Friday, January 18, 2019

Dave Brubeck - The Riddle

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:20
Size: 90,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Hey, Ho, Anybody Home?
(4:17)  2. The Twig
(5:44)  3. Blue Ground
(2:39)  4. Offshoot
(7:37)  5. Swingin' 'Round
(6:00)  6. Quiet Mood
(3:58)  7. The Riddle
(3:36)  8. Yet We Shall Be Merry

Clarinetist Bill Smith, a member of Dave Brubeck's octet in the late '40s and a future soloist with Brubeck's Quartet starting in the '80s, recorded three albums with the pianist in the interim. The Riddle finds him temporarily taking altoist Paul Desmond's place with the Quartet and contributing all eight compositions which utilize folkish melodies that are related to the English song "Heigh, Ho, Nodbody Home." Although not too essential, this little-known set gives Dave Brubeck a chance to play some unusual material. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-riddle-mw0000868195

Personnel:  Dave Brubeck - (piano); Bill Smith (clarinet); Joe Morello (drums); Eugene Wright (bass)

The Riddle

Aimee Petra - Diva or Darling

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 14:46
Size: 34,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Just One of Those Things
(3:27)  2. Embraceable You
(2:21)  3. It's A Good Day
(2:48)  4. Poor Wandering One
(3:18)  5. The Laughing Song

Direct from the opera and musical theater world, Aimee Petra brings you the re-release of her 2006 EP, “Diva or Darling!” Her brilliant four octave range and engaging presence will put a smile on your face, spring in your step, and song in your heart! Join Aimee as she takes you on a tour of her favorite American Songbook Classics and Operetta. Often compared with Kristin Chenoweth, Aimee is a unique blend of musical styles. The richness and color of her voice lead her in many directions as evidenced by her extensive career in opera, classical, musical theater, sacred/gospel and now jazz genres. An exceptional talent, Aimee Petra boasts a 4-octave range of dynamic color and presence. Rooted in musical theatre and later classically trained, Aimee has performed and recorded music of varying styles. After many years singing opera, classical and musical theatre throughout the United States, she decided to switch gears in 2008 and explore the world of jazz. Her debut jazz album, “Too Much Fun”, was released late summer 2008 to national & international acclaim. In 2010, Aimee released 3 new jazz singles. Two of the songs, “Beatitude in Blue” and “Duet of Solos” were featured on the All About Jazz website daily download days after they were released. She currently is collaborating with several new songwriters and has started writing her own music. Aimee enjoys performing throughout the upper Midwest in a variety of venues, from intimate wine bars to music festivals to concert halls, private parties and corporate events. Her sparkling vocals and warm stage presence delight audiences of all ages! 

Classically, she has sung operatic roles with Bay View Music Festival (Michigan), Opera in the Ozarks (Arkansas), Dorian Opera (Iowa), Opera Kansas, Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (Minnesota) and others. Aimée is the 2003 winner of the Marcella Kochanska Sembrich Vocal Competition and worked with Joan Dornemann at Portland Opera's IVAI program in 2000. Highlights of her musical theatre career include principal roles of Widow Douglas/Lead Soprano in “Big River” with Lake City Theatre Company, Mary Wilson in “Sgt. Pepper's: The Drunkard” and Ingenue in “On Broadway” for Lake Pepin Players. She has also performed leading roles with Phipps Center for the Arts and the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Her passion for concert work has led to an active recital career performing programs such as “An Evening of Italian Song” and “Classically Minnesota”, and soloing with orchestral/choral groups singing Bach's “Magnificat” and Orff's “Carmina Burana”. In addition, she has frequently sung the National Anthem at opening ceremonies for national conventions around the country. Aimée has enjoyed performing and recording the music of several living composers including Libby Larsen, Stephen Paulus, and David Evan Thomas. She has also sung sacred music throughout her career and is a soloist throughout the Twin Cities area for weddings, funerals, holidays and Sunday Worship. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/aimeepetra2

Diva or Darling

Beaver Harris 360° Music Experience - Live at Nyon

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:14
Size: 113,1 MB
Art: Front

(18:10)  1. Don't I
( 7:11)  2. Charlette
( 6:03)  3. Ismay My Brother
(17:49)  4. High Noon

The 360 Degree Music Experience was an American band that performed both traditional and experimental jazz. Active during the 1970s and '80s, the group was initially co-led by drummer Beaver Harris and the pianist Dave Burrell. After Burrell left the group, pianist Don Pullen replaced him. Several other notable musicians were members of the band at one time or another, including Hamiet Bluiett, Cameron Brown, Ron Carter, Ricky Ford, Jimmy Garrison, Grachan Moncur III, Titos Sompa, and Buster Williams among others. The group released two albums for BMG: From Ragtime to No Time and A Well Kept Secret. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_360_Degree_Music_Experience

Personnel:  Beaver Harris - Drums;  Ken McIntyre - Reeds;  Granchan Moncur - Trombone;  Ron Burton - Piano;  Cameron Brown - Bass

Live at Nyon

David Murray Octet - Ming

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:30
Size: 90,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:55)  1. The Fast Life
(10:39)  2. The Hill
( 4:28)  3. Ming
( 8:51)  4. Jasvan
( 6:36)  5. Dewey's Circle

His octet was always the perfect setting for tenor saxophonist David Murray, large enough to generate power but not as out of control as many of his big-band performances. Murray contributed all five originals (including "Ming" and "Dewey's Circle") and arrangements, and is in superior form on both tenor and bass clarinet. The "backup crew" is also quite notable: altoist Henry Threadgill, trumpeter Olu Dara, cornetist Butch Morris, trombonist George Lewis, pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Wilbur Morris, and drummer Steve McCall. 

These avant-garde performances (reissued on CD) are often rhythmic enough to reach a slightly larger audience than usual, and the individuality shown by each of these major players is quite impressive. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/ming-mw0000188486

Personnel:   David Murray - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, producer, mixing; Henry Threadgill - alto saxophone;  Wilber Morris - bass; Lawrence "Butch" Morris - cornet; Steve McCall - percussion; Anthony Davis - piano;  George Lewis - trombone;  Olu Dara - trumpet

Ming

Art Farmer - Early Art

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:48
Size: 96,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:02)  1. Soft Shoe
(3:57)  2. Confab In Tempo
(5:01)  3. I'll Take Romance
(4:06)  4. Wisteria
(4:09)  5. Autumn Nocturne
(3:50)  6. I've Never Been In Love Before
(3:56)  7. I'll Walk Alone
(4:08)  8. Gone With The Wind
(3:59)  9. Alone Together
(3:36) 10. Pre Amp

Two of trumpeter Art Farmer's earlier sessions as a leader are reissued on this CD in the OJC series. Farmer teams up with an all-star quintet (which includes tenor-saxophonist Sonny Rollins, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke) for four songs and dominates a quartet (with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Addison Farmer and drummer Herbie Lovelle) on six other tunes. Farmer's sound is lyrical even on the uptempo pieces and he is heard throughout in his early prime. Highlights include "Soft Shoe," "I'll Take Romance," "Autumn Nocturne" and an uptempo "Gone with the Wind." One should note that the programming differs from what is listed, with "Soft Shoe" (which should have been the opener) actually appearing fifth and the songs listed as appearing second through fifth moving up to first through fourth. Despite that flaw, the music is quite enjoyable and a must for 1950s bop collectors. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/early-art-mw0000183670

Personnel:  Art Farmer – trumpet; Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-2, 5); Horace Silver (tracks 1-3, 5), Wynton Kelly (tracks 4, 6-10) - piano; Percy Heath (tracks 1-3, 5), Addison Farmer (tracks 4, 6-10) – bass; Kenny Clarke (tracks 1-3, 5), Herbie Lovelle (tracks 4, 6-10) – drums

Early Art

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Marty Grosz and Destiny's Tots - Sings of Love and Other Matters

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:36
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

( 3:00)  1. With Plenty of Money and You
( 3:07)  2. How Can You Face Me?
( 3:41)  3. Lonesome Me
( 3:30)  4. Mean Old Bed Bug Blues
( 4:50)  5. All My Life
( 3:28)  6. I'm in the Market for You
( 3:16)  7. The Panic Is On
( 3:33)  8. I Wish I Were Twins
( 3:52)  9. A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid
( 3:37) 10. My Very Good Friend the Milkman
( 3:36) 11. Breakin' the Ice
( 4:10) 12. Until the Real Thing Comes Along
( 3:04) 13. I'm Building up to an Awful Letdown
( 3:24) 14. You've Been Taking Lessons in Love
(10:21) 15. The English Blues

Marty Grosz, a Fats Waller-inspired vocalist, a masterful chordal acoustic guitarist and a frequently hilarious comedian, is well showcased on this Jazzology CD reissue of a set originally cut for the Statiras label. Featured with his Destiny's Tots (a group not dissimilar to his Orphan Newsboys), Grosz sings such bright numbers as "With Plenty of Money and You," "I'm In the Market for You," "I Wish I Were Twins," "My Very Good Friend the Milkman," "I'm Building Up to an Awful Letdown," and "You've Been Taking Lessons In Love." Hot solos are provided by Dick Meldonian (on tenor, alto and baritone), Dan Barrett (doubling on trombone and cornet), pianist Keith Ingham and bassist Phil Flanigan. Highly recommended to classic jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/sings-of-love-other-matters-mw0000411161

Personnel:  Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Marty Grosz; Piano – Keith Ingham; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Dick Meldonian; Acoustic Bass [String] – Phil Flanigan;  Trombone, Cornet – Dan Barrett 

Sings of Love and Other Matters

Ada Montellanico - Il Sole Di Un Attimo

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:21
Size: 129,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:00)  1. Ti sognerò comunque
(5:46)  2. L'alba di un incontro
(6:51)  3. Suono di mare
(4:43)  4. Romance
(5:39)  5. E'
(7:02)  6. Mi guardi intorno
(6:31)  7. Il sole di un attimo
(8:02)  8. Luoghi sommersi
(5:42)  9. The encounter

Support it the lightness of being, one might say, listening to Il sole di un momento, the new work of the singer and composer Ada Montellanico, here surrounded by a group of first-rate stars of Italian and international jazz. Lightness of the texts, words that flirt with the feelings, words never invasive or absolute but discreet suggestions to free the thought to the wave of the emotions. How not to be lulled by phrases such as "... I'll dream you anyway, because the rain that wets us does not become snow .." or "... I take a moment lost in time, sounds that weave new words ..."? Lightness of music, softness of the sound mixes embellished by Paul McCandless's oboe and enriched with arcane meanings from the ancient basset horn played by Antonio Amanti, without forgetting the sophisticated Stefano Cantini saxophones and the acoustic brush strokes of Bebo Ferra's guitar. Words, song and music do not travel on parallel tracks, nor do they act like vain primadors in search of the tear-jerking agent or the ovation solo. Just as some organisms can not do without one another in order to survive, words and music live in a form of real osmosis in which each one drinks at the source of the other, drawing renewed energy and stimulating ideas. Pieranunzi is a master in the art of accompaniment and knows very well that the lyrics of Ada Montellanico can not simply be accompanied. The perfect diction, the rich timbre of the singer's chiaroscuro, the discreetly minimalist texts ask to be metabolized and brought to the surface through a constantly moving pianism, which abandons the call of a calligraphic melancholy to favor a volitive, intriguing, sometimes free approach and adventurous. Poetic. ~ AAJ Italy Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/il-sole-di-un-attimo-enrico-pieranunzi-egea-records-review-by-aaji-staff.php

Personnel: Ada Montellanico (voice); Enrico Pieranunzi (plan); Paul McCandless (soprano saxophone, oboe); Stefano Cantini (soprano sax, tenor saxophone); Bebo Ferra (guitar); Pietro Ciancaglini (bass); Walter Paoli (drums); Antonio Amanti (basset horn).

Il Sole Di Un Attimo

Stanley Clarke - Modern Man

Styles: Piano, Guitar Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:46
Size: 90,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Opening (Statement)
(4:30)  2. He Lives On (Story About the Last Journey of a Warrior)
(4:32)  3. More Hot Fun
(3:20)  4. Slow Dance
(0:21)  5. Interlude: A Serious Occasion
(3:20)  6. Got to Find My Own Place
(4:09)  7. Dayride
(1:25)  8. Interlude: It's What She Didn't Say
(3:32)  9. Modern Man
(1:25) 10. Interlude: A Relaxed Occasion
(5:09) 11. Rock 'N' Roll Jelly
(2:36) 12. Closing (Statement)

Modern Man is the fifth album by jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke. "Dayride" from the Return to Forever album No Mystery (1975) was re-recorded for this album. Also included was "More Hot Fun", a sequel to "Hot Fun" from the previous album School Days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Man_(album)

Personnel:  Stanley Clarke – double bass, bass guitar, piccolo bass, piano, guitar, vocals; Mike Garson – keyboards; Jeff Beck – guitar on "Rock 'n Roll Jelly"; Raymond Gomez – guitar; Jeff Porcaro – drums; Gerry Brown – drums, percussion

Modern Man

Charles Bellonzi - Charles Bellonzi 5tet: Lolobô

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:02
Size: 143,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Allo Doc
(7:21)  2. Lolobo
(3:54)  3. Autocatariz
(7:46)  4. Only for You
(5:19)  5. Jazz for Friends
(4:59)  6. La jav's bleu's
(7:10)  7. No Name
(3:52)  8. La Guiga Nova
(3:35)  9. Alby Memory
(8:27) 10. Quinte Major
(4:12) 11. X Press

Charles Bellonzi was born in Nice in 1941. He was attracted by music at a very young age, at the age of seven. His uncle played helicon in the municipal band "La Renaissance". He noticed very quickly that he was talented and had a great sense of rhythm. Charles learned the drums from 7 to 13 years old, and then the accordion. He played both with the "Renaissance". His friends introduced him to jazz in 1958. Translate by Google http://www.guitaresetbatteries.com/charles-bellonzi/

Personnel:  Drums – Charles Bellonzi; Guitar – Christophe Limousin; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Nicolas Scheid; Trumpet, Bugle – Pascal Gachet; Contrabass – Guillaume Souriau.

Charles Bellonzi 5tet: Lolobô

Johnny Richards & His Orchestra - Something Else Again

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:36
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. Waltz, Anyone?
(2:01)  2. For All We Know
(8:37)  3. Dimples
(5:14)  4. Band Aide
(6:32)  5. Turn Aboot
(4:13)  6. Burrito Borracho
(2:57)  7. Long Ago And Far Away
(5:51)  8. Aijalon

Johnny Richards was one of the more progressive-minded arrangers of the 1950s and '60s, turning out big, heavily orchestrated scores with a sometimes unabashed use of dissonance and a good feel for Latin rhythms. His music has been called "provocatively colorful," though in the case of his notoriously portentous "Prologue" for the ego-tripping Stan Kenton, simply the word "provocative" says it all. Richards grew up in Schenectady, NY, learning piano, violin, banjo, and trumpet; his mother was a concert pianist who had studied with Paderewski. He started writing film scores, first in London in 1932-1933, and then in Hollywood for the remainder of the decade, as Victor Young's assistant at Paramount while studying composition with Arnold Schoenberg. From 1940 to 1945, he led a big band and then returned to Los Angeles to arrange for Charlie Barnet and Boyd Raeburn. He also arranged a string album for Dizzy Gillespie in 1950, along with recording dates with Sarah Vaughan, Helen Merrill, and Sonny Stitt. His most famous association was with Kenton, with whom he started arranging in 1952; Kenton's album Cuban Fire! is an outstandingly flamboyant example of Richards' work. Richards continued to lead his own orchestras in 1956-1960 and 1964-1965, recording for Capitol, Coral, Roulette, and Bethlehem, and co-wrote one of Frank Sinatra's signature songs, "Young at Heart." ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-richards-mn0000242438/biography

Something Else Again

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Carmen Bradford - Home With You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 124,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:28)  1. You Can Depend on Me
(5:31)  2. My Shining Hour
(4:25)  3. Home With You
(3:02)  4. Take the "A" Train
(3:05)  5. Five Guys Named Moe, Act I: I Know What I've Got
(4:16)  6. The Boys From Syracuse: This Can't Be Love
(2:51)  7. Be the One
(4:29)  8. Singing in the Rain
(4:35)  9. Street of Dreams
(3:59) 10. Sweet Georgia Brown
(4:29) 11. My Ideal
(3:57) 12. How Sweet It Is
(5:29) 13. Wonder Why

Nine years ago, marvelous Carmen Bradford knocked me sideways with her soaring With Respect, and, in 1997 she made it a one-two punch with the equally sublime Finally Yours, which suggested her as an obvious heir to the Sarah-Ella throne. Then, apart from the odd guest spot here and there, nothing (or at least nowhere near enough). Now, after seven too-quiet years, Bradford is back with the multi-shaded Home With You (Azica), still sounding like a million bucks as she traverses a standards-heavy assortment of 13 tracks in the graceful company of pianist Shelly Berg. From the sweetly contemplative “My Shining Hour” and the gorgeously plaintive “My Ideal” to a peppy reading of the Marvin Gaye anthem “How Sweet It Is” (a terrific showcase for Berg’s elegant artistry) and a blistering ride aboard Ellington’s “A” train, Bradford remains a force to be reckoned with-a virtual tornado of talent and imagination. Most satisfying of all is the gentle title track, with music by Berg and lyrics by the wonderful Lorraine Feather, which is as warm and comforting as cocoa. ~ Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/reviews/vox/carmen-bradford-home-with-you/

Home With You

Beaver Harris 360 Degree Experience - Safe

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:53
Size: 84,5 MB
Art: Front

(12:06)  1. Boogie On Dawn
( 6:09)  2. J.C. Moses
( 6:05)  3. I Wish I Knew
( 6:27)  4. Don't I
( 6:04)  5. Loving Living

The 360 Degree Music Experience was an American band that performed both traditional and experimental jazz. Active during the 1970s and '80s, the group was initially co-led by drummer Beaver Harris and the pianist Dave Burrell. After Burrell left the group, pianist Don Pullen replaced him. Several other notable musicians were members of the band at one time or another, including Hamiet Bluiett, Cameron Brown, Ron Carter, Ricky Ford, Jimmy Garrison, Grachan Moncur III, Titos Sompa, and Buster Williams among others. The group released two albums for BMG: From Ragtime to No Time and A Well Kept Secret. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_360_Degree_Music_Experience

Personnel:  Drums – Beaver Harris; Bass – Cameron Brown; Bass Clarinet – Ken McIntyre; Bassoon – Ken McIntyre; Flute – Ken McIntyre; Oboe – Ken McIntyre; Piano – Ron Burton; Trombone – Grachan Moncur III

Safe

Mike Nock - Ondas

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:14
Size: 117,6 MB
Art: Front

(15:58)  1. Forgotten Love
( 9:11)  2. Ondas
(11:35)  3. Visionary
( 7:59)  4. Land Of The Long White Cloud
( 6:28)  5. Doors

At the time of this recording, New Zealand's Mike Nock was one of the great, unsung pianists in European stlyed jazz. His elegant phrasing and wildly inventive melodicism fly in the face of all notions that claim improvisation must be outside Western musical parameters and structures. On Ondas, Nock has assembled a rhythm section that, while never having played together before shared the ability to create the bedrock, however flexible, for the artist's crystalline compositions and solos. Eddie Gomez was a wise choice for this session because of his experience with Bill Evans, who is an obvious influence on Nock's own composing -- as is Keith Jarrett. His pizzicato flourishes and shifting timbres on "Forgotten Love" and "Visionary," while retaining an elemental sense of meter, are remarkable. Christensen is the greatest of all the drummers in the ECM stable. His style is one of paucity and sparse riffs, but his cymbal "dancing" is a trademark favorite of pianists and saxophonists everywhere. He has the ability to open up time, creating a window for improvisers to stretch each note, each interval, each mode, for all it's worth, suspending notions of time and space for the listener. Evidence is on the title track and "Land of the Long White Clouds." For his part, Nock is a magician of lyrical invention. His compositional architecture is created of minor modes and subtle textures. His chords are small enough to be their own rhythm section and large enough to fit all the notes in between them and the next octave in combinatory gestures of shimmering beauty. He does all of this in a manner in which tension and its resolution are in constant flux, never out of balance with one another. His solo on "Forgotten Love," that is based upon Gomez', is a case in point: towering ivy clusters of notes flex over darkened minor chords, up and through the middle and then upper registers of the instrument before inviting Gomez back in. In all, this is a glorious recording by a crack batch of musicians. It is also a stellar example of what Manfred Eicher's label and production offer to the world. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/ondas-mw0000193926

Personnel:  Mike Nock - piano, percussion; Eddie Gómez - bass; Jon Christensen - drums

Ondas

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Stephen Riley, Peter Zak - Deuce

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:23
Size: 153,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:49)  1. Please
(7:01)  2. Lover Man
(5:50)  3. Everything Happens to Me
(1:30)  4. Interlude, Pt. 1
(6:44)  5. Tetragon
(0:48)  6. Interlude, Pt. 2
(6:06)  7. Who?
(6:28)  8. Shala
(6:16)  9. Pannonica
(1:46) 10. Interlude, Pt. 3
(7:29) 11. Exactly Like You
(8:30) 12. Without a Song

Deuce is an apt appellation for tenorist Stephen Riley’s latest Steeplechase affair in league with pianist Peter Zak. It’s his tenth as a leader for the label, joining another half dozen titles as a sideman or co-conspirator. In the game of tennis, it signifies a tie score and is therefore an apposite summation of the concordant relationship Riley’s forged with Zak in recent years. A prolific purveyor for Steeplechase in his own right, Zak logged two sessions as a member of Riley’s quartet before Haunted Heart, the duo date that predates this one. Riley and Zak are exemplary of a time-tested trend at the Danish imprint. Once signed, artists tend to stay. Riley’s early efforts relied on an intriguing absence of piano, allowing his fluid and floating style freedom from strict chordal tethering while retaining the supple support of bass and drums. Conscripting Zak ran counter to that template, but was auspicious given the pianist’s penchant for spare accompaniment and close listening. This project tilts that script a bit by giving Zak greater prominence, most commonly in a series of mid-piece detours where Riley beneficently drops out. Zak revels in the room relegated, spinning lovely melodic variations that match Riley in both intellect and imagination and enliven even the more conventional pieces with a sense of sly, on the fly derring-do.The program reflects Riley’s usual preference for ancient standards intermixed with occasionally more modern fare. In the case of the latter there’s stirring rendering of Joe Henderson’s “Tetragon” that finds him folding in convincing facsimiles of the composer’s wry tonal tractability. 

Monk’s “Pannonica” also receives a reading with Zak playing relative straight man to Riley’s verdant voicing of the platonically-minded theme. Breaking with previous projects, Riley also threads in a trio of “Interludes”, fleeting improvisations formed from cyclic chord progressions that serve as interstitial palate cleansers. Zak’s “Shala” is the other original, a lush ballad that aligns with the aural pastels and watercolors of the rest of the set.“Everything Happens to Me” stands out amongst the standards with Riley’s signature bifurcated rasp ranging through the theme sans Zak at the outset. The pianist’s entry is suitably reserved and uncluttered as the pair glides across a string of variations that convey a cottony cast of comfort without losing sight of the gentle and genial fatalism at the tune’s core. The icing of this particularly well-concocted confection comes in the close as Riley dials up the texture quotient through his reed and spirals into silence with a cadenza ripe in striated tonal richness. Riley and Zak may be working along the comparative edges when it comes to commercial recognition and remuneration, but their partnership is every bit as deserving of close consideration alongside the classic tandem associations in jazz. ~ Derek Taylor

Personnel:  Stephen Riley - tenor saxophone; Peter Zak - piano

Deuce

Sophie Milman - Live At The Winter Garden Theatre

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 17:28
Size: 40,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:01)  1. Whatever Lola Wants
(3:27)  2. My Baby Just Cares For Me
(3:37)  3. Ochi Chernye (Dark Eyes)
(4:21)  4. Bye Bye Love

Jazz vocalist Sophie Milman is a sophisticated and torchy singer with a bent toward American popular songbook standards. Born in Russia of Jewish heritage, Milman spent much of her childhood in Israel, where her parents moved after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the early '90s, Milman's family emigrated once again to Toronto, Canada. Having sung from a young age, the then teenage Milman was already familiar with such iconic vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and others. In 2004, a chance performance at "Real Divas" night a local Toronto jazz series brought Milman to the attention of producer Bill King, who then secured a few showcase performances for the burgeoning star. Subsequently, Milman signed a recording contract with Linus Entertainment and released her self-titled debut album. Make Someone Happy followed on JVC in 2007. ~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sophie-milman-mn0000864677/biography

Live At The Winter Garden Theatre

Walt Weiskopf - Exact Science

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:47
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Telltale
(4:35)  2. Jay-Walking
(4:59)  3. About You
(5:19)  4. Mr. Golyadkin
(5:58)  5. Intuition
(6:45)  6. Indecisive
(4:57)  7. Sad But True
(5:05)  8. Exact Science
(6:05)  9. Scenes from Childhood
(5:06) 10. Falling in Love with Love

A potent tenor saxophonist and composer firmly in the tradition of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, Walt Weiskopf was born in Augusta, GA, and grew up in Syracuse, NY. Upon moving to New York City, he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band in 1981 at the age of 21; two years later, Weiskopf signed on with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, concurrently forming his own quartet with brother Joel on trumpet, Jay Anderson on bass, and Jeff Hirshfeld on drums. His debut, Exact Science, appeared in 1989, followed a year later by Mindwalking; Simplicity, released in 1992, topped the European jazz charts for four weeks. After 1993's A World Away, Weiskopf for the first time departed from original compositions to record 1995's Night Lights, a collection of standards; 1997's Song for My Mother, however, returned his own material to the forefront. 

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Weiskopf and fellow Eastman alum Ramon Ricker teamed in 1990 to write the books Coltrane: A Player's Guide to His Harmony and The Augmented Scale in Jazz; in 1994, Weiskopf also published Intervalic Improvisation, a player's guide for broadening the scope of modern jazz improvisation. In 1996, he joined drummer Rick Hollander's quartet, and as a headliner returned in 1999 with Anytown. Siren was issued a year later. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/artist/walt-weiskopf-mn0000237531/biography

Personnel:  Tenor Saxophone – Walt Weiskopf; Bass – Jay Anderson; Drums – Jeff Hirshfield; Piano – Joel Weiskopf

Exact Science

Ralph Sutton - Ralph Sutton At Cafe Des Copains

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:51
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:13)  1. Laugh Clown Laugh
(4:30)  2. You Can Depend On Me
(3:30)  3. Poor Butterfly
(4:19)  4. Snowy Morning Blues
(4:48)  5. Russian Lullaby
(5:45)  6. Sweet Sue
(5:32)  7. This Is All I Ask
(3:44)  8. Somebody Stole My Gal
(5:43)  9. St. Louis Blues
(3:14) 10. My Blue Heaven
(4:23) 11. Exactly Like You
(4:05) 12. Christopher Columbus

Ralph Sutton is such a consistent pianist that virtually all of his releases are recommended. At the top of his admittedly small field (stride piano has become an almost extinct art form), Sutton always seems to sound inspired no matter how many times he has performed a particular number. This superior solo CD features Sutton live at Toronto's Cafe Des Copains, recorded live for radio during performances in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987. The stride pianist's style, which was fully formed by the mid-1950s, did not change during the era, so there is a strong unity to the music (as if it had all been played the same day). Highlights include "Laugh Clown Laugh," "You Can Depend On Me," "Somebody Stole My Gal" and "Christopher Columbus." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/at-cafe-des-copains-mw0000873850

Ralph Sutton At Cafe Des Copains

Bruce Barth featuring Jerry Bergonzi - Sunday

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:57
Size: 127,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:30)  1. Blue Cube
(11:25)  2. Sunday
( 8:28)  3. Double Billed
(13:10)  4. Afternoon in Lleida
( 6:41)  5. Refuge
( 7:41)  6. Laura

American pianist and composer Bruce Barth pulls together a fine quartet and an attractive repertoire for this superbly recorded 2017 performance. Combining latin and swing styles, the music is rich with atmosphere and brims with joyous sounds and solos. Spanish label Blau Records specialise in recording live shows in as much fidelity as possible. This latest project was recorded at the Espai de la Música Mestre Villa in Bencàssim on 13 May 2017, and brings together a quartet led by Barth and tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi.  Five of the six tracks are originals by one or other, and both are clearly comfortable in their writing roles. Bergonzi’s opening Blue Cube jumps off in a relaxed latin style with a rich-toned sax melody and solo, culminating in a round of audience applause which comes as a shock to those (such as me) who haven’t read the sleeve notes and assume this must be a studio date, so well-balanced and rich is the overall sound. Barth’s Sunday continues the latin feel with its 6/8 lilt, Bergonzi’s solo again building nicely before Barth’s own turn on the piano. Barth has a beautiful style in his soloing, well paced, varied and creating tension-and-release sections which put me in mind of Bill Evans; block chords suddenly giving way to swinging runs, which turn into swirling ostinatos. It’s extremely listenable and rewarding stuff. Drummer Stephen Keogh gets a solo here, plenty of cymbals to the fore as he keeps the groove moving along. The originals keep coming with Bergonzi’s Double Billed, a swinging affair which gives Barth room to stretch out. Double bassist Mark Hodgson’s solo comes across particularly well, again well caught by the mics, sonorous and full. Afternoon In Lleida, another Barth number, is a slower affair, redolent of the Spanish afternoon, starting gently and building into a series of climaxes before subsiding into gentle harmonies. (Perhaps it was that sort of afternoon…?) Refuge is a clean and simple ballad, which serves as a good counterpoint to the drama that has gone before.  The album closes with Bergonzi’s arrangement of David Raksin’s immortal standard Laura. Bergonzi takes the original film score tune and takes it nicely into the band’s sound, with dramatic chords behind the tune before Barth at last get to take the first solo.  All in all this is a very enjoyable collection, beautifully recorded and full of atmosphere. ~ Mark McKergow http://www.londonjazznews.com/2018/03/cd-review-bruce-barth-quartet-ft-jerry.html

Personnel:  Bruce Barth piano; Jerry Bergonzi saxophone;  Mark Hodgson bass; Stephen Keogh drums

Sunday

Monday, January 14, 2019

LeeAnn Ledgerwood, John Graham Davis, Brandon Lewis - Walkin' Up

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:37
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:58)  1. This Is for Albert
( 7:19)  2. Lonnie's Lament
(15:15)  3. Out of This World
( 7:22)  4. Black Nile
( 6:21)  5. Ida Lupino
( 4:45)  6. Walkin' Up
( 6:12)  7. If You Could See Me Now
( 7:23)  8. Passion Dance

Ever hear of LeeAnn Ledgerwood? Too few nonmusicians have. Originally from Ohio, the Berklee grad has been working, recording and teaching (jazz piano and composition at the New School) in New York, and obviously battling the glass ceiling while spreading the gospel according to Bill Evans. Well, an upgraded Evans. Maybe that’s what makes her so unmarketable to ordinary jazz fans. She has more technique than she can hope to use. It spills out all over her new release, Walkin’ Up (SteepleChase), but it doesn’t intimidate her two young compatriots, bassist John Graham Davis (a former student of hers) and drummer Brandon Lewis. Nor does it stop her from choosing difficult material, including tunes by Wayne Shorter (“This Is for Albert”), McCoy Tyner (“Passion Dance”), Carla Bley (“Ida Lupino”), John Coltrane (“Lonnie’s Lament”) and Trane’s conception of Harold Arlen’s “Out of This World.” The balladic highlight is Tadd Dameron’s “If You Could See Me Now,” with a well-pitched solo by Davis. Very few have tried to record the Bill Evans-penned title tune; Ledgerwood disposed of it first take. ~ Harvey Siders https://jazztimes.com/reviews/eighty-eights/leeann-ledgerwood-trio-walkin-up/

Walkin' Up

Scott Colley - Architect Of The Silent Moment

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:34
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:29)  1. Usual Illusion
(7:50)  2. Strip Mall Ballet
(2:52)  3. El Otro
(7:14)  4. Architect Of The Silent Moment
(6:05)  5. Masoosong
(2:58)  6. Feign Tonal
(8:09)  7. From Within
(5:56)  8. Smoke Stack
(7:55)  9. Window Of Time

If an artist is the sum total of his experiences, then Scott Colley's reach is nearly limitless. In twenty years the bassist has appeared on nearly 150 albums, ranging from mainstream work with Jim Hall and Carmen McRae to more left-of-center projects with Andrew Hill and Greg Osby. His own releases have been migrating towards a more expansive viewpoint. On Architect of the Silent Moment Colley brings together a collection of players who share his appreciation for what's come before, but are just as concerned with what's to come. His core quartet features two artists who, despite considerable critical acclaim, have yet to achieve the greater recognition they deserve. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi is a consistently adventurous player who, with a rounded tone, lyrical disposition and unforced technique, rivals the better-known Dave Douglas. The increasingly ubiquitous Craig Taborn is an equally instinctive keyboardist whose roots in the tradition are often obscured by his bold and unrestrained mind-set. Antonio Sanchez, best-known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny, is a malleable and increasingly in-demand drummer. He's established himself with a broad and stylistically expanding discography in the last decade. All three are as capable of tackling complex compositional constructs as freer flights of improvisation, and Colley challenges them on both fronts and more. Colley is a fine bassist, with a Dave Holland-like ability to make even the most challenging of shifting meters groove viscerally. But it's his writing (all but two pieces here are his) that makes Architect of the Silent Moment stand out. "Window of Time is a good example. It starts out in an open-ended modal fashion, with Alessi and saxophonist David Binney (a co-producer who leaves his own unmistakable signature) delivering Colley's knotty theme. 

Alessi's solo builds over an increasingly tumultuous rhythm section before the tune shifts to a rhythmically displaced backbeat. Adam Rogers' layered guitars, Taborn's B-3 and Alessi's long, rich tones take the tune out, suggesting a different kind of folksy Americana. Colley makes the complex accessible on the spacious "Masoosong, featuring Gregoire Maret, the most important harmonica player since Toots Thielmans. "Feign Tonal opens with a start-stop post bop theme before dissolving into more angular freedom, only to magically blend the two at its conclusion. Andrew Hill's "Smokestack, on the other hand, starts with an impressionistic duet between Taborn and pianist Jason Moran, before settling into an unexpectedly relaxed take that seamlessly shifts between straight and double-time swing. The group's modernistic integration of acoustic and electric textures represents an increasingly popular aesthetic. Like his blend of traditional and contemporary harmonic and rhythmic concepts, Colley clearly doesn't believe in mutual exclusivity. The beauty of Architect of the Silent Moment is its unequivocal sense of purpose, which avoids undue consideration and provides everyone with ample room to move. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/architect-of-the-silent-moment-scott-colley-cam-jazz-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Scott Colley: bass; Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Craig Taborn: piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3; Antonio Sanchez: drums. Special guests: Dave Binney: saxophone; Jason Moran: piano; Gregoire Maret: harmonica; Adam Rogers; guitar.

Architect Of The Silent Moment