Sun is the end result. What a result. There are eight compositions by Marroquín and one each by Augustín Lara and Armando Manzanero, in their own right prolific and revered songwriters who have been recorded in this country by Presley, Sinatra, and Bennett, to name a few. The band assembled for this project is stellar Joe Lovano, Ignacio Berroa, Rubalcaba, Miguel Zenón, Oriente Lopez, Larry Koonse, Lionel Loueke, Michael Rodriguez, and Juan De La Cruz. Rubalcaba's charts don't transform the songs into jazz tunes, but rather become an entryway for melodic improvisation, rhythmic invention, and group interplay. Rubalcaba's front-line interaction with Lovano, Zenón, and Rodriguez especially on "De Siempre" is emotionally honest and musically inspiring. "Nostalgia," introduced by Spanish guitar, percussion, and piano, is a wonderful springlike bittersweet melody wrapped in a languid rhythm and made poignant first by Rodriguez, and then Zenón, before the guitars waft back in. Lara's "Solamenta una Vez" is arranged for trio here. Rubalcaba's solo, with its shifting ostinati and alternating chordal and single-note runs, is breathtaking. Lovano's lyricism on "Esta Tarde Vi Llover," by Manzanero, is played in his best Ben Webster. With skittering brush work by Berroa, Lovano accents the tune's similarities to "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss" before turning it over to Rubalcaba, who extrapolates the harmony and opens it up against De La Cruz's bongos. Land of the Sun is a deeply romantic album, but it is lush without artificial ornamentation or affectation. Musically, its refinement is such that it begs critical as well as casual listening. Hopefully this won't be the last such exercise from Haden and Rubalcaba, but an introduction.~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/land-of-the-sun-mw0000637062  

Personnel:  Charlie Haden – bass;  Gonzalo Rubalcaba – piano;  Ignacio Berroa – drums;  Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone;  Miguel Zenon – alto saxophone;  Michael Rodriquez – trumpet, flugelhorn;  Oriente Lopez – flute;  Larry Koonse – guitar;  Lionel Loueke – guitar;  Juan De La Cruz – percussion

Land of the Sun

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Kenny Barron - Concentric Circles

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:13
Size: 152,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:51)  1. DPW
(7:26)  2. Concentric Circles
(5:39)  3. Blue Waters
(5:28)  4. A Short Journey
(8:15)  5. Aquele Frevo Axé
(4:43)  6. Von Hangman
(7:00)  7. In the Dark
(5:16)  8. Baile
(5:54)  9. L's Bop
(6:51) 10. I'm Just Sayin'
(4:44) 11. Reflections

Pianist Kenny Barron celebrates his 75th birthday with his Blue Note debut, 2018's sophisticated quintet album, Concentric Circles. An 11-time Grammy-nominated artist, Barron is a journeyman performer with over five decades of highly regarded work under his belt, including stints with titans like Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Stan Getz, and many others. He brings all of that experience to bear here with a largely original set of swinging, harmonically nuanced compositions. Backing him are his longtime bandmates bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, along with added quintet members trumpeter Mike Rodriguez and saxophonist Dayna Stephens. In a sense, Concentric Circles is a continuation of Barron's recent trio albums 2015's Interplay and 2016's Book of Intuition, both of which showcased his lithe improvisational skills, and deft sense of group interplay. Here, he expands that approach, offering up richly arranged melodies and songs that touch upon forward-thinking post-bop ("Concentric Circles"), atmospheric modality ("A Short Journey"), and buoyant Latin rhythms ("Baile"). Having already grabbed attention on albums with artists like Miguel Zenón, Bebo Valdés, and Charlie Haden, trumpeter Rodriguez remains a quietly ascending star-in-the-making here, blessed with a warm, puckered tone and knack for engaging, architectural lines. His bluesy solo on the hard-boppish "Blue Waters," and his tender flügelhorn turn on Caetono Veloso's ballad "Aquele Frevo Axe" are supremely engaging. Similarly, Stephens continues to prove he's one of the most inventive and accomplished players of his generation, offering up spiraling, vocal-like improvisations throughout. Together, they spar on "Baile" and take divergent, yet complementary paths on the roiling, funky "L's Bop." While Barron has never sounded anything short of virtuosic, his skills have only deepened over the years. He commands the album, framing his musicians with richly textured chord voicings one minute, and launching into evocative improvisational asides the next. What's particularly refreshing is how immediate and of-the-moment the album feels. Concentric Circles is the sound of a jazz master continuing to push forward, buoyed by his bandmates and the lessons of the past.

~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/concentric-circles-mw0003167648   

Personnel: Kenny Barron: Piano; Dayna Stephens: Saxophone; Mike Rodriguez: Trumpet; Kiyoshi Kitagawa: Bass; Johnathan Blake: Drums.

Concentric Circles

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Duke Jordan - The Great Session

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:40
Size: 116.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1982/1994
Art: Front

[6:36] 1. All The Things You Are
[7:28] 2. Moonglow
[6:38] 3. Satin Doll
[8:55] 4. Thinking Of You
[9:54] 5. A Night In Tunesia
[6:57] 6. Ladybird
[4:10] 7. Blues In The Closet

Bass – David Friesen; Drums – Philly Joe Jones; Piano – Duke Jordan. Recorded June 30, 1978.

One of many recordings by Duke Jordan for Steeplechase, this trio session pairs the pianist with bassist David Friesen and drummer Philly Joe Jones. There's a bit of hyperbole in the album's title, as the play list is hardly adventurous and the arrangements are average, in spite of the strong personnel. The date opens with a rather perfunctory rendition of "All the Things You Are" that incorporates Dizzy Gillespie's famous introductory vamp, and a spacious "Moonglow" followed by Duke Ellington's overly recorded "Satin Doll," a piece even many Ellington fans are tired of hearing. Jones sets up "A Night in Tunisia" with an extended fiery solo, with Jordan and Friesen firing on all cylinders in a romp through this bop standard. Friesen's delicious walking bass is the highlight of "Blues in the Closet." The CD edition adds a previously unissued track, Jordan's warm, low-key ballad "Thinking of You." ~Ken Dryden

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Andreas Varady - The Quest

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:56
Size: 146.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[ 1:11] 1. Lost Memories
[ 8:49] 2. Radio Joint
[11:05] 3. Follow Me
[ 7:26] 4. The Time Is Now
[ 1:14] 5. Patience
[ 7:16] 6. The Quest
[ 7:34] 7. Story
[ 8:28] 8. Her Dream
[ 8:56] 9. Radiska
[ 1:54] 10. Outro

Andreas Varady: guitar, bass, vocals; Adrian Varady: drums; Bandi Varady: aoustic bass; Benito Gonzalez: piano; Radovan Tariška: saxophone.

Early-career hype can be a peculiar mix of blessing and curse. Andreas Varady certainly deserves some praise, and one could hardly ask for a more generous mentor and endorser than Quincy Jones ("It's not every day that you see a 15-year-old kid playing like George Benson!"). Pre-teen virtuosity and study of influences, however, inevitably have to give way to developing one's own voice. Old and new listeners alike should have no worries on that score. With his third recording coming as he approaches 21, Varady makes a promisingly bold leap towards coming into his own.

The titular quest doesn't refer to a goal but an intent to explore—"seeking cool things, playing cool music in cool places, enjoying it all and having fun doing what you wanna do," in the guitarist's words. Despite that prominent adjective, though, cool takes an easy second place behind hot on The Quest. The playing sizzles, the writing flies over the stylistic map with abandon, and the players' chemistry has the distinct brashness of youngsters freshly starting out and bursting with ambition.

The opening pair and brisk mid-album title track could almost make a listener wonder if they'd cued up a Pat Metheny Group recording by mistake. Benson, Wes Montgomery and Kurt Rosenwinkel make obvious touchstones as well, but more exciting is the way Varady spins his musical loves together. The leader shreds like a madman, yet never without purpose and smart deliberation. "Radiska" burns up the joint with some wild hard-bop piano and sax; the mid-tempo "The Time Is Now" and "Her Dream" coast with a warm mid-tempo ballad feel both classic and timeless. Each piece also boasts enough different sections and dynamics to leave those descriptions only a semi-accurate shorthand.

The time is indeed now for Andreas Varady. He's done his homework so much that the process sounds effortless. He's gone from reflecting influences to absorbing and reworking them. It just remains for the rest of us to excitedly watch where else this crazy talent will take him—all indications say it should be a remarkable journey. ~Geno Thackara

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Chick Corea - My Spanish Heart

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:41
Size: 155.0 MB
Styles: Fusion
Year: 1976/2016
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Love Castle
[3:12] 2. The Gardens
[4:27] 3. Day Danse
[1:38] 4. My Spanish Heart
[6:00] 5. Night Streets
[6:15] 6. The Hilltop
[5:00] 7. Wind Danse
[5:17] 8. Armando's Rhumba
[1:34] 9. Prelude To El Bozo
[2:53] 10. El Bozo, Part I
[2:03] 11. El Bozo (Part 2)
[4:58] 12. El Bozo (Part 3)
[6:06] 13. Spanish Fantasy (Part 1)
[5:15] 14. Spanish Fantasy (Part 2)
[3:06] 15. Spanish Fantasy (Part 3)
[5:04] 16. Spanish Fantasy (Part 4)

This 1976 release features Chick Corea in what was then, and remains, a unique musical setting. While it is truly an electric jazz fusion record, it is also the only solo recording of Corea's on which he attempted to truly explore the Latin side of his musical heritage. My Spanish Heart marks a full-scale, yet thoroughly modern, exploration in the musical lineage Corea sprang from. Making full use of synthesizer technology, a string section, and synth-linked choruses -- of two voices, his own and that of Gayle Moran -- as well as percussionist Don Alias, drummer Steve Gadd, a full brass section, and the sparse use of Jean Luc Ponty ("Armando's Rumba") and bassist Stanley Clark, Corea largely succeeded in creating a Spanish/Latin tapestry of sounds, textures, impressions, and even two suites -- "Spanish Fantasy" and "El Bozo." The string quartet performs its intricate and gorgeously elegant arrangements with verve and grace on "Day Danse" and on the suites, with Corea's contrapuntal pianism creating a sharp yet warm contrast to the shifting tempos, wild interval leaps, and shimmering timbral balances that occur. The only pieces that sound dated on this double-album-length set are the fusion pieces, which are, with their production and knotty stop-and-start modulations and key signature equations -- complete with aggressive arpeggios and scalar linguistics -- destined to be limited in expression by the voice of their use of technology. Thus, "Love Castles," "The Gardens," and "Night Streets" suffer from their rather cheesy production despite their tastefully done double fusion semantics (jazz to rock to Latin music). There is no doubt that Corea's musicianship was up to any task he chose at this point in time. Simply put, he was compositionally and intellectually at the top of his game, and this record, despite the many of his that haven't aged well, still surprises despite its production shortcomings. ~Thom Jurek

My Spanish Heart

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Bob Manning - Spotlight On ...Bob Manning

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:42
Size: 120.7 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[3:10] 1. These Foolish Things
[2:23] 2. I Had The Craziest Dream
[2:56] 3. That Old Feeling
[3:05] 4. When Your Lover Has Gone
[3:07] 5. P.S. I Love You
[2:47] 6. It's Easy To Remember
[2:46] 7. You've Changed
[3:09] 8. I'm Thru With Love
[3:09] 9. You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)
[3:16] 10. Alone Together
[2:43] 11. The Very Thought Of You
[2:49] 12. Love Letters
[3:19] 13. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[2:09] 14. It's All Right With Me
[2:42] 15. My Ideal
[3:04] 16. The Nearness Of You
[2:52] 17. My Love Song To You
[3:07] 18. Goodbye

Capitol's roster of pop vocalists in the '50s boasted an incredible number of household names, most of whom have been well-served in the reissue market. Bob Manning, one of the label's lesser-known lights, finally received his due with Spotlight on Bob Manning, an 18-track anthology of Manning's Capitol recordings from 1953-1955. Strongly influenced by Dick Haymes, Manning is remembered for his definitive version of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," which gave Manning a Top 20 hit in 1953 and helped make the song a standard. Capitol's Spotlight On series is sometimes maddeningly neglectful of hits, striving not to round up hits but to gather up traditional pop vocal performances by some of the label's most esteemed singers. Consequently, Manning's volume omits two of his three hit singles, but contains nine of the 12 songs from his 1955 album, Lonely Spell (also available in its entirety on a Japanese import CD). Manning performs standards such as "These Foolish Things" and "P.S. I Love You" with a warmth and intimacy that recalls Dick Haymes' sublime a cappella hits, but Manning's performances feature the orchestrations of Monty Kelly, Sid Feller, and Nelson Riddle. Despite overlooking two of Manning's three chart singles, the compiler found room for "My Love Song to You," a novelty ballad composed as a promotional gimmick to tie in with the television series The Honeymooners. As vocalists go, Manning is the equal of many better-known singers who signed with Capitol in the '50s, and his comparative obscurity is no way reflects a dearth of talent. ~Greg Adams

Spotlight On ...Bob Manning mc
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Satsuki Iida - Moon River

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:23
Size: 126.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. Moon River
[4:26] 2. Love Letters
[3:52] 3. It Don't Mean A Thing
[5:01] 4. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[5:07] 5. Take The A Train
[6:27] 6. My Foolish Heart
[4:51] 7. Just The Way You Are
[5:37] 8. The Way We Were
[5:03] 9. Will You Still Be Mine
[4:32] 10. Summertime
[5:32] 11. Autumn In New York

Received the 26th Japan Jazz Vocal Award "Newcomer Award". Romantic Smokey Voice Iida Satsuki. It is one of the most interested as the orthodox young singer who can sing jazz standard straight.

Watanabe Hiroshi and Star Da Stars bassist grandfather Tatsuo Iida, father of Iida Jazz School Academy Director, the third generation of the jazz family. (Iida Jazz School is the oldest established jazz school in Tokyo, the 60th anniversary of its founding, has been producing many professional musicians until now. My mother is a classical piano teacher and composer.

Beginning the piano from the age of 3. Since age 14 he studied jazz vocal with Yoshiko Goto and long studied with Mr. Ishii Tomoko. Live debut at the 17-year-old Shinjuku "J". Started professional activities from the university, 3 years college. Grand prix was awarded in 2007 "7th JAZZ DAY Newcomer Vocal Grand Prix Contest". (Translated from Japanese.)

Moon River mc
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Ken Peplowski, Alan Barnes - At The Watermill

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:11
Size: 146.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Swing
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[ 5:00] 1. Tippin'
[ 6:21] 2. Strollin'
[ 5:14] 3. Jubilation
[ 3:57] 4. Luiza
[ 8:54] 5. Together
[ 6:48] 6. Some Other Spring
[ 6:28] 7. Perdido
[ 6:04] 8. Menina Flor
[ 4:57] 9. Jazz Line Blues
[10:22] 10. Pee Wee's Blues

Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Producer – Alan Barnes; Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Ken Peplowski; Double Bass – Dave Green; Drums – Steve Brown; Piano – John Pearce. Recorded at the Watermill Jazz Club, 11th October 2010.

Alan Barnes’ Woodville label continues to attract some of the best of mainstream American players this time it’s clarinet and tenor player Ken Peplowoski. Alan takes out his full armoury of instruments for this session which enables the two frontline musicians to mix and match which brings a multitude of possibilities to the sound of the quintet. The backing trio is about as near perfect as you are likely to find in the UK.

Ken Peplowski is one of those musicians who appeared on the scene along with a host of what is known as the new mainstreamers such as Scott Hamilton and Warren Vache and played in much the same style but later became a little more adventurous without losing his basic style. In Alan Barnes he is teamed with his ideal partner as Alan is capable of playing in man styles.

There is much to admre on this album with all members of the quintet on top form with a good spread of instrumental variations. This album comes highly recommended in all departments. ~Roy Booth

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Harry James - Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:57
Size: 124,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. Shine
(2:12)  2. Block Party
(3:28)  3. Proclamation
(3:09)  4. Slap Happy
(3:34)  5. Cottontail
(3:29)  6. I May Be Wrong
(2:45)  7. Or Words To That Effect
(2:30)  8. Big Boy
(2:44)  9. The Arrival
(2:35) 10. Raffles
(3:52) 11. Six, Two, and Even
(2:09) 12. Bells
(2:37) 13. There They Go
(2:22) 14. 'Cept February, Which Has 28
(3:25) 15. You Turned The Tables On Me
(2:40) 16. Snooty Fruity
(3:48) 17. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(3:32) 18. Lover

American jazz musician Harry James learned to play the trumpet at age eight and became one of the most admired trumpet players of the big band era.

Born in Georgia in 1916, Harry James learned to play the trumpet at age eight and became one of the most admired jazz musicians of the big band era. He was so popular in the early 1940s that Columbia Records couldn't press enough of his records to meet demand. In 1943 he married film star Betty Grable and appeared in several movies. https://www.biography.com/people/harry-james-9352531

Things Ain't What They Used To Be

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Barbara Hendricks & Monty Alexander Trio - Tribute to Duke Ellington

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz 
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:13
Size: 175,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:50)  1. Duke's Place
(3:21)  2. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
(2:54)  3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(3:46)  4. Prelude to a Kiss
(2:31)  5. Love You Madly
(5:34)  6. I Got It Bad
(5:04)  7. Brown-Skin Gal (In the Calico Gown)
(4:11)  8. Mood Indigo
(4:14)  9. What Am I Here For?
(3:42) 10. In a Sentimental Mood
(5:58) 11. Squeeze Me
(4:05) 12. Sophisticated Lady
(3:36) 13. Take the "A" Train
(3:36) 14. Solitude
(4:06) 15. Come Sunday
(4:18) 16. Caravan
(4:23) 17. Creole Love Call
(4:52) 18. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Barbara Hendricks is widely regarded as one of the finest American lyric sopranos of her generation, both for her work on the operatic stage and in the concert hall. She possesses a vast repertory in the realm of German lieder and is known for her recitals of American, French and Scandinavian works. She has also sung in performances of Mozart's Mass in C minor, Brahms' Requiem, Mahler's Second Symphony, Del Tredici's Final Alice, and has frequently appeared in jazz concerts as well. In the realm of opera Hendricks has sung a variety of roles, including Pamina from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Gilda (Verdi's Rigoletto), Micaela (Bizet's Carmen), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), Mimi and Liu (Puccini's La bohème and Turandot, respectively), and many more. Hendricks has appeared at most of the major operatic venues, including the Met, Paris Opera, La Scala, and Covent Garden. She has made many recordings, from best-selling Christmas CDs and Gershwin song albums to popular Schubert lieder and Verdi opera recordings. She has appeared on nearly 80 recordings spread over a variety of major labels, including DG, Decca, EMI, Sony, Philips, RCA, and Arte Verum. Barbara Hendricks was born in Stephens, AK, on November 20, 1948. After obtaining a degree at the University of Nebraska in chemistry and mathematics, Hendricks studied voice at Juilliard under Jennie Tourel. Hendricks' major debut was in 1974 at the San Francisco Opera in Cavalli's Ormindo as Erisbe, and that same year she made her recital debut at New York's Town Hall. In 1975 she appeared on her first recording (Decca), singing Clara in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Hendricks soon became an international star, receiving a flood of invitations to the major operatic venues, concert halls, and music festivals. Her appearances with Herbert von Karajan (1977) and Leonard Bernstein (1985) were only two of many internationally acclaimed concert tours. From 1987 Hendricks has worked on behalf of refugees, mainly through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Since her 1994 debut at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Hendricks has regularly appeared at leading jazz festivals throughout the world. In 2006 Hendricks did not renew her contract with EMI, but formed her own label, Arte Verum. Via this new enterprise she appeared on five recordings in 2008, including an acclaimed disc of Poulenc works. A citizen and resident of Sweden, Hendricks married her manager Martin Engström in 1978, and the couple have three children.~ Robert Cummings https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barbara-hendricks-mn0000215176/biography
     
Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander is a sophisticated, prolific performer with an urbane, swinging style informed by the bop tradition, as well as the reggae and Caribbean folk he grew up with. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1944, Alexander first started playing piano around age four and took classical lessons from age six. By his teens, however, he had discovered jazz and was already performing in nightclubs. Although his early career found him covering pop and rock hits of the day, it was his love of jazz-oriented artists like Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole that brought him the most inspiration.

~ Matt Collar..More...  https://www.allmusic.com/artist/monty-alexander-mn0000589256/biography

Tribute to Duke Ellington

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Max Roach - Deeds, Not Words

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:50
Size: 102,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:49)  1. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(7:09)  2. Filide
(4:15)  3. It's You Or No One
(4:59)  4. Jodie's Cha-Cha
(4:37)  5. Deeds, Not Words
(5:15)  6. Larry-Larue
(3:51)  7. Conversation
(5:51)  8. There Will Never Be Another You

This Max Roach Riverside date is notable for featuring the great young trumpeter Booker Little and for utilizing Ray Draper's tuba as a melody instrument; tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Art Davis complete the excellent quintet. 

Highlights include "It's You or No One," "You Stepped Out of a Dream," and Roach's unaccompanied drum piece "Conversation." This is fine music from a group that was trying to stretch themselves beyond hard bop.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/deeds-not-words-mw0000651771      

Personnel: Max Roach (drums); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Booker Little (trumpet); Ray Draper (tuba); Art Davis, Oscar Pettiford (bass).

Deeds, Not Words

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Charles Mingus - Tonight At Noon

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 89,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:00)  1. Tonight At Noon
(4:50)  2. Invisible Lady
(7:55)  3. 'Old' Blues For Walt's Torin
(9:42)  4. Peggy's Blue Skylight
(9:46)  5. Passions Of A Woman Loved

A valuable reissue for Mingus fans, Tonight at Noon compiles five tunes originally recorded for two of the great bassist's most important album's, 1957's The Clown and 1961's Oh Yeah. Though the two sessions cover somewhat different stylistic ground, they blend together seamlessly and amount to much more than a haphazard assemblage of dusty outtakes. The earlier session is the more restrained of the two, with Mingus and a typically responsive quintet (trombonist Jimmy Knepper, alto saxophonist Shafi Hadi, pianist Wade Legge and drummer Dannie Richmond) expertly weaving a path between the extremes of European impressionism (on the haunting "Passions of a Woman Loved") and hard bop (on the fast-paced title tune). The 1961 date is a more freewheeling journey into the blues and gospel roots of jazz via Duke Ellington, with Mingus switching to piano (an instrument on which he was more than proficient) and handing the bass duties over to Doug Watkins. The hard-swinging group also includes Mingus stalwarts Knepper and Richmond, along with the dynamic saxophone duo of Booker Ervin and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Though most of the compositions on Tonight at Noon are not well known (with the exception of "Peggy's Blue Skylight" from the 1961 session) and several make their only appearances in the Mingus catalog here, there's certainly nothing second rate about these tunes. Along with the time limitations of the LP era, one gets the impression that, if anything, they were left off the original albums because they were even more provocative than the selected cuts. This is vital, exciting music.~ Joel Roberts https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tonight-at-noon-charles-mingus-water-music-review-by-joel-roberts.php

Personnel: Charles Mingus, Bass, Piano, Vocals; Shafi Hadi, Alto Saxophone; Doug Watkins, Bass; Dannie Richmond, Drums; Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Saxophones; Wade Legge, Piano; Booker Ervin, Tenor Saxophone; Jimmy Knepper, Trombone.

Tonight At Noon

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