Gene Harris - In A Special Way

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:33
Size: 94,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:35)  1. Theme For Relana
(3:58)  2. Rebop
(4:59)  3. Zulu
(4:31)  4. Always In My Mind
(4:48)  5. Love For Sale
(3:02)  6. It's Your Love
(2:30)  7. Soft Cycles
(3:44)  8. Five/Four
(6:21)  9. Naima

Gene Harris was always funky, right from the start of the Three Sounds until he began a belated solo career in the early '70s, but he never tried to come to terms with contemporary funk quite as explicitly as he did with In a Special Way. Teaming with a number of funk and fusion stars, including Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey and guitarist Lee Ritenour, Harris crafted a record that revels in contemporary soul trends from the mid-'70s lite funk in the vein of EWF, disco, Philly soul, and vapid fusion. The production is heavy-handed and glossy, filled with drippy strings, thumping beats, wordless backing vocals, and silly synthesized effects. Through it all, Harris plays exactly like he always does, as if he were oblivious to his surroundings. It makes for some truly bizarre moments: the disco interpretation of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," the farting synth-bass meshing with disembodied vocals on "Five/Four," the completely botched fuzak and fuzz guitar take on Coltrane's "Naima." Occasionally, Harris plays quite nicely, as on "Rebop" or "Theme for Relana," but his solos just sink into the overproduced murk. There's really no explanation for the heavy-handed gloss of In a Special Way with Harris' piano mixed to the back, it sounds like the work of studio hacks, but there are enough glimpses of his unique musical personality to make it a wasted opportunity. And there's really no explanation for the cornucopia of children on the cover, either. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-a-special-way-mw0000906376

Personnel:  Gene Harris - keyboards; George Bohanon - trombone; Sidney Muldrow, Marnie Robinson - french horn; Azar Lawrence - tenor saxophone; Ed Green - violin; Charlotte Politte - electric piano, synthesizer; Jerry Peters - electric piano, synthesizer, string ensemble, arranger, vocals; Lee Ritenour - guitar, electric guitar; Al McKay - electric guitar; John Rowin - electric guitar, arranger; Chuck Rainey, Verdine White - electric bass; James Gadson - drums; Harvey Mason - drums, percussion; Mayuto Correa - percussion; Phillip Bailey - percussion, vocals; Merry Clayton, Ann Esther Jessica, D.J. Rogers, Sigidi, Stephanie Spruill, Deniece Williams - vocals

In A Special Way

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DeDe Wedekind - Love & Fairy Tales

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 21:25
Size: 49,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Blame It on the Summertime
(4:13)  2. The Fairy Tale Song
(3:59)  3. The Plans I Have for You
(4:16)  4. Just Desserts
(4:32)  5. We'll Never Part

DeDe's an award-winning singer & songwriter from Texas. She's currently nominated in 9 CATEGORIES for the 2014 IMEA Awards including: ARTIST of the YEAR (2), ALBUM of the YEAR (2), & SONG of the YEAR (5). "The Fairy Tale Song" (Love & Fairy Tales, 2013) was a FINALIST in the International Songwriting Contest in March 2014. "The Plans I Have for You", from this same album, was a FINALIST in the UK Songwriting Competition in Aug. 2013. DeDe was honored as BEST VOCALIST in March 2014 by Singer Universe.com for "Blame It On the Summertime", from Love & Fairy Tales, & was named FIRST Runner-Up BEST SONG on Songwriter Universe.com, also in March 2014 for the same song. DeDe has 3 albums including her latest: World of Christmas, which includes new original songs & arrangements of classics, all by DeDe. This award-winning album was produced by GRAMMY-WINNING Producer of the Year, Jeff Bova (Celine Dion Falling Into You, 1996). This 10-song CD, has been called an album "that will not only touch your heart...but also your soul", by Bova. Grammy- Winner Jason Miles says "(DeDe) is...a superb vocalist, a talent to be watched". LA Music Examiner, Phoenix, of the LA Examiner, says "World of Christmas will turn your 'Silent Night', into a 'Joyful Christmas'!" DeDe's 1st album, Clear Skies Ahead (Listed under Deborah Wedekind), is full of jazzy pop standards all arranged in DeDe's uniquely creative style. Breathecast.com says: "Wedekind has a way of bringing out something fresh out of each of these covers...some of the most intricate pieces from the American Songbook. When it comes to song interpretation, Wedekind is without peer." Timothy Yap. DeDe just signed an Artist Development deal with new label, Dominion Entertainment, who's worked with Pink, Jewell & Hillary Duff among others!  http://www.pandora.com/dede/Clear-Skies-Ahead https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/dede23

Love & Fairy Tales

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Don Hales - A Touch of the Culture

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:41
Size: 133,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:29)  1. Just The Facts, Ma'am
( 9:19)  2. Summertime
( 6:03)  3. Jinrikisha
(10:42)  4. Satin Doll
( 9:02)  5. A Walk to Mother Berry's
( 7:43)  6. When October Goes
( 8:20)  7. Resurrection City

"A Touch of the Culture" was originally released in 1999, featuring legendary Columbus, OH guitarist Don Hales, along with some of Columbus' finest musicians. excerpted from the original liner notes by Mark Williams.  It's reassuring to know some people still stand for something in this world. Don Hales has bravely and unfailingly stood for something all his life. Through periods of tragedy and moments of grace, Don has pursued the further refinement of his art. Don's relentless progression towards the eternally elusive goal of perfection has enabled him to pour all the fine qualities of his heart, mind and soul into his music.Don Hales' tone, ideas, attack, conception, phrasing, and all other tangible, as well as intangible attributes of his music are all his own. Although his is solidly rounded in the great American music tradition, not a note he plays can be mistaken for another player's. That's because Don has never been content to stand still, while yet still standing for something.
Listen, and what you'll hear is the evidence of a fruitful life diligently spent studying, teaching, performing, arranging, and composing music. ~ Mark Williams

C. Michael Bailey’s recent review from “All About Jazz” article on Don Hales’ “Unified String Theory” CD. (Chicken Coup Records, 2008 - available on iTunes and other music retailers.Guitarist Don Hales is one of those jazz musicians almost too good to be true, one who has had a lengthy local career who finally bobs to the surface with a head-turning release. The disc is Unified String Theory and Tony Monaco's presence is no accident. Hales grew up in a Toledo neighborhood where he was exposed to a wide variety of ethnic and regional music. He taught himself to play guitar, was tutored by Rusty Bryant and Bobby Shaw. Hales went on to tour with the great Eddie Harris and Bill Doggett before returning home to Columbus to work in the Monaco family Italian Restaurant. Talk about a well kept secret...Don Hales not only has chops, he is quite the funk master in composing. Six of the eight tunes presented are Hales originals. The two standards are "Feelings" and "Motivation," both dispatched with a Horace Silver soul-jazz sensibility. Hales' compositions all stretch the definition of the typical organ-guitar-tenor combo. Speaking of tenor, Kris Keith's tenor saxophone and flute fit into this quintet like a hand in a glove, a finely crafted glove. Check out "Breath of the Blues" and "Dance of the Zodiac." https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/DonHales

Personnel: Don Hales - guitar; Joe Hunter - piano; Doug Richeson - bass; Aaron Scott - drums; Pete Mills, tenor sax
Personnel on "A Walk to Mother Berrys": Don Hales - guitar; Ed Moed - piano; Andy Woodson - bass; Mark Henderson - drums

A Touch of the Culture

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Donald Brown - Wurd on the Skreet

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:34
Size: 156,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:53)  1. Shadow Chasers
(6:00)  2. Judgement Day
(7:01)  3. Grammy's Bathwater
(7:08)  4. L's Bob
(6:32)  5. Granny's Bathwater
(6:39)  6. Easley Said and Done
(7:11)  7. The Thing about Harold Mabern
(6:14)  8. For the lack of a Better world
(4:39)  9. Pressing the Issue
(9:12) 10. Wurd on the Skreet

One of many fine alumni of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers to develop into leading bands of his own, Donald Brown has also been very successful as a composer, arranger, and pianist. Since the end of his association with the now defunct Muse, Brown has recorded a series of exciting sessions for the French-owned Space Time, including these 1995 outings. The exciting opener, "Shadow Chasers," is an uptempo romp mixing hard bop, post-bop, and a Latin tinge as well, with terrific solos by trumpeter Bill Mobley, alto saxophonist Manny Boyd, soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, and the leader. The delicate "Granny's Bathwater" is introduced by Brown with a thoughtful solo that is full of love; Manny Boyd soon joins him with his warm, lyrical flute, with the piece taking on a brisk waltz setting as the full band is added. Brown's "Song for My Mother" showcases Newsome again on soprano in this richly voiced ballad. "Easley Said and Done" suggests a voice of protest initially, though it quickly segues into a brisk hard bop vehicle. "Wurd on the Skreet," dedicated to Brown's brother Ramone, manages to convey funkiness in a sophisticated composition. Mobley contributed the tense but swinging "Judgement Day," in which he switches to flügelhorn. The rhythm section includes bassist Essiet Essiet (known for his great work with Bobby Watson & Horizon), drummer Billy Drummond, and percussionist Daniel Sadownick, all of whom help to provide a firm foundation for the soloists throughout this highly recommended CD. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/wurd-on-the-skreet-mw0000222875

Personnel: Piano, Producer – Donald Brown; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Manny Boyd; Bass – Essiet Essiet; Drums – Billy Drummond; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Sam Newsome; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bill Mobley

Wurd on the Skreet

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Erskine Hawkins Quintet - The Hawk Blows At Midnight

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:01
Size: 74,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Tuxedo Junction
(3:08)  2. Love Is Here To Stay
(2:40)  3. Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat
(2:33)  4. Midnight Stroll
(2:11)  5. Blue Embers
(2:34)  6. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(2:17)  7. Cherry
(3:34)  8. The Birth Of The Blues
(2:45)  9. Tippin' In
(2:11) 10. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
(2:37) 11. Deep Purple
(2:27) 12. Hawkin' Around

Jazz trumpeter, Erskine Hawkins, was born in Birmingham, Alabama July 26, 1914. A talented high-note trumpeter and a popular bandleader, Erskine Hawkins was nicknamed “The 20th Century Gabriel.” He learned drums and trombone before switching to trumpet when he was 13, and was one of five inaugural inductees into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978. He also became on of the principal influences on a young rhythm and blues piano player named Ray Charles. While attending the Alabama State Teachers College, he became the leader of the college band, the Bama State Collegians. They went to New York in 1934, became the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, started making records in 1936 and by 1938 were quite successful. The first formal appearance of Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra was in 1938 when the band won a recording contract with RCA Victor. However, the inception of the band had occurred two years earlier when it was known as The 'Bama State Collegians. Hawkins, whose biggest influences were Louis Armstrong records, skipped out on a 'Bama State Collegians band trip to New Jersey so he could play some gigs in New York. At one of these early shows, Armstrong surprised him backstage at the Apollo Theater. From then on, whenever Hawkins came to New York, Armstrong would also take the stage at the Savoy Ballroom, where Hawkins' dance band attracted a loyal following. Hawkins had three major hits (”Tuxedo Junction,” “After Hours” and “Tippin' In”) and was able to keep the big band together all the way until 1953. Hawkins' band was so popular that he was able to retain a permanent roster of players, most of whom were from Birmingham. The style was “down-home” and blues-inspired, but it could still swing and lay down a great dance beat. Two of his chief arrangers were pianist Avery “After Hours” Parrish and trumpeter Sammy Lowe. (See Sammy Lowe's biography, also on this website.) Baritone saxophone soloist Haywood Henry, who stayed with Hawkins until the band broke up in 1953, anchored the music securely in a solid harmony. During the band's heyday, the 1930s and 40s, Hawkins featured vocalists Ida James, Delores Brown and Della Reese. ROCKIN ROLLERS JUBILEE (1938) was ahead of its time, but TUXEDO JUNCTION (1939) became the anthem of American GIs in Europe during the early years of WWII. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/erskinehawkins

Personnel: Erskine Hawkins, trumpet; Bobby Smith, sax; Leroy Kirkland, guitar; Ernest Hayes, piano; Lloyd Trotman, bass; Shep Sheperd, drums

The Hawk Blows At Midnight

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Dinah Lee - The Sound of Dinah Lee

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:25
Size: 61,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:12)  1. What Kind of Love Is This?
(2:22)  2. What Did He Say?
(1:58)  3. Twist and Shout
(2:14)  4. It's for You
(1:46)  5. Oh Boy
(1:59)  6. Hey Chickie Baby
(2:21)  7. I'll Forgive You, Then Forget You
(1:49)  8. He Can't Do the Blue Beat
(2:21)  9. Long Way from St. Louis
(2:41) 10. Shout
(2:14) 11. Hot Spot
(2:23) 12. Is It True?

Dinah Lee has concertized in the US and Europe. She's that rare tradjazz-swing vocalist who respects the song and adds depth and feeling in a special way, transporting you back to the tradition of Margaret Whiting, Ella Fitzgerald.  Jo Stafford and Doris Day with Dinah's own individuality. https://www.mezzrow.com/artists/2479-dinah-lee

The Sound of Dinah Lee

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Francesco Cafiso Quartet - Happy Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:52
Size: 137,8 MB
Art: Front

( 5:01)  1. Louisiana
(11:57)  2. She Loves Me
( 7:32)  3. Happy Time
( 5:49)  4. Anabel
( 9:50)  5. Blues For Angel
( 5:40)  6. Sir Charles
( 7:59)  7. Goodbye Elvin
( 6:00)  8. The Bear

Many names come to mind as convenient references for precocious jazz talents: Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, the Marsalises, Bireli Lagrène, Roy Hargrove, etc. With Happy Time Sicilian-born Francesco Cafiso (born in 1989) earns his place amongst such once-profiled wunderkinds. Having won, among many competitions, the International Massimo Urbani Award at age eleven and the EuroJazz Competition at age thirteen, he has also garnered the attention and support of Italy's principal festival organizers and international musicians alike. Even Wynton Marsalis, who called him "the best thirteen-year-old saxophonist he had ever heard, has hired the altoist for his 2002 European tour. Considering he recorded Happy Time at age sixteen, Cafiso's suprisingly mature style testifies that he absorbed Charlie Parker's bebop vocabulary, as well as Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley's hard bop phrasing, quite naturally. He masters both genres' idiomatic articulations and possesses a wide-ranging bag of tricks (even throwing the occasional growls and hard-tongued thumps). But he also brings out a lot of himself in his solos, especially on ballads, which he plays convicingly. His dead-on time feel and phrasing exudes confidence and just the right dose of extrovertedness. While Cafiso's heartfelt melodies and precise playing will likely please connoisseurs, the elementary forms (slow blues, minor blues, "Impressions -like modal, rhythm changes and free) of his pieces might bore some listeners. The two ballads, "Goodbye Elvin and "She Loves Me, bring elegance and variety with stellar playing from Cafiso and drummer Stefano Bagnoli. The latter's reputed brushes playing add rhythmic depth to the quartet's overall sound. Their introduction to opening track, "Louisiana, keenly borrows, in spirit, the aforementioned Elvin Jones' famous duos with John Coltrane. ~ Martin Gladu https://www.allaboutjazz.com/happy-time-francesco-cafiso-cam-jazz-review-by-martin-gladu.php

Personnel: Francesco Cafiso: alto saxophone; Riccardo Arrighini: piano; Aldo Zunino: bass; Stefano Bagnoli: drums.

Happy Time

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Don Patterson - Goin' Down Home

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:27
Size: 100,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:42)  1. Little Duck
(4:56)  2. John Brown's Body
(4:35)  3. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
(3:55)  4. Frankie MC
(5:12)  5. It's Magic
(4:19)  6. Goin' Down Home
(5:45)  7. Trick Bag
(4:49)  8. 1197 Fair
(5:11)  9. Work Song

Goin' Down Home is an album by organist Don Patterson recorded in Chicago in 1963 and released on the Cadet label in 1966. Although it is the earliest recordings led by Patterson it as not released until after he had produced several albums for Prestige Records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goin%27_Down_Home

Personnel:  Don Patterson - organ; Paul Weedon - guitar; Billy James - drums

Goin' Down Home

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Jakob Bro - Daydreamer

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:07
Size: 101,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:01)  1. Philadelphia
(4:43)  2. Countryside
(5:35)  3. Daydreamer
(4:38)  4. The Time Is Always Now
(4:46)  5. Highpoint
(6:00)  6. Optimistic
(6:30)  7. Everything All at a Time
(4:50)  8. Unfolded

Jakob Bro (1978) is a Danish guitar player and composer living in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is currently leading a trio with Joey Baron and Thomas Morgan and a quartet with Palle Mikkelborg, Thomas Morgan and Jon Christensen. In the spring of 2018 the quartet released a highly acclaimed album Returnings through ECM Records. In October 2018 the trio will be releasing a new ECM album, Bay Of Rainbows, recorded at the Jazz Standard in New York. Bro is also working with his tentet with Jesper Zeuthen, Peter Laugesen, Andrew D’Angelo, Chris Speed, Kresten Osgood, Jakob Høyer, Thomas Morgan, AC, Nikolaj Torp-Larsen and Søren Kjærgaard and he is currently composing music for a new choir project together with his long time friend and associate trumpet player Jakob Buchanan. Jakob Bro is a former member of Paul Motian & The Electric Bebop Band (Garden of Eden, ECM – 2006) and of Tomasz Stanko’s Dark Eyes Quintet (Dark Eyes, ECM – 2009). He has released 15 records as a bandleader including musicians like Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Bley, Chris Cheek, Thomas Morgan, Ben Street, Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Andrew D’Angelo, Chris Speed, George Garzone, Craig Taborn, Oscar Noriega, David Virelles, Jon Christensen, Jesper Zeuthen, Anders Christensen, Peter Laugesen, Kresten Osgood, Jakob Høyer, Nicolai Munch-Hansen, Jonas Westergaard, Søren Kjærgaard, Nikolaj Torp Larsen and many more. He has toured in Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, South Africa, USA and most of Europe. http://jakobbro.com/web/2018/09/bio/

Personnel: Jakob Bro (Guitar); Chris Cheek (Tenor Sax); Ned Ferm (Tenor Sax)(; Mads Hyhne (Trombone); Anders Christensen (Bass); Jeppe Gram (Drums)

Daydreamer

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Mary Louise Knutson - Call Me When You Get There

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:39
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:23)  1. Tangerine
(5:28)  2. On Green Dolphin Street
(5:56)  3. How Will I Know?
(3:54)  4. Meridian
(6:06)  5. Gone With the Wind
(4:57)  6. Merle the Pearl
(7:44)  7. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
(5:56)  8. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
(3:43)  9. If You Please
(5:26) 10. Call Me When You Get There

High-quality jazz is practically everywhere. For proof of that statement, this CD from a Minnesota-based pianist can serve as evidence. Mary Louis Knutson is an excellent jazz player whose voicings sometimes recall Bill Evans but who has developed a lyrical style of her own. Joined by bassist Gordon Johnson and either Marc Rio, Phil Hey, or Craig Hara on drums, the pianist plays five mostly relaxed versions of familiar standards (including "Tangerine," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"). However, it is her five originals that are of greatest interest, for she has a talent for coming up with fresh melodies. "Merle the Pearl," "Meridian," and "Call Me When You Get There" each sticks in one's mind and, if this local CD received some national attention, it is possible that a couple of the originals would catch on. Well-worth searching for. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/call-me-when-you-get-there-mw0000039423

Call Me When You Get There

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The Chordettes - Harmony Encores, Sing Your Requests Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Harmony Encores /Disc 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1952
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 27:35
Size: 64,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:15)  1. Carolina Moon
(1:56)  2. Basin Street Blues
(1:55)  3. Floatin' Down to Cotton Town
(1:37)  4. Drifting and Dreaming
(1:43)  5. Garden In the Rain
(1:46)  6. S'Posin'
(2:22)  7. The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
(2:12)  8. Kentucky Babe
(1:42)  9. In The Sweet Long Ago
(2:12) 10. I'm Drifting Back to Dreamland
(1:40) 11. Angry
(2:13) 12. A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet
(1:52) 13. The Anniversary Waltz
(2:05) 14. Sentimental Journey

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Album: Sing Your Requests  Disc 2

Year: 1954

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 20:52

Size: 48,2 MB

Art: Front

(2:35)  1. Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie

(2:22)  2. They Say It's Wonderful

(2:51)  3. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now

(2:25)  4. For Me and My Gal

(2:16)  5. I Believe

(1:38)  6. Down Among the Sheltering Palms

(1:42)  7. Hello! Ma Baby

(2:27)  8. Wonderful One

(2:34)  9. (When It's) Darkness On the Delta

Originally released by Columbia Records in the '50s, these recordings of the Chordettes are strictly female barbershop quartet. There is nothing here with the crossover appeal of their biggest hit, "Mr. Sandman." Harmony Encores and Your Requests remained out of print for many years until they were reissued on CD by Collectables in 2003. The vocal arrangements on these 23 tracks are first-rate especially on "Carolina Moon," "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi," "Anniversary Waltz," and "For Me and My Gal," but rather tedious if taken in large doses. Recommended for die-hard fans and barbershop harmony enthusiasts. ~ Al Campbell https://www.allmusic.com/album/harmony-encores-your-requests-mw0000214336

Harmony Encores Disc 1,Sing Your Requests Disc 2

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Chet Atkins and Les Paul - Chester and Lester Guitar Monsters

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:17
Size: 80,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Limehouse Blues
(3:42)  2. I Want to Be Happy
(2:41)  3. Over the Rainbow
(2:34)  4. Meditation
(3:00)  5. Lazy River
(3:48)  6. I'm You Greatest Fan
(2:59)  7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)
(4:04)  8. I Surrender Dear
(2:41)  9. Brazil
(2:52) 10. Give My Love to Nell
(3:01) 11. Hot Toddy

The seventies were bountiful years for guitar fans. Looking now at Guitar Player magazines of the period, it's almost dizzying to see how many veteran guitarists were doing some of their most interesting and liberated work. Bop stalwarts, blues greats (often obscure), and notable country pickers were all well-represented on vinyl throughout the decade, on a variety of labels. Chet Atkins, whose easy listening country guitar records (all on RCA) were too often tasteful to a fault, came out of his shell a little more than usual in that decade, cutting great duet records each with thumbpicking idol Merle Travis and the brilliantly pyrotechnical Jerry Reed. But his most commercially successful pairing was with Les Paul, the Thomas Edison of electric guitar, whose fifties hits were landmark masterpieces both of recording technique and guitar arrangement. Their 1976 Chester & Lester (RCA Nashville/Legacy) was a sloppy, rambling tiptoe through a set of standards replete with studio chatter. It got by on its considerable charm, and won a Grammy (Best Country Instrumental Performance), despite there not being anything on it that was country music. Its success warranted a followup, and Guitar Monsters was it. Fortunately, it includes less chatter, and the performances are more focussed. Atkins and Paul are quite a study in opposites. Atkins' neat, orderly thumbpicking collides happily with Paul's gregarious, even joyously vulgar soloing. Where Paul is not afraid to be sloppy, Atkins is pristine at every turn, even as he takes a few single note soloing turns that for him are unusually extroverted, even showy. From the first note, it's evident that these two men love each others' playing and take real joy in the back-and-forth. The tunes are, as on their first recording together, all standards, save for two needless comedy numbers. Opening with "Limehouse Blues" (with Atkins doing some of his finest playing), we immediately are clued into Monsters' intent: a bunch of standards as lighthearted blowing vehicles for two complementary but highly contrasting guitar icons. Things stay mostly mid-tempo, although there's a straight ballad reading of "Over The Rainbow" that spotlights some gorgeous chordal work from Atkins. Special mention should be made of bassist Joe Osborne, whose playing throughout is understated and deep in the pocket. (Chris Morris' liner notes are breezy and very smart, perfect to the music they describe.) This isn't adventurous the way Coltrane At Birdland is adventurous, but it's such an enjoyable disc, one whose best moments are hard to resist. For guitar mavens, it's a joyous truffle. ~ Skip Heller https://www.allaboutjazz.com/guitar-monsters-chet-atkins-and-les-paul-real-music-review-by-skip-heller.php

Personnel: Chet Atkins: guitars; Les Paul: guitars; Joe Osborne: bass; Buddy Harman, Larrie Londin, Randy Hauser: drums

Chester and Lester Guitar Monsters

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Mike Neer - Steelonious

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:54
Size: 103,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:10)  1. Epistrophy
(3:15)  2. Bemsha Swing
(4:31)  3. 'Round Midnight
(3:35)  4. In Walked Bud
(3:13)  5. Bye-Ya
(2:57)  6. I Mean You
(3:06)  7. Off Minor
(4:36)  8. Ugly Beauty
(3:53)  9. Ask Me Now
(3:14) 10. Straight, No Chaser
(4:36) 11. Reflections
(4:42) 12. Blue Monk

Early in his musical career, pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was ordained the "Hight Priest of Bebop." This sounds more like a disingenuous pronouncement by an overeager period critic than any credible music reportage. Monk's essential musical approach owed more to stride, blues, and swing than to Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's bebop. Monk's technical brilliance, if one could call it that, was not geared toward the "technique" of rapid and complexly rendered chord changes. Monk's brilliance lay somewhere much more fundamental. I think of Monk as a musical mutation. Genetically, a mutation is defined as, ..."the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations..." If that does not describe Monk's influence on both jazz composition and the jazz standard songbook, then nothing does. Monk created a new musical language, vocabulary, and grammar. And he did all this serious stuff with a beautifully honed disregard for the musical status quo and a biting sense of humor that seems still lost on much of the listening media. Monk was an enigmatic iconoclast (that is two fifty cent words adding up to a dollar). He remains misunderstood, because understanding him was never the point. This music is a relativistic variant that should have never entered our dimension, but did...and here we are. 

Monk has had many admirers and imitators, many creatively so. But none of Monk's interpreters has yet to "think beyond" to the degree that steel guitarist Mike Neer has. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mike Neer appears, playing Monk like some radioactive Herbert Von Karajan addressing his cosmic Beethoven. And Neer does all of this with the wry and knowing smile of a man content just to be heard. How fortunate he has spoken loud enough, because projects like Steelonious happen so damn infrequently now that when they do arise, they are missed for all of the noise surrounding them. What Neer effectively does is take an instrument associated with, in order, Hawaiian luau, Santo and Johnny's 1959 "Sleepwalk," and every Jackson Browne song David Lindley play on, and use it to transform the Monk book in a most wonderful and delightful way. Neer creates American vignettes with each composition. He begins his festivities with a Dick Dale Surf take on "Epistrophy," drummer Diego Voglino laying down a carpet bomb backbeat. Pianist Matt King issues a two-fisted cat-house upright solo, leading into Neer's interstellar vision of the slide guitar, sounding like a frantic '50s LA traffic jam. And, this is merely the beginning. "Bemsha Swing" is hippy trippy while "'Round Midnight" is performed like a Caribbean pipe dream, again with deft support by Voglino. "In Walked Bud," typically played as an upbeat cooker, in Neer's hands it becomes a Mad Men's first heroin sniff with Sgt. Joe Friday looking in through the window. "I Mean You" is vintage Western Swing, replete with stoned ghost of Bob Wills heehawing in the background. "Off Minor," "Ugly Beauty," and "Ask Me Now" as they have never been presented. Neer's technique is so sharp and precise it is often hard to tell what instrument he his playing. That is an accomplishment. The perfect closer, "Blue Monk" rolls the disc to its coda with the entire history of the blues and jazz behind it.

 ~ C. Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/steelonious-mike-neer-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Mike Neer: lap steel guitar; Matt King: piano and organ; Andrew Hall: Bass; Diego Voglino: drums, percussion; Tom Beckham: vibraphone (4,9).

Steelonious

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Benedikt Jahnel Trio - Equilibrium

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:47
Size: 123,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:01)  1. Gently Understood
( 7:11)  2. Sacred Silence
(13:52)  3. Moorland & Hill Land
( 9:01)  4. Wrangel
( 4:41)  5. Augmented
( 4:19)  6. Hidden Beauty
( 9:39)  7. Equilibrium

He may be better known internationally to ECM fans for his participation in the pan-cultural Cyminology, but German pianist Benedikt Jahnel has been devoting just as much attention to his multinational trio featuring Spanish bassist Antonio Miguel and American drummer Owen Howard. Releasing the trio's debut in 2008 on Viennese guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's Material Records imprint, Jahnel's work with Max.Bab has rendered superficial comparisons to Esbjorn Svensson, but if the world is looking for someone to pick up the mantle left by the late Swedish pianist, it'll have to keep on looking. Beyond being relatively young and leading a piano trio with a strong penchant for lyricism, there's little else with which to compare Jahnel's trio and e.s.t. A truth already apparent on Modular Concepts (Material, 2008), but even clearer with Equilibrium, the trio's long overdue follow-up and ECM debut. If anything, there are some similarities in Jahnel's approach to fellow label mate, pianist Nik Bärtsch and Ronin, most recently heard on Live (ECM, 2012). But if Bärtsch and Jahnel share a certain rigor when it comes to rhythmic constructs and, more importantly, rhythmic placement, Jahnel is more intrinsically driven by song form even, as is the case with the opening "Gently Understood," if he takes a long time getting there. Through the first three of its five minutes, Jahnel's trio collectively explores a modal, pedal toned vamp, building to an extemporaneous climax only to fade to a near-whisper and the introduction of the pianist's chordal theme albeit one where Howard both holds down the form and explores further, a tasteful meshing of delicate cymbals and reverb-drenched, rim shot-driven drums. What gives Jahnel's trio some of its personality is the way that it plays with conventional roles. Howard whose 20-year career has included collaborations with everyone from saxophonist Chris Potter to guitarist Ben Monder is, himself, a deeply melodic player; one who can, at times, leave more rhythmic concerns to Jahnel. 

In the opening minutes of Equilibrium's longest track, "Moorland & Hill Land," Jahnel's pulsating exploration of the lower register of his piano almost blends into a single voice with Miguel's resonant arco. Ultimately unfolding into a spare, Erik Satie-like passage, Jahnel gradually shifts to an arpeggio-driven piano a cappella that finally, eight minutes in, leads to a full trio treatment. Filled with unrelenting forward motion, Jahnel shifts that very propulsion between left and right hands, while Miguel's spare anchor supports Howard's strong thematic foil for Jahnel. If Jahnel's trio often operates in keyboardist Joe Zawinul's long-held "nobody solos/everybody solos" ethos, that doesn't mean there aren't shining moments for its members. The gently majestic "Sacred Silence" is defined largely by Miguel, and the bassist's strong allegiance to motivic development also features near the end of "Moorland," while Howard is the clear melodist alongside Jahnel in the latter half of "Augmented." It's all about embedding the piano trio tradition into a new context where things aren't always as they seem. With Equilibrium, Jahnel has carved his own evocative space on a label that may seem loaded down with piano trios, but for whom, in the case of Jahnel, there's clearly room for one more. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/equilibrium-benedikt-jahnel-ecm-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Benedikt Jahnel: piano; Antonio Miguel: double bass; Owen Howard: drums.

Equilibrium

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Charles Gayle - Kingdom Come

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:14
Size: 171,2 MB
Art: Front

( 4:09)  1. Seven Days
(21:17)  2. Lord Lord
( 9:03)  3. Beset Souls
(13:00)  4. His Crowning Grace
( 5:17)  5. Redeemed
(11:24)  6. Anthem To Eternity
(10:02)  7. Yokes

This is possibly Charles Gayle's weakest recording. Drummer Sunny Murray seems out of place here; the powerful blowing by Gayle on "His Crowning Grace" is offset by Murray's soft drumming and his attempts to play free and in time simultaneously. Kingdom Come marks the recorded debut of Gayle as a pianist (on "Seven Days," "Beset Souls" and "Redeemed"). His piano playing resembles the style of Cecil Taylor, but it is not nearly as dynamic. ~ Brian Flota https://www.allmusic.com/album/kingdom-come-mw0000122863

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone – Charles Gayle;  Double Bass [Uncredited] – William Parker;  Drums  – Sunny Murray

Kingdom Come

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Clementine - Couleur Cafe

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:20
Size: 111,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Sabor A Mi
(4:35)  2. In The Stars (En Las Estrellas)
(4:00)  3. Couleur Cafe
(4:31)  4. Sina
(3:40)  5. J retourne Chez Moi
(4:27)  6. Caminhos Cruzados
(3:28)  7. Sandalia Dela
(3:42)  8. El Manicero
(3:57)  9. Fiel E Insistente
(4:31) 10. Retrato Em Branco E Preto
(2:18) 11. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
(5:08) 12. Bienvenido

Clémentine is a French singer and songwriter based in Japan. She debuted in France in 1988 with the single, "Absolument Jazz". In addition to many releases as a singer, she has appeared regularly on the entertainment segment for NHK Educational TV "French TV". Collaborates frequently with other artists, mostly in Japan. Recently she has often collaborated with her daughter, Solita, who is also a singer. Born in Paris but traveled widely as a child. With her father transferring first to Mexico and later around the world, she grew in touch with Bossa Nova and other local flavors of music. Returned to France and started Piano lessons at age 10 and Jazz school at age 12. Started her professional career in 1987 by sending a demo tape to Jazz greats Johnny Griffin and Ben Sidran, and was subsequently given an opportunity to record several songs with them. In 1988 released her first single, "Absolument Jazz" with CBS France. Signed a contract with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1990, and released many singles and albums. From 2003 to 2005 switched to the Epic Records Japan label, and from 2005 to 2008 to Toshiba EMI. Returned to Sony Music Entertainment in 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9mentine_(musician)

Personnel: Clementine (vocals); Jean Louis Matiniel (accordion); Kenny Holmen (soprano & tenor saxophones); Mike Nelson (trombone); Bobby Peterson (clarinet, piano); Joan Griffin (guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin); Leo Sidran (piano, organ, acoustic & electric guitars); Jimmy B, Marcio Faraco (guitar); Anthony Coz (acoustic & electric basses); Mark Anderson (drums, percussion); Gordy Knutson (drums).

Couleur Cafe

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Bill Allred - Swing That Music

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:57
Size: 121,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. It Don't Mean A Thing
(5:20)  2. The Mooche
(4:59)  3. Struttin' With Some Barbeque
(3:36)  4. Basin Street Blues
(5:15)  5. Swing That Music
(3:35)  6. Limehouse Blues
(4:17)  7. Royal Garden Blues
(2:39)  8. Wabash Blues
(2:47)  9. King Porter Stomp
(7:27) 10. Beale Street Blues
(4:02) 11. Ole Miss
(4:52) 12. Running Wild

Lend an ear to Bill Allred’s Goodtime Jazz Band from Orlando, Florida. They might just be as one recent review claimed“the greatest Dixieland band in the world!” Try to isolate what makes Bill Allred’s Goodtime Jazz Band so well good, and I would come up with three key words: organisation, energy and adventure. Combining the first two is often difficult. Lesser bands who first lay out, then play within a cultivated Dixieland-scape often sound guarded or even hemmed in, as if anxious not to ruffle the grass. Not, of course, how Nick la Rocca, the first jazz punk, saw and heard the music in 1919 or how Eddie Condon did 20 years later. Seventy years on, it takes musicians as gifted as Allred’s, first to create the written landscape with sensitivity and then play through it like American footballers thundering down the grid. For great examples of this listen to It Don’t Mean A Thing or Limehouse Blues right here. 

The third quality adventure finds its way, appropriately in triplicate, into Allred’s compliment of soloists, arrangements and repertoire. This last may include anything from King Oliver-style replays (via Lu Watters) to elegant Goodman-esque swing tributes and beyond. This repertoire wherever appropriate (and only then) is irresistibly decked out in arrangements offering a capella passages, key changes, dynamic ups and downs shifts in texture and style and fine touches that turn each selection into a kaleidoscope of jazz colourtones. And from this luxurious background Allred’s soloists regularly spring to devour solos as if, in Irving Townsend’s marvellous phrase, “they hadn’t had one in weeks!” That’s Bill Allred’s Goodtime Band. Dixieland at its very best. As Bob Haggart himself might ask in smiling approval: “What is there not to like”? ~ Digby Fairweather http://www.bigbearmusic.com/product/swing-that-music/

Personnel:  Bill Allred – Trombone/Vocal; Don Lord – Cornet; JJ Argenziano – Trumpet; Terry Myers – Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet; Jim Maihack – Piano/Trombone; Boyd Bergeson – Guitar/Banjo; Sam Noto – Bass/Tuba; Warren Sauer – Drums.

Swing That Music

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Charnett Moffett - Treasure

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:26
Size: 123,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Swing Street
(7:59)  2. The Celebration
(7:15)  3. The Things of Swing
(6:33)  4. Say La
(3:44)  5. Beam Me Up
(3:21)  6. Praise
(3:19)  7. Country Blues
(2:45)  8. Down Up Blues
(3:59)  9. Say La La
(3:23) 10. Treasure
(2:56) 11. Sound Healing I
(2:28) 12. Sound Healing II

Treasure is the eleventh solo release for veteran bassist Charnett Moffett. Much like his previous efforts, the focus here is on the New York native's jaw-dropping technique on both upright and electric fretless bass. Mixed in with the traditional jazz instrumentation of bass, piano, guitar and drums, Moffett utilizes the more unconventional sounds of tablas, tamboura and sitar to enhance this all-original set of eclectic, swinging music. Although Moffett's performance throughout the disc will undoubtedly make bass players do a double-take, the music reveals much more than mere bass indulgence. Even on the solo bass tracks ("Country Blues," "Sound Healing I," "Sound Healing II"), Moffett's composing emphasizes groove and melody. The opening "Swing Street" maintains an accessible appeal with a funky momentum, in spite of blazing, effects-driven bass licks. The monster-chops showcase "Beam Me Up" reveals a fondness for the late Jaco Pastorius, with Moffett in commanding form on fretless bass. Adding to the tune's intensity is bass clarinetist Oran Etkin and drummer Denardo Coleman, a long-time Moffett musical collaborator. Another frequent associate of Moffett, guitarist Stanley Jordan, makes a guest appearance on two tracks, "The Celebration" and "The Things of Swing," the latter featuring some of the session's most inspired playing. Another bright moment comes with "Say La La," a lengthy, drone-based groove, where Moffett shares melodic duty with Kugo harpist Tomoko Sugawara, aided by sitarist Anjana Roy and Angela Moffett on tambura. Treasure is a welcome addition to Moffett's recorded output. Once again, he continues to find fresh, innovative ways to bring the bass front-and-center.~ John Barron https://www.allaboutjazz.com/treasure-charnett-moffett-motema-music-review-by-john-barron.php

Personnel: Charnett Moffett: upright bass, fretless electric bass, piccolo electric bass; Casimir Liberski: piano (4); Denardo Coleman: drums (1, 5); Rodney Holms: drums (2, 3, 4, 6); Moa Moffett: drums (8), tablas (2, 11, 12); Stanley Jordan (2, 3); Angela Moffett: Tamboura (1-4, 8, 9, 12), vocals (4); Oran Etkin: bass clarinet (1, 3, 5); RJ Avallone: trumpet (2); Irwin Hall: tenor saxophone (2); Anjana Roy: sitar (4, 9); Amareia Moffett: vocals (4); Tomoko Sugawara: Kugo Harp (9); Jana Herzen: didgeridoo (8).

Treasure

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Booker Little - The New York Sessions Featuring Booker Ervin

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:15
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:17)  1. Scoochie
( 4:46)  2. Cycles
( 3:41)  3. Stardust
( 6:52)  4. The Confined Few
( 3:39)  5. Blues De Tambour
( 4:37)  6. Witch Fire
(10:44)  7. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
( 8:09)  8. Blue 'N' Boogie
( 8:26)  9. After Hours

Despite the extreme brevity of his life passing away at the tender age of 23 Booker Little left behind one of the most important legacies of the jazz trumpet; a legacy that has stood the test of time, growing stronger with each passing year. 

The unrivalled trumpeter is featured here in two settings; a stellar date with the under appreciated tenor saxophone giant Booker Ervin, and an unprecedented octet session featuring a who's who of Memphis, Tennessee's most celebrated musicians. A rare release by one of the finest and most underrated legends of the jazz trumpet. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/booker-little-albums/3510-featuring-booker-ervin-new-york-sessions.html

Personnel:  Trumpet – Booker Little; Bass – Addison Farmer; Drums – Ed Shaughnessy; Piano – Mal Waldron; Vibraphone – Teddy Charles

The New York Sessions Featuring Booker Ervin

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Connie Evingson - Sweet Happy Life

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:20
Size: 185,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:52)  1. Agua de Beber
(5:38)  2. Meditation
(3:59)  3. Slow Hot Wind
(5:34)  4. Sweet Happy Life
(4:56)  5. Killing Me Softly with His Song
(6:20)  6. Canadian Sunset
(4:40)  7. Watch What Happens
(4:42)  8. The Girl from Ipanema
(4:18)  9. Sway
(4:53) 10. Bluesette
(4:34) 11. How Insensitive
(3:53) 12. Take Me to Aruanda
(5:02) 13. So Nice
(4:29) 14. Adventure
(4:57) 15. I Will Wait For You
(5:26) 16. Tristeza

Norman Gimbel's name may not register with a lot of educated jazz fans, yet he's linked to some of the most important songs and artists in the music. Gimbel wrote the lyrics attached to harmonica ace Toots Thielemans' best known number, "Bluesette," captured Michel Legrand's musical moods in words on "I Will Wait For You" and "Watch What Happens," and opened up English-language ears to the world of bossa nova. His lyrics for many of Antonio Carlos Jobim's songs are known the world over, yet his name is rarely mentioned when these works are discussed. Minneapolis-based vocalist Connie Evingson is looking to right this wrong by shining a light in Gimbel's direction on Sweet Happy Life. Evingson gathered sixteen numbers of all shapes and sizes that feature Gimbel's lyrics, including the never-before-recorded Gimbel/Jobim blend of "Adventure," and polished them up for presentation. The softer side of Brazil comes through on "The Girl From Ipanema," with Dave Karr providing the requisite saxophone work; "Meditation," which lives up to its name; and an intimate, voice-clarinet-guitar trio take on "How Insensitive"; but Evingson doesn't just do breezy, she also goes saucy with :Agua De Beber" and beatific on "Sweet Happy Life," as she explores this South American wonderland. While Brazil is a big part of the package, Evingson isn't a one trick pony stuck in a stylistic rut. When she isn't indulging in the waters of Jobim and Bonfa, she mixes in some light swing with "Canadian Sunset," takes a roaming caravan through an arid desert on "Slow Hot Wind," and gives "Sway" a sultrier than usual makeover that would make singer Michael Buble blush. The only stylistic misstep on the bill comes with Evingson's take on the Roberta Flack-associated "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Evingson thrives in a large variety of settings on this date, but she's out of her element when it comes to out-and-out R&B/soul singing of this variety. Thankfully, this is an anomaly in an otherwise pleasing and varied program. While tribute albums are a dime-a-dozen, most of them are quickly forgotten because they've been done. Evingson deserves respect for finding a heretofore unturned stone worth turning. Norman Gimbel's words and Evingson's voice make for a beautiful marriage on this easy-on-the-ears outing. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sweet-happy-life-connie-evingson-minnehaha-music-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Connie Evingson: vocals; Danny Embrey: guitar; Joan Griffith: guitar; Andreas Oberg: guitar; Laura Caviani: piano; Tanner Taylor: piano; Phil Aaron: piano; Bob Bowman: bass; Gordon Johnson: bass, background vocals; Ryan Cross: bass; David Schmalenberger: drums; Joe Pulice: drums, percussion; Phil Hey: drums; Rob Perkins: drums; Dave Karr: saxophone, clarinet, flute; Randy Sabien: violin, mandolin; Josh Alvaro: percussion; Miles Hanson: percussion; Lucia Newell: background vocals.

Sweet Happy Life

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