Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Musica Nuda - Live At Paris

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 97:46
Size: 224,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Anninnia
(3:26)  2. Come Together
(3:11)  3. Roxanne
(5:03)  4. Prendila Cosi'
(2:01)  5. Il Casio Con Le Pere
(5:40)  6. I Wil Survive
(5:20)  7. Sacrifice
(3:56)  8. Mamma Mia Dammi Cento Lire
(3:54)  9. Lascia Ch'io Pianga
(3:02) 10. Voglio Di Vita Uscir
(3:43) 11. Non Ho L'eta'
(3:48) 12. Like A Virgin
(3:36) 13. Io Sono Meta'
(6:30) 14. Nature Boy
(5:15) 15. You`re The One That I Want - Il Cammello E Il Dromedario
(3:02) 16. La Vie En Noir
(2:36) 17. Couleur Cafè
(4:59) 18. Non Andare Via
(4:40) 19. Tuca Tuca
(8:46) 20. Sirene
(3:58) 21. Guarda Che Luna
(6:47) 22. Imagine

The Musica Nuda duo was born in 2003, in a club in Tuscany. The singer Petra Magoni, born July 28, 1972 in Pisa, comes from the world of lyrical art and early music that had become famous in pop, jazz, rap or electro, and was to give a singing tour with a guitarist in the club. The latter, who got sick of the old concert, is replaced by contrabassist and composer Ferruccio Spinetti of the Avion Travel group. Musica Nuda then quickly enters the studio to record the CD "Musica Nuda" around a repertoire of eclectic covers: Lennon / McCartney ("Blackbird", "Imagine"), Sting ("Roxane"), Fekaris / Perren / Gaynor ( "I Will Survive"), Monteverdi ("Voglio di vita uscir", "Maledetto sia the aspetto"). The record is greeted by the critic Michel Contat on the magazine Télérama. Their success on stage, during a Live at Fip in the first part of Stefano di Battista, is such that he leads them on a grand tour through France and Italy. he second discographic part, "Musica Nuda 2", has two discs. The first one includes the original compositions "Io sono metà" and "Le due corde vocali", as well as covers of Brel ("Do not leave me"), Nougaro ("La Vie en Noir"), Gainsbourg ("Couleur Coffee "), Beatles (" Come Together ") or Madonna (" Like a Virgin "). After a DVD "Live in Paris" (2006) and a "Live à Fip" (2007), Musica Nuda released "55/21" this time proposing their Italian version, with Stefano Bollani, of "The Song of the Old Lovers "by Jacques Brel," While My Guitar Gently Weeps "by The Beatles," Crocodaïl "with Jacques Higelin, or" It Had Better Be Tonight "by Henry Mancini with Sanseverino. Translate By Google http://www.jazzradio.fr/artiste/singer/5975/musica-nuda

Personnel:  Petra Magoni (voce) e Ferruccio Spinetti (contrabbasso)

Live At Paris

Allan Holdsworth & Gordon Beck - The Things You See - Sunbird

Styles: Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:42
Size: 161,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:49)  1. Golden Lakes
( 2:56)  2. Stop Fiddlin'
( 4:32)  3. The Things You See
( 8:17)  4. Diminished Responsability
(11:59)  5. She's Lookin', I'm Cookin'
( 3:18)  6. At The Edge
( 3:47)  7. Up Country
( 2:45)  8. The Gathering
( 6:21)  9. Halfway House
( 5:03) 10. Sunbird
( 6:49) 11. Second Summer

Allan Holdsworth has long been considered a brilliant guitarist who, although most of his career has been spent playing rock, has always had a strong interest in jazz and playing his instrument like a keyboard. He teams up with his longtime musical partner pianist-keyboardist Gordon Beck on the quartet date The Things You See/Sunbird, performing the seven songs originally released as The Things You See plus four other selections. Beck is actually featured at least as much as Holdsworth, some of the briefer selections are mere throwaways that end before they seem to get going, and the overall music is not as memorable as one would hope. Still there are some bright moments, close interplay, and a few sparks felt along the way. It isn't a classic but this release should interest Holdsworth fans who wish to hear him in a different context than usual. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-things-you-see-sunbird-mw0001884531

Personnel:  Allan Holdsworth – vocals, guitar, electric violin;  Gordon Beck – Rhodes piano, piano

The Things You See - Sunbird

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Uncharted Land

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:59
Size: 140,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:14)  1. Moving Pictures
( 4:13)  2. Uncharted Land (vocal)
( 2:51)  3. Natten er Se Stille
(18:12)  4. Nordavind
( 6:55)  5. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
( 2:27)  6. Someday My Prince Will Come
( 6:24)  7. Joron
( 5:47)  8. Too Many Names
( 3:01)  9. Uncharted Land (instrumental)
( 5:50) 10. Blank Space

A virtuoso who mostly played in bop-oriented settings, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen was in great demand since he was a teenager. One of many superb European bassists to emerge during the 1960s, Pedersen originally studied piano before starting to play bass with Danish groups when he was 14. He had to reluctantly turn down Count Basie's offer to join his orchestra when he was just 17, but worked steadily as the house bassist at the Club Montmartre and as a member of the Danish Radio Orchestra. Whenever American jazzmen passed through Scandinavia, they asked for Pedersen; during the 1960s he played with Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Bud Powell, and even Albert Ayler (although the latter's session was not too successful). In the 1970s, Pedersen was featured in a duo with Kenny Drew. Starting in the mid-'70s, he was an occasional member of the Oscar Peterson Trio and he recorded several dates as a leader for SteepleChase. Pedersen also recorded in many different settings for Pablo Records during the era. He remained very active until his sudden death in April 2005. He was 58. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/niels-henning-%C3rsted-pedersen-mn0000404907/biography

Personnel: Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - acoustic bass, co-producer; Jan Garbarek - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, programming; Steve Swallow - electric bass, producer;   Michel Petrucciani - piano;  Mehmet Ozan - acoustic guitar;   Marilyn Mazur - percussion;  Søs Fenger - vocals;  Ole Kock Hansen - piano;  Ars Nova - ensemble;  Bo Holten - conductor;  Bente Vist - soprano vocals;  Helle Petersen - soprano vocals;  Hilde Ramnefjell - soprano vocals;  Ulla Munch - alto vocals;  Tine Jarl - alto vocals -  Mette Greiffenberg - alto vocals;   Ivan Hansen - tenor vocals;  Palle Jensen - tenor vocals;  Villy Nielsen - tenor vocals;  Johan Reuter - bass vocals;  Claus Hansen - bass vocals;   Hans Henrik Råholt - bass vocals

Uncharted Land

Kate Rusby - 20 Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: 20   Disc 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:24
Size: 104,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:36)  1. Awkward Annie
(4:34)  2. Unquiet Grave
(3:45)  3. Sun Grazers
(5:50)  4. The Lark
(3:30)  5. Planets
(4:39)  6. Wandering Soul
(4:19)  7. Who Will Sing Me Lullabies
(5:36)  8. Jolly Plough Boys
(4:19)  9. Sho Heen
(5:10) 10. Bitter Boy

Album: 20   Disc 2

Time: 45:16
Size: 104,0 MB

(4:42)  1. I Courted A Sailor
(3:25)  2. Mocking Bird
(4:09)  3. The Good Man
(5:36)  4. Annan Waters
(5:14)  5. All God's Angels
(3:48)  6. Elfin Knight
(5:12)  7. Wild Goose
(3:50)  8. Home
(3:43)  9. Underneath The Stars
(5:31) 10. Bring Me A Boat

It’s hard to believe that ’Barnsley nightingale’ Kate Rusby has been making music for 20 years now. As with Spiers & Boden’s The Works, this appropriately titled record sees the singer revisiting some classic songs from her canon, and rerecording them with a highly impressive line-up of guest musicians. The resulting album illustrates Rusby’s charming musical history perfectly, while the guestlist shows that during her two decades in the business, she has amassed some seriously talented fans and friends. The album begins with Awkward Annie, perhaps Rusby’s calling card. Its playful, animal-themed lyrics suit her uplifting, smiley singing voice. Chris Thile adds gentle backing vocals and mandolin, augmenting the song while not imposing himself on it.It seems a while since Rusby recorded traditional songs, and 20 serves as a reminder of her considerable ability in this field. Unquiet Grave is solemn and wistful, while Annan Waters, to which Bob Fox lends his voice, is a quite different proposition to those familiar with Nic Jones’ version harmonies, pipes and strings lending it a calmer, more mournful air. Jones is one of many impressive collaborators on an album many folkies will enjoy playing ’guess the guest’ to - his backing vocals on the tender The Lark hit the mark perfectly. Elsewhere, Jim Causley and Sarah Jarosz deserve particular praise for their beautifully balanced vocals, on I Courted a Sailor and Planets respectively, while Dick Gaughan and Mary Chapin Carpenter also make predictably impressive contributions. Paul Weller is arguably the most famous guest on 20, singing alongside Rusby on the album’s only new song, Sun Grazers. Strangely, his pained delivery seems to fight against, rather than work with, Rusby’s voice, resulting in an unusually grating track. As her fans will know by now, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band complement Rusby beautifully. 

Their previous work together has evidently informed a musical understanding, and Underneath the Stars is lifted to a moving, melancholy level by the band’s evocative brass arrangement. The album does sometimes become trapped in pleasant-but-uninspired territory, and some will find the arrangements at times samey and safe. The Good Man, for example, is a little on the twee side, while a languorous version of the Elfin Knight rattles along enjoyably enough without really pulling the listener into the story. But perhaps this is forgivable on a 20-track double album. And it is compensated for, particularly on the CDs’ final tracks. Disc two’s closer, Bring Me a Boat, is a peaceful, warm way to end, but the first CD’s finale, The Bitter Boy, is absolutely lovely, featuring a lush-yet-tasteful string arrangement, achingly sad lyrics and sensitive vocals from Rusby’s husband, Damian O’Kane. As an introduction to Rusby, 20 is perfect, while the new collaborations and arrangements offer her loyal fans plenty more to enjoy. Perhaps only the diehards will love every track, but there’s certainly at least something for everyone here. http://brightyoungfolk.com/records/20-kate-rusby


Monday, November 12, 2018

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:32
Size: 98,4 MB
Art: Front

(14:10)  1. Blue Black
( 5:29)  2. Relativity
( 8:08)  3. Nefertiti
( 3:47)  4. Hattie
( 7:33)  5. Mudflower
( 3:23)  6. Unnatural Man

Originally recorded for the Japanese East Wind label and only made available domestically on a 1979 Inner City LP, this trio outing by pianist Andrew Hill also features bassist Richard Davis and drummer Roger Blank. Hill performs six of his unpredictable originals ("Nefertiti" is his tune, not the more famous composition by Wayne Shorter) and, although the music seems slightly more conservative than usual for a Hill set, the music is consistently stimulating; too bad it's so difficult to locate. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/nefertiti-mw0000311943

Personnel:  Andrew Hill, piano;  Richard Davis, bass;  Roger Blank, drums.

Nefertiti

Rosemary Clooney - The Girl Singer

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:52
Size: 93,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:20)  1. Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie
(2:59)  2. Without Love
(3:16)  3. How About You ?
(2:55)  4. How Am I To Know ?
(2:06)  5. Corazn De Melon (Watermelon Heart)
(2:27)  6. Angry
(1:47)  7. Buffalo Gals (with Bing Crosby)
(1:54)  8. Sweet Besty From Pike
(2:15)  9. Get Me To The Church On Time
(2:46) 10. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
(2:20) 11. Aren't You Glad You're You ?
(2:23) 12. Shine On Harvest Moon
(2:42) 13. Sway
(2:37) 14. Cabin In The Sky
(2:24) 15. Something's Gotta Give
(3:36) 16. Love Won't Let You Get Away (with Bing Crosby)

The Girl Singer, Rosemary Clooney's volume in the Bluebird's Best series, spotlights her talents as a swinging post-big band vocalist between 1958 and 1961, when she was basically hitless but still recording some great material (including many arrangements by Nelson Riddle and excellent duet albums recorded with Bing Crosby and Pérez Prado). Although 16 tracks for a digital-era compilation is basically short shrift, there are highlights galore  starting with "Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie," a nice piece of fluff that introduced an album of the same name. Also great is an update (with Crosby) of "How About You?" to include references to Gypsy, Marlon Brando, and the Pittsburgh Pirates (Crosby was a co-owner). The two tracks with Prado find the exuberant Clooney matching the outboard orchestra. The Girl Singer also includes a version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" recorded in Nashville with Floyd Cramer and (probably) a Chet Atkins arrangement. (No, Cassandra Wilson wasn't the first to treat it as a vocal standard.) For jazz or vocal fans curious about a great vocalist but with no wish to revisit "Come on-a My House" or "This Ole House," The Girl Singer is a solid collection. 
~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-girl-singer-bluebird-mw0000979054

The Girl Singer

Keith Brown - The Journey

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:02
Size: 156,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:24)  1. 4G
(5:14)  2. Close Your Eyes and Believe
(4:19)  3. Human Nature
(6:13)  4. Capt'n Kirk
(5:48)  5. Prelude for the One
(7:40)  6. The Journey
(4:50)  7. The Narrow Road
(7:33)  8. Ten Years of Turmoil
(6:02)  9. Deception of the Heart
(6:03) 10. F.R.C.
(3:02) 11. The Biscuit Man
(4:48) 12. (I've Got a) Golden Ticket

Son of Donald, one of the countless talents discovered by Art Blakey, and like him pianist, Keith Brown is not a well-known name. He has worked as a session man in various areas of black music, from soul to jazz, and has already recorded a good record in trio a few years ago. With 'The Journey', the young Brown raises the shot and offers us an ambitious job, a real journey through all his experiences as a musician, synthesized in a fresh jazz with a contemporary cut, innervated by soul, neo-soul, funk , hip-hop - colors, melodies, rhythms and arrangements are clear, even if the group is often acoustic. From this point of view, we can think of points of reference such as Lafayette Gilchrist and especially Russell Gunn , two true master predecessors in the synthesis between jazz and the rest of contemporary black music. 'The Journey' is a complex work, but never difficult: on the contrary, the themes are always very catchy, improvisations, certainly imaginative, work within the harmonic outline, unhinging it gradually, almost without attracting attention. Great importance of the prodigious battery of Terreon Gully, which makes an insistent use of rim-shot in short repeated, broken and recombined polyrhythm patterns, reproducing in this way the typical effect of hip-hop rhythms. On the sax we find musicians in the world such as Kenneth Whalum III, Greg Tardy and Jamal Mitchell, while the bass by Clint Mullican and the Mike Seal guitar complete the training by adding jazz-funk pulsations and further colors to the ensemble moments, arranged in a new way. soul. Ah, and Keith Brown? His style, percussive and bluesy, with considerable independence in his hands and a marked taste for melodic ornamentation and chiselling, is the direct son of musicians such as John Hicks and Kenny Kirkland (to whom 'Capt'n Kirk' is dedicated), to the youngest Marc Cary. Almost all the compositions - except for the 'Human Nature', where for the most part the sax repeat the theme while the rhythm section is unleashed, dictating the dynamics and the development of the piece, then releasing the tension at the time of the sax solos, and '(I've Got a) Golden Ticket' (yes, that of the classic 'Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory'!), enunciated by the piano that alludes to the stride, slowed in a wrap-around soul jazz by the band and finally closed by a suspended electric piano tail. To have heard it before, 'The Journey' would have finished straight into the top 10 of the past year. Patience. Beautiful album of pure modern jazz at the highest level, excellent also to bring neophytes closer to this music. (Negrodeath) Translate by Google http://freefalljazz.altervista.org/blog/?p=14914
 
Personnel:  Keith Brown on piano;  Terreon "Tank" Gully on drums;  Gregory Tardy on saxophones;  Kenneth Whalum III on saxophones;  Jamel Mitchell on saxophones;  Mike Seal on guitar;  Clint Mullican on bass

The Journey

Chico Freeman - Tangents

Styles: Post-Bop, Progressive Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:06
Size: 109,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:52)  1. Tangents
(5:40)  2. Sir Tashi And The Yetti
(3:23)  3. Ballad For Hakima
(5:12)  4. Fifty Tenth Street
(5:42)  5. Computerized Indifference
(4:59)  6. Sangoma And Nelly
(7:22)  7. You Are The One
(6:53)  8. Spook And Fade

An interesting if quite diverse set, this album is best remembered for featuring up-and-coming singer Bobby McFerrin on a few selections. McFerrin has his moments, as does tenor saxophonist Chico Freeman and such notable sidemen as altoist Steve Coleman, John Purcell on reeds, either Kenny Werner or Mark Thompson on piano, Freeman's longtime bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart, among others. 

The material (by Freeman, Thompson and Werner) is actually not that significant, and the date on a whole is less memorable than many of Chico Freeman's earlier sets, but it has its enjoyable spots. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/tangents-mw0000800513

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Steve Coleman;  Bass – Cecil McBee, John Koenig;  Drums – Billy Hart, James Bradley, Jr.;  Drums, Percussion – Frederick Waits;  Piano – Mark Thompson ;  Piano, Synthesizer – Kenny Werner;  Vibraphone – Jay Hoggard;  Vocals – Bobby McFerrin;  Woodwind – John Purcell;  Woodwind, Percussion – Chico Freeman

Tangents

Eli Degibri - Soul Station (A Tribute to Hank Mobley)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 38:25
Size: 70,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. Remember
(4:51)  2. This I Dig of You
(4:45)  3. Dig Dis
(8:32)  4. If I Should Lose You
(3:54)  5. Split Feelings
(4:58)  6. Soul Station
(5:23)  7. Dear Hank

You can understand why musicians cover entire albums when the subject is an epic like Kind of Blue or A Love Supreme. It’s a little harder to see what would prompt someone to do a track-by-track remake of saxophonist Hank Mobley’s Soul Station. It may be Mobley’s best record, but it doesn’t crack the 200 recommended recordings in either Ben Ratliff’s book of essential LPs or The Rough Guide to Jazz, and Mobley merits barely a passing mention in Ted Gioia’s landmark book The History of Jazz. Israeli saxophonist Eli Degibri, however, says Soul Station is his touchstone and lifelong inspiration. His challenge in covering the whole thing is to find something new to say through it. Degibri’s timbre is slighter and more pointed than Mobley’s round, warm tone, but his performance is no less expressive. His blowing is often reserved, to the point where one sometimes strains to hear him cut through the rhythm section. He takes several tunes at a slightly faster tempo than Mobley did, though one selection “If I Should Lose You,” the best tune here is slowed to a lush ballad. He switches to soprano sax a couple of times, whereas Mobley stuck to tenor. It would be hard to top Mobley’s rhythm section of pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey, but Mobley’s group steps up. Pianist Tom Oren and bassist Tamir Shmerling both turn in nifty solos on the title tune, and drummer Eviatar Slivnik throws in extra fills on “Remember” rather than trying to imitate the legend who preceded him. Degibri adds an original composition, a nice piece called “Dear Hank” that sounds like it might be derived from “Blues in the Night.” Degibri’s is a good album, but aside from that gorgeously languid cover of “If I Should Lose You,” he hasn’t done enough to make Soul Station his own. 
~ Steve Greenlee https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/eli-degibri-soul-station/

Personnel: Eli Degibri:Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Tom Oren: Piano; Tamir Shmerling: Bass; Eviatar Slivnik: Drums

Soul Station (A Tribute to Hank Mobley)

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Bill Hardman - Focus

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:36
Size: 89,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Avila & Tequila
(6:19)  2. Cubicle
(6:07)  3. Too Little, Too Late
(5:39)  4. Focus
(9:14)  5. My One And Only Love
(5:11)  6. Minority

Always a bit underrated and overshadowed, trumpeter Bill Hardman was a solid soloist in the tradition of Clifford Brown. He led three Muse albums during 1978-81, of which this was the second. Matched as usual with his fellow hard bop stylist, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, along with trombonist Slide Hampton, pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Leroy Williams and drummer Stafford James, Hardman is heard in top form on such numbers as Hank Mobley's "Avila & Tequila," Tadd Dameron's "Focus" and "Minority." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/focus-mw0000923787

Personnel:  Bill Hardman - trumpet;  Junior Cook - tenor saxophone;  Slide Hampton - trombone;  Walter Bishop Jr. - piano;  Stafford James - bass;  Leroy Williams - drums;  Mark Elf - guitar

Focus

Peggy Lee - The Man I Love / If You Go

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:12
Size: 174,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:47)  1. The Man I Love
(4:14)  2. Please Be Kind
(4:05)  3. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
(2:53)  4. Just One Way To Say I Love You
(2:55)  5. That's All
(3:16)  6. Something Wonderful
(4:13)  7. He's My Guy
(2:31)  8. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
(2:47)  9. My Heart Stood Still
(2:24) 10. If I Should Lose You
(3:40) 11. There Is No Greater Love
(3:40) 12. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
(2:52) 13. As Time Goes By
(2:43) 14. If You Go
(2:37) 15. Oh Love Hast Thou Forsaken Me
(2:58) 16. Say It Isn't So
(2:49) 17. I Wish I Didn't Love You So
(2:04) 18. Maybe It's Because (I Love You Too Much)
(2:48) 19. I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life
(2:49) 20. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(2:30) 21. (I Love Your) Gypsy Heart
(3:16) 22. When I Was A Child
(2:50) 23. Here's That Rainy Day
(2:21) 24. Smile

Digitally remastered edition of 2LP's on a single CD of two truly classic albums from one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. Miss Lee made more than 700 recordings and more than 60 albums. Her own favorite album, 'The Man I Love,' was recorded in 1957 with arrangements by Nelson Riddle and an orchestra conducted by Frank Sinatra . 'If You Go' includes laid back themes with stunnning arrangements from Quincy Jones. 
~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Man-Love-If-You-Go/dp/B000005RRT

The Man I Love / If You Go

Stéphane Grappelli - Le Toit de Paris

Styles: Swing, Gypsy
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:18
Size: 87,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:40)  1. Rain Check
(3:44)  2. Camélia
(3:11)  3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(3:16)  4. Andrée
(3:27)  5. What Am I Here For
(2:39)  6. Tabou
(2:34)  7. Denise
(3:02)  8. Flamingo
(2:25)  9. Time On My Hands
(2:26) 10. Zelda
(2:47) 11. Anna
(2:20) 12. Light
(1:40) 13. So Long

Stephane Grappelli's career was beginning to take off once again around the time of this 1969 session in Paris; the swinging violinist is accompanied by pianist Raymond Fol, guitarist Tony Ovio, bassist Jack Sewing, and drummer Andre Hartmann. While the leader and his pianist play rather well, the rest of the rhythm section is burdened by Ovio's rather hackneyed accompaniment. The best tracks are the standards, including a very brisk "Rain Check" and "What Am I Here For" (the latter of which opens with a bit of pizzicato violin), as well as a breakneck "Tabou" (sometimes spelled "Taboo" or "Tabu" on other records). Less inspired are labored renditions of "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" and "Time on My Hands." One factor separating this date from the typical Grappelli release is the heavier concentration of original material; Grappelli contributed two fairly nondescript ballads ("Andree" and "Light") and the intense swinger "Denise," while Fol penned the bland ballad "Camelia" and a somewhat corny waltz, "Anna." Fol switches to celeste on a couple of numbers, neither of which are particularly remarkable. An odd note on the back cover apologizes for using the original album cover art with the leader's name misspelled Stephane Grappelly, which was actually the original spelling and the way he still signed autographs 20 years after the recording session! While this album (reissued on CD by RCA France in 1994) is hardly a prime example from Stephane Grappelli's considerable discography, there are enough enjoyable tracks for swing fans to considering purchasing it. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/le-toit-de-paris-mw0000530949

Personnel:  Violin -  Stéphane Grappelli;  Bass – Jack Sewing;  Drums – Andre Hartman;  Guitar – Tony Ovio;  Piano – Raymond Fol

Le Toit de Paris

Curtis Mayfield - Curtis

Styles: Soul, Funk
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:43
Size: 95,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:52)  1. (Don't Worry) If There's Hell Below We're All Gonna Go
(4:03)  2. The Other Side of Town
(3:44)  3. The Making of You
(6:05)  4. We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue
(8:55)  5. Move on Up
(3:00)  6. Miss Black America
(3:18)  7. Wild and Free
(3:43)  8. Give It Up

The first solo album by the former leader of the Impressions, Curtis represented a musical apotheosis for Curtis Mayfield  indeed, it was practically the "Sgt. Pepper's" album of '70s soul, helping with its content and its success to open the whole genre to much bigger, richer musical canvases than artists had previously worked with. All of Mayfield's years of experience of life, music, and people were pulled together into a rich, powerful, topical musical statement that reflected not only the most up-to-date soul sounds of its period, finely produced by Mayfield himself, and the immediacy of the times and their political and social concerns, but also embraced the most elegant R&B sounds of the past. As a producer, Mayfield embraced the most progressive soul sounds of the era, stretching them out compellingly on numbers like "Move on Up," but he also drew on orchestral sounds (especially harps), to achieve some striking musical timbres (check out "Wild and Free"), and wove all of these influences, plus the topical nature of the songs, into a neat, amazingly lean whole. There was only one hit single off of this record, "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Down Below We're All Going to Go," which made number three, but the album as a whole was a single entity and really had to be heard that way. ~ Bruce Eder https://www.allmusic.com/album/curtis-mw0000112083
 
Personnel:  Musicians - Leonard Druss, John Howell, Harold Lepp, Loren Binford, Clifford Davis, Patrick Ferreri, Richard Single, Rudolph Stauber, Donald Simmons, Robert Lewis, Harold Dessent, Ronald Kolber, Harold Klatz, John Ross, Sol Bobrob, Sam Heiman, Elliot Golub, Henry Gibson, Robert Sims, Gary Slabo, Philip Upchurch

Curtis

Roy Brooks - Beat

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:13
Size: 71,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Homestretch
(4:48)  2. If You Could See Me Now
(4:36)  3. Passin' The Buck
(4:31)  4. Soulin'
(5:07)  5. Soulsphere
(6:54)  6. My Secret Passion

Recorded for Berry Gordy's short-lived Workshop Jazz imprint, Roy Brooks' simply but authoritatively titled Beat fuses the intellectual rigors of the modern idiom with the physical prowess of soul-jazz to create a record of uncommon scope and reach. Working with Horace Silver Quintet colleagues Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, and Gene Taylor alongside Detroit contemporaries George Bohannon and Hugh Lawson, Brooks channels influences spanning the breadth of the Motor City scene, resulting in a clutch of challenging but engaging performances with the unmistakable patina of the embryonic Motown sound. While their technical proficiency is stunning, Brooks' rhythms never lose sight of the almighty groove, and for its hard bop stridency, the record has the proverbial good beat and you can dance to it. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/beat-mw0000383433

Personnel: Drums – Roy Brooks;  Bass – Eugene Taylor;  Piano – Hugh Lawson;  Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax] – Junior Cook;  Trombone – George Bohanon;  Trumpet – Blue Mitchell

Beat

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Alex Sipiagin - Destinations Unknown

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:46
Size: 171,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:35)  1. Next Stop - Tsukiji
(11:42)  2. Videlles
(11:52)  3. Tempest in A Tea Cup
(11:14)  4. Fermata Scandola
(11:30)  5. Calming
(12:50)  6. Fast Forward
( 7:00)  7. Meu Canario Vizinho Azul

Life on the road can often wear musicians down, but it can also inspire them to great heights. Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's travels took him to Taiwan, Spain, Italy, France, Japan and Holland in the months preceding the recording session for this album in January, 2011 and each one of those locales helped to stir his creative impulses. This gripping session of heart-pounding jazz, which possesses the edge and attitude delivered by New York modernists, is the end result of a compositional process that began in each one of those distant places, and Sipiagin's sojourns in foreign lands helped to produce what may very well be his most bracing music yet. The three-horn frontline from the trumpeters' Equilibrium (Criss Cross, 2009), featuring alto saxophonist David Binney and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, is reunited here, and sparks fly frequently. When all three men collide, they craft snaking lines that weave and bob in vibrant fashion ("Videlles"), but it only takes two to tango, as demonstrated by Potter and Binney on Sipiagin's "Fast Forward." Both saxophonists take pleasure in giving one another a near-simultaneous tongue-lashing as their flights of fancy reach fever pitch. 

While Sipiagin's shared history with both saxophonists certainly contributes to the frenetic-but-focused sound of the frontline, it's his relationship with the rhythm section that helps to shape the music from the ground up. Bassist Boris Kozlov and Sipiagin have shared more than record dates, with both men having attended the Gnessin Conservatory in Moscow together and rooming together after they came to the United States in the '90s, and Kozlov is completely locked into his longtime friend's musical mindset. His bass riffs help to establish direction in odd-metered surroundings ("Videlles" and "Fermata Scandola") and his hook-up with drummer Eric Harland is palpable. Harland who has worked with Sipiagin in bassist Dave Holland's sextet continues to be the sorcerer of kaleidoscopic groove-tweaking, as he constantly toys with the beat using expansive rhythmic ideals and his stellar technique to serve each song. Craig Taborn's Fender Rhodes often shimmers in a relaxed fashion, in deference to the more heated statements from the horn players, but he cooks albeit with a slightly lower flame when it counts ("Fermata Scandola"). When he switches to piano, as on the mystical and propulsive "Fast Forward," his playing takes on a paranoid intensity that fires up the rest of the band. While the lengthy works on this album prove to be complex labyrinths of time, space and sound, they never lose direction. Sipiagin's trumpet serves as the compass that always points in the right direction, as his band travels to Destinations Unknown. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/destinations-unknown-alex-sipiagin-criss-cross-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Alex Sipiagin: trumpet; Chris Potter: tenor saxophone; David Binney: alto saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano, fender rhodes; Boris Kozlov: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

Destinations Unknown

Bernadette Seacrest and Her Yes Men - No More Music By The Suckers

Styles: Vocal, Cabaret
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:43
Size: 91,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. My Man
(3:38)  2. Tango New
(4:33)  3. Cold Bed
(1:50)  4. Lullaby Low Bass
(2:07)  5. Dream A Little Dream
(4:06)  6. Her Tears Break My Heart
(4:18)  7. So Cruel
(3:25)  8. Aint Misbehavin
(5:51)  9. Body And Soul
(4:05) 10. Salvation
(2:54) 11. Strange Fruit

"At first one might think the greatest benefit of the lounge-y torch song revival is the idea of a smoky-voiced chanteuse sporting tattoos  mmm...classic beauty+punk sensibility=yummy. But Albuquerque's Bernadette Seacrest could be dressed in business casual for all we care. After all, she posses one of those rare voices that summons up romantic demons, lost loves and well-made cocktails. Her new CD, "No More Music By the Suckers", is a tapestry of slick noir ballads and sweet melodies. And you know what? Maybe the tatts are pretty cool too." ~ The Santa Fe Reporter

"Seacrest, whose last gig was with the Albuquerque rockabilly outfit The Long Goners, has evolved into a tattooed chanteuse specializing in jazzy, torchy and extremely tunes with a band featuring a double bass, sax and trombone. While Seacrest's voice is the main draw here, don't forget The Yes Men, who create the dangerous atmosphere. Grimes' bass is a major component on most cuts. And sometimes the horn section sounds like they're engaging in a gang rumble." ~The Santa Fe New Mexican

"Her sultry, silky voice spreads across the room like a lush, warm blanket of velvet and ably pays homage to the composers and performers who made those songs so unforgettable in the first place." ~Albuquerque Journal

"You can practically smell the cigarrette smoke and taste the bootleg booze of a speakeasy club when you listen to the music of this retro swinging group. Lead singer Bernadette Seacrest has a sultry voice perfectly backed by a group of able jazz musicians." ~ music.download.com https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/bsahym

Personnel:  Bernadette Seacrest - Vocals;  Michael Grimes - Double Bass, Guitar, Organ, Melodica;  Aaron Cummings - Saxophones, Clarinet;Noah Thomas – Trumpet;  Jason Aspeslet - Drums, Percussion

No More Music By The Suckers

Adrian Raso - C´est La Vie

Styles: Guitar Jazz, Gypsy Swing
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:38
Size: 104,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:40)  1. Hot Club Swing
(2:36)  2. Biltmore Blues
(2:52)  3. Tango De La Noche
(2:51)  4. Antonio's Strut
(6:58)  5. Swing Sagarese
(2:34)  6. Until Tomorrow
(3:39)  7. Bireli's Waltz
(3:10)  8. My Darling
(2:34)  9. C'est La Vie
(2:26) 10. Limehouse Blues
(2:29) 11. C'est La Vie (Drum Mix)
(2:39) 12. Biltmore Blues (Drum Mix)
(2:31) 13. Swing Sagarese (Drum Mix)
(2:51) 14. Antonio's Strut (Drum Mix)
(2:42) 15. Hot Club Swing (Drum Mix)

Adrian Raso is a respected guitarist/composer from Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  Adrian has recorded 2 instrumental EPs, Supersonic Music Man (1999) and the self-titled Adrian Raso (2001) and in 2004, he recorded his first full-length electric album, Electric Medusa.  In 2005, Adrian released an all-acoustic album, Black Mamba, which was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Metalworks Studios in Toronto, Ontario.  This CD featured Adrian’s stunning versatility and musicianship over a variety of styles, ranging from Gypsy to Latin flavours. This album is a fine example of the balance between commercially accepted music that is also readily embraced by the technically-minded musician. In 2006, Adrian released his second full-length all-acoustic album called Tales of a Travelling Bohemian.  This fiery, passionate guitar-driven CD accentuates his ease of moving from Middle-Eastern to Mediterranean to Gypsy styles of music.  The 14 tracks on this disc will no doubt take you to far and distant lands. Reviews regarding Adrian’s body of work consider him a guitar virtuoso, an exceptional songwriter, and his jaw-dropping live shows never fail to impress.  Favourable reviews and critical acclaim has led to Adrian being commissioned to write original music for independent film and theatre productions, and artist endorsements from the Godin Guitars Company, Gitane Guitars, and Biltmore Hats.  Adrian has also been featured in many magazines, on CBC, and most recently composed a song for the latest Canadian YMCA campaign. Adrian and his band are currently on a 200-date tour, booked solidly into 2007, playing at various Indigo-Chapters Bookstores all across Ontario, as well as festivals and private corporate functions. Proceeds from Adrian’s discs go to the London Children’s Hospital, in memory of his daughter, Ava Amelie. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/adrianraso4

C´est La Vie

Brandon Willis - First Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:14
Size: 90,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. Cruisin'
(4:40)  2. As Long As It Takes
(3:03)  3. Missin' You
(6:19)  4. All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)
(4:40)  5. Stay With Me
(4:00)  6. Tenderly
(4:34)  7. First Time
(3:40)  8. Always On My Mind
(4:17)  9. Duplicity

Brandon Willis is a 25 year old saxophonist from Newcastle, Washington that brings a soulful sound and charismatic persona to the northwest jazz scene. Under the tutelage of nationally acclaimed saxophonist Darren Motamedy, Brandon has played for years in the Seattle area. Six months before he was born, his parents attended a jazz concert by local smooth jazz artist Darren Motamedy. Sixteen years later in 2008, Brandon was performing alongside Motamedy at local jazz clubs as he pursues a career in music.A recent graduate of the University of Washington with a B.A. in Political Science, his eagerly anticipated debut album titled “First Time” is now available. Developed with the likes of pianist/arranger Eugene Bien, Kenny G’s touring guitarist John Raymond, and keyboardist Donyea Goodman, Brandon aims to re-vitalize contemporary jazz with his abundant instrumental talent. In November of 2012, Brandon was presented with the opportunity to open for Grammy nominated saxophonist Gerald Albright & Grammy winning guitarist Norman Brown at Seattle University; a performance that he calls one of his most inspired to date. Click on the Video tab to watch an excerpt from the concert. Following the successful debut of Brandon Willis’s album “First Time”, he spent the next few years playing shows around the U.S preparing for his second album. In a genre saturated with sax players Brandon took the next step by finding a producer | songwriter capable of making him stand out from the crowd. He found GRAMMY® nominee, producer and label owner Nate Harasim. They quickly began working on the “Brandon Willis | Harasim” sound, prevalent on the new single “IMPACT” and make an “IMPACT” it does. With Harasim’s production and Willis’s sax playing, a #1 hit isn't far off. Brandon signed with M1 Records in late 2016 after showing President Nate Harasim and Vice President Sandy McGraw a promising outlook on the “New” contemporary jazz sound.They are currently preparing for Brandon’s March 2017 album release with live performances being booked , and a national radio tour being scheduled. An old school boots on the ground approach to the music, performance and artistry is set to make a big “IMPACT” in a genre that needs fresh, energetic, young talent. Brandon frequently performs at venues in the Seattle area, and also performs at private events. To inquire about booking Brandon for your event, please contact him via the "Contact" tab. http://www.brandonwillismusic.com/

First Time

Danny Gatton's Redneck Jazz Explosion - Recorded Live December 31, 1978

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:18
Size: 131,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:30)  1. Opus De Funk
(9:23)  2. Song of India
(2:22)  3. Raisin' The Dickens
(9:49)  4. Killer Joe
(5:57)  5. Rock Candy
(6:14)  6. Land Of Make Believe - Tequila
(7:31)  7. Little Darlin'
(4:18)  8. Comin' Home, Baby
(2:10)  9. Famous Blue Raincoat - Nutcracker (sound check)

Few recordings can match the immediacy, the exhilaration, and the untamed virtuosity heard on this disc. Danny Gatton was a relatively unknown guitar master comfortable with myriad styles when he first hooked up with steel guitar force Buddy Emmons in 1977. Emmons, like Gatton a musical omnivore, had for two decades been one of Nashville's premier musicians, and when the two joined forces for the first time, the synergy was amazing and the compatibility was magical. After a few occasional gigs throughout 1978, the pair finally toured as the Redneck Jazz Explosion, a group that melded the jazz sensibility with country, blues, bluegrass, rock, and more, thereby moving beyond any simple categorization. 

This remarkable set comes from a New Year's Eve 1978 show in Gatton's native D.C., and it finds two incredibly talented men playing in an uninhibited but focused fashion. In terms of sheer technical prowess, Gatton and Emmons had few peers on their respective instruments, but what sets this collaboration apart is how speed and agility balances so nicely with feeling and creativity. The short-lived Explosion stands as one of the great instrumental ensembles, a lightning-in-a-bottle partnership that thankfully is documented on this essential recording. ~ Marc Greilsamer https://www.amazon.com/Redneck-Jazz-Explosion-Recorded-December/dp/B000001XR0

Personnel:  Guitar – Danny Gatton;  Bass – Steve Wolf;  Drums – Scott Taylor;  Pedal Steel Guitar – Buddy Emmons

Recorded Live December 31, 1978

Friday, November 9, 2018

Eric Wyatt - Borough of Kings

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:58)  1. The Peoples Champ
( 7:12)  2. One for Hakim
( 7:25)  3. Borough of Kings
( 4:15)  4. Can He Come Out
( 8:10)  5. Ancient Chinese Secrets
(10:19)  6. Quest
( 6:35)  7. Countdown
( 6:35)  8. What Would I Do Without You

The borough of Kings (County) a.k.a. Brooklyn, NY has been saxophonist Eric Wyatt's home base from birth. It was there that he was exposed to jazz, met some of the legends of the music, and began to forge his own voice on saxophone. Here, on his fifth album to date, he delivers an intense brew that speaks volumes about what he's learned during his time in Brooklyn. Wyatt is a no holds barred player with an edge to his work. Thankfully, he found some simpatico quartet mates that are willing and able to match his energy level on this outing. Pianist Benito Gonzalez delivers strong-hammered support, intriguing right hand lines tempered by a firm left hand, and spiky suggestions, playing the post-modern McCoy Tyner role to Wyatt's John Coltrane. Drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi pummels his drums and pushes the band on most occasions, but he's able to adjust to climates that call for a little more restraint without much of a problem. Bassist Ameen Saleem, the final piece of the puzzle, serves as the connective tissue of the band. He bounds along beneath it all, playing around and playing off of Gonzalez and Takahashi. There are a few places where he almost gets muscled out of the aural picture by his heavy-hitting band mates, but it's usually not an issue. Six of the eight tracks on Borough Of Kings are Wyatt originals, with Gonzalez's "Quest" and a slamming-turned-settled take on Coltrane's "Countdown" filling out the program. Wyatt's writing, no surprise, can occasionally fall into the "Coltrane-ish" category note the dark-lined, bluesy "One For Hakim" and the spiritual introduction to the up-tempo title track but he has other tricks up his sleeve. "The Peoples Champ" is a focused and fiery number that balances darkness and light; "Can He Come Out," which features trumpeter Duane Eubanks and has Kyle Poole taking over the drum chair, is pure funky fun; and everybody has a ball on the straightforward-and-swinging "What Would I Do Without You," which brings trombonist Clifton Anderson into the picture. The aforementioned guests help to add another dimension to the music, but this remains Wyatt's show. His stentorian saxophone navigates the ship through some exciting twists and turns, making Borough Of Kings a high-energy thrill ride from start to finish. 
~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/borough-of-kings-eric-wyatt-posi-tone-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Eric Wyatt: saxophones, flute; Benito Gonzalez: piano; Ameen Saleem: bass; Shinnosuke Takahashi: drums; Duane Eubanks: trumpet (4); Kyle Poole: drums (4); Duane Eubanks: trumpet (4); Clifton Anderson: trombone (8).

Borough of Kings