Chuck Hedges - Sweet And Lovely

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:14
Size: 123,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:31)  1. Sweet And Lovely
(5:33)  2. Triste
(5:11)  3. Prelude To A Kiss
(4:12)  4. I Got Rhythm
(6:22)  5. The Very Thought Of You
(5:58)  6. Here's That Rainy Day
(5:34)  7. Exactly Like You
(4:53)  8. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
(4:19)  9. Oh, Lady Be Good
(5:38) 10. Mood Indigo

This project began when Chuck Hedges asked me to arrange one or two tunes for his Milwaukee Connection jazz band and string orchestra for the possible inclusion on an upcoming CD. Chuck is a dear friend and one of my favorite musicians of all time! Of course, I was honored to be asked by Chuck to work with him in this capacity. Over the years, Chuck and I have played many gigs together at jazz festivals and jazz clubs all over the world (Chuck on clarinet and me on string bass). We've also recorded several CDs with either Chuck or Tom Saunders as the leader. This would be the first time I would be able to actually write music for Chuck and a larger ensemble. This was an exciting prospect! So, with Chuck's instructions to me regarding his vision for these charts, I jumped right into it and wrote new string arrangements for Triste and Prelude To A Kiss in less than a week. After I completed the first two arrangements, I called Chuck and said, "Give me two more tunes to arrange for your jazz band and strings. I'm on a roll and I want to keep writing while I'm hot!" This process went on for several weeks until, with Chuck's guidance, I had completed ten new original arrangements for Chuck Hedges' Milwaukee Connection and string orchestra. Chuck's original intent was just to have a few string arrangements to record with his sextet. But the project had grown beyond what he had envisioned in the beginning. Now we had enough material for an entire CD! Chuck was thrilled. So was I! The producers of this CD, Denny, Marilyn and Brett Boneck then invited me to come to Milwaukee and participate in the recording sessions for this new CD. My role now shifted from arranger to conductor and musical director. The Bonecks are fantastic people. They are incredibly supportive, gracious and generous. The Bonecks have been close friends with Chuck Hedges for many years and they relished the opportunity to help produce this CD. 

It was my great pleasure to become friends with the Bonecks during the creation of the CD. Along with the invaluable assistance of Executive Producer Harry Abramowitz, Chuck, the Bonecks, The Milwaukee Connection, the string players, the recording engineer Ric Probst and I buckled down for two very intense days of recording at The Exchange Recording Complex studios in Milwaukee, WI. What came out of these sessions was a great masterwork of art spawned from the collective efforts of many. Our team consisted of seventeen talented, dedicated, motivated, focused and cheerful people who worked diligently and beyond Chuck's and my expectations to accomplish this difficult goal in a short amount of time. We are all pleased with the outcome of this CD and hope that you enjoy the final product as much as we enjoyed creating it. I want to express my deepest thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this recording. I am proud to be associated with these great musicians and music lovers: Denny, Marilyn and Brett Boneck, Cheryl Miller, Harry Abramowitz, engineer Ric Probst, violinists Jerry Loughney and Therese Ritchie, violist Katrin Talbot, cellist Scott Cook, pianist Gary Meisner, string bassist George Welland, drummer Andy LoDuca, guitarists Dave Sullivan and John Parrott, and vibraphonist Bob Maynard. Most importantly, I am extremely grateful to Chuck Hedges for this wonderful opportunity which became one of the greatest musical experiences of my life and I've had A LOT of great musical experiences!). Thank you, Chuck, for your faith in me and for the chance to help you create something really special with lasting value! Sincerely, Paul Keller https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/hedges7

Sweet And Lovely

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Marlene VerPlanck - Live! In London

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:23
Size: 124,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:48)  1. Music Is My Best Friend
(2:13)  2. Get out of Town
(5:46)  3. Body and Soul
(4:00)  4. The Happy Madness
(3:18)  5. Let's Begin
(5:26)  6. Someone to Light up My Life
(3:26)  7. I Wanna Be Around
(3:10)  8. Say It Isn't So
(2:03)  9. Let's Face the Music and Dance
(2:03) 10. Watching You
(4:14) 11. Lover
(2:28) 12. Falling in Love with You
(2:39) 13. It's Bad for Me
(7:27) 14. "Doctor Doolittle" Medley: Something in Your Eyes / I Think I Like You / When I Look in Your Eyes
(2:16) 15. So in Love

Marlene VerPlanck, a wonderful singer whose style falls somewhere between jazz and cabaret, is in fine form on this live CD. VerPlanck, although her improvisations are quite subtle, always swings and manages to find beauty in each song she interprets. This set has a wide variety of material which ranges from such classics as "Body and Soul" and "Let's Face the Music" to the potentially sticky "So in Love" and even a medley from "Doctor Doolittle." Backed by a solid if somewhat anonymous English rhythm section, VerPlanck (who is virtually the whole show) uplifts each song and surprises listeners with her occasional jumps into the stratosphere (her range is remarkable) although she mostly vocalizes in her warm middle register. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/live%21-in-london-mw0000236211

Live! In London

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Rick Fay - Words Among The Reeds

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:04
Size: 134,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. Who Am I'
(4:00)  2. Sheepface
(4:23)  3. Singin' The Blues
(3:24)  4. In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening
(5:30)  5. Lazy Mood
(3:53)  6. A String Of Pearls
(4:48)  7. Blue And Sentimental
(5:12)  8. Wild Man Blues
(5:46)  9. Don't Explain
(7:14) 10. Come Sunday
(5:43) 11. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate
(4:37) 12. Spotlite

Rick Fay, on his previous release Poetry And Jazz, had effectively combined his poetry readings with trad jazz. On Words Among The Reeds, Fay verbally pays tribute to some of his favorite musicians, and then plays one of the songs associated with each artist. Included are his homages to Zutty Singleton, Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny Mercer, Eddie Miller, Bobby Hackett, Herschel Evans, Wild Bill Davison, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Muggsy Spanier, and Coleman Hawkins. While the talking is heartfelt, it is the music that makes this a recommended disc. Fay manages to play in a variety of styles on tenor, soprano, and clarinet (emulating Miller, Hawkins and Sidney Bechet in spots) and there are also fine solo spots for flugelhornist Jackie Coon, trombonist Dan Barrett, and pianist Johnny Varro. The music is swinging and joyful, with highlights including "Singin' The Blues," "Lazy Mood," "'Wild Man Blues," and Coleman Hawkins' "Spotlite."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/words-among-the-reeds-mw0000036603

Words Among The Reeds

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Jan Garbarek - Eventyr

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:19
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:36)  1. Soria Maria
( 5:01)  2. Lillekort
( 9:19)  3. Eventyr
( 2:21)  4. Weaving A Garland
( 9:05)  5. Once Upon A Time
( 5:51)  6. The Companion
( 4:32)  7. Snipp, Snapp, Snute
( 8:30)  8. East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon

Eventyr means “adventure.” Classical listeners may also recognize it as the name of Frederick Delius’s lovely 1917 tone poem, which is often translated as “Once Upon A Time” to underscore its origins in the folk tale collections of Norwegian scholar Peter Christen Asbjørnsen. Here, the name adorns one of Jan Garbarek’s most recondite efforts to date and, like its own “Once Upon A Time,” houses a world of lessons and signs for those willing enough to interpret them. Joined by John Abercrombie and Nana Vasconcelos, he spins a string of seven improvisations, rounded out by a standard, “East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon” (Brooks Bowman), that doesn’t so much end the album as open us to its nebulous center. In that center we encounter swirls of majesty as only he can draw. With almost liquid fire and ever-insightful phrasing, Garbarek brings his deepest considerations to the nearly 12-minute “Sora Maria” that is its primordial soup. His interplay with Abercrombie resolves into a vague continent, where only the playful refractions of “Lillekort” resolve themselves into separate entities. Vasconcelos’s pliancy is the animating skeleton of the title track, in which his gravelly voice and ritualism exudes from every gamelan hit. In “Weaving A Garland,” tenor sax and guitar paint a rolling horizon of vegetation. Such shorter tracks as this and “The Companion” comprise the more potent incantations amid the long-form spells that otherwise dictate the album’s vocabulary. Transcendence comes in the form of “Snipp, Snapp, Snute,” a sparkling menagerie of triangles and wooden flute that works its light into a crepuscular sky. Through it we see in fine detail the inner life of three musicians whose nets run far into the cosmic ocean, where only transformation awaits in the catch. https://ecmreviews.com/2011/10/22/eventyr/

Personnel: Jan Garbarek Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flutes; Nana Vasconcelos Berimbau, Talking Drum, Percussion, Voice; John Abercrombie   Electric 6 And 12 String Guitars, Mandolin Guitar

Eventyr

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Jimmie Noone, Earl Hines - At The Apex Club

Styles: Clarinet And Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:29
Size: 101,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. I Know That You Know
(3:16)  2. Sweet Sue, Just You
(3:19)  3. Four Or Five Times
(3:15)  4. Every Evening I Miss You, Pt. 1
(2:39)  5. Every Evening I Miss You, Pt. 2
(3:10)  6. Ready For The River
(3:03)  7. Forevermore
(3:11)  8. Apex Blues
(3:04)  9. My Monday Date
(3:03) 10. Blues My Naught Sweetie Gives To Me
(2:47) 11. Oh Sister, Ain't That Hot
(3:08) 12. King Joe
(3:13) 13. Sweet Lorraine, Pt. 1
(3:17) 14. Sweet Lorraine, Pt. 2

Jimmie Noone, (born April 23, 1895, near New Orleans, La., U.S.died April 19, 1944, Los Angeles, Calif.), black American jazz clarinetist noted for his lyricism and refinement of technique. He is one of the three principal clarinetists of early jazz, the other two being Johnny Dodds and Sidney Bechet.Noone studied with Bechet and began his career with New Orleans bands, including important ones led by Freddie Keppard, Kid Ory, and Buddy Petit. In 1918 he settled in Chicago, where he played with Doc Cooke’s band (1920–26, 1927) and studied with classical clarinetist Franz Schoepp. He recorded with King Oliver’s Creole Band in 1923. By the late 1920s he was also leading his own group at the Apex Club (1926–28) and other Chicago venues. Despite some touring, he remained largely in Chicago throughout the 1930s and led a big band in 1939. About 1943 he resettled in California, where he led a band and also played on recordings and radio programs with Ory. A masterly ensemble player in the traditional New Orleans style, Noone also proved an adept partner for the more modern Louis Armstrong, as the two accompanied singer Lillie Delk Christian’s 1928 recordings. Noone’s greatest impact was as a soloist. His full sound, melodic fertility, and graceful command of instrumental technique influenced other early jazz players and also swing-era clarinetists, most significantly Benny Goodman. The 1928 recordings of his Apex Club band, featuring his interplay with alto saxophonist Joe Poston, are a transition between the early jazz ensemble style and the more modern swing style, as represented by the solos of Noone and his pianist, Earl Hines. They include “Apex Blues,” “Four or Five Times,” “Sweet Sue,” and “I Know That You Know” and are considered Noone’s finest works. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jimmie-Noone

Personnel: Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Joe "Doc" Poston; Banjo, Guitar – Bud Scott; Clarinet – Jimmie Noone; Drums – Johnny Wells; Piano – Earl Hines; Tuba, Bass – Lawson Buford

At The Apex Club

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Rhoda Scott - Stardust

Styles: Soul Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:46
Size: 133,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:03)  1. Stardust
(4:07)  2. Manhattan
(4:13)  3. Groggy
(4:23)  4. Moonlight Serenade
(6:34)  5. Stormy Weather
(5:26)  6. Long Ago (And Far Away)
(4:17)  7. Un Jour Tu Verras
(5:01)  8. Ballade For Michele
(6:02)  9. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
(5:05) 10. Sweet Cool
(5:32) 11. Tenderly

Rhoda Scott (born July 3, 1938) is an American soul jazz organist. Scott was first attracted to the organ in her father’s church at age seven. "It's really the most beautiful instrument in the world", she stated in a recent interview. "The first thing I did was take my shoes off and work the pedals." From then on she always played her church organ in her bare feet, and to this date she has continued the practice. In 1967 Scott moved to France, where she has since spent most of her career. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhoda_Scott

Stardust

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Daryl Sherman - My Blue Heaven

Styles:  Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:03
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. I Walk a Little Faster
(4:26)  2. Wouldn’t It Be Loverly
(5:42)  3. Feel Like Makin’ Love
(4:10)  4. Lets Go Live in a Lighthouse
(3:43)  5. Cycling Along with You
(4:04)  6. Inside a Silent Tear
(3:37)  7. My Blue Heaven/ A O Zora
(4:20)  8. You Turned the Tables on Me
(4:06)  9. Fly Me to the Moon
(3:32) 10. You Wanna Bet
(4:20) 11. The Brooklyn Bridge
(3:29) 12. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Singers who perform in public as they must have singular obstacles to face in performance.  Even though the ringing cash register is now a museum piece, there are so many extraneous sounds to surmount even when the audience is properly quiet and (imagine this!) everyone’s smartphone is shut off.  Dishes and glasses clink; the waitstaff murmurs details of the specials, offers a dessert menu, presents the bill.  The presumed answer to this is amplification, which can make a quiet sound audible at the back of the room, but in the process coarsens every nuance. A CD session recorded in a studio has its own set of obstacles: the creative artist may be restricted to one small space, may be burdened with headphones and be banished into a booth . . . but we don’t see these travails, and the sound we hear through our speakers is a kinder representation of the human voice. And the Orchestra with Vocal Refrain is Daryl, piano and vocals, with Harvie S, string bass, on tracks 2 and 10.  It’s a delightfully old-fashioned CD: twelve tracks, fifty minutes, but no need to turn it over. From the start, it’s a wonderful chance to hear Daryl “her ownself”as we might say in the Middle West a century ago.  She is of course her own splendid accompanist, and her two selves never get in each other’s way.  And I would direct some pianists who revere Tatum as their model to her spare, pointed accompaniment. Her voice is the true delight here.  

Daryl sounds so much like herself, and is I think instantly recognizable, although one may call to mind Mildred Bailey, Blossom Dearie, and Dave Frishberg as musical colleagues and inspirations.  I think she’s been undervalued because of what sounds (to the casual listener) like girlish charm, a high sweet voice with a conversational, sometimes wry delivery. But once the listener is into this CD for more than a chorus, the absence of other instrumentalists allows us to hear emotional depth beneath the apparent light-heartedness.  This isn’t to say that the disc veers towards the dark or maudlin, but there is a true adult sensibility that makes even the most familiar material shine as if beautifully polished and lit.  And even if you think you know how Daryl sings and plays, I submit that this CD is her masterpiece to date, sending us gentle immediacy of the most rare kind. It’s a wonderful one-woman show, with nothing to excess, and a CD I’d like to send to many singers to show ’em how it can be done...More https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2016/09/02/a-private-recital-daryl-shermans-blue-heaven/

My Blue Heaven                 

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Hank Jones Trio - Have You Met This Jones?

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:24
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:03)  1. There's a Small Hotel
(7:37)  2. Portions
(4:23)  3. The Oregon Grinder
(5:12)  4. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(5:45)  5. We're All Together
(4:34)  6. Like Someone In Love
(5:19)  7. Now's the Time
(6:27)  8. Robbins Nest

Hank Jones often worked in The Great Jazz Trio, but this 1977 album came out under his own name, backed by a European rhythm section. Long regarded for his versatility and class, Jones does nothing to change that perception here with a varied set of standards and other tunes. Jones sounds particularly strong on the bluesy “Organ Grinder,” where his playing is both effortless and anchored with a strong narrative line. Jones was always one to have the lightest of touches on a ballad; his take on Ellington’s “I’ve Got It Bad” has an ornate filigree around the edges of the melody that never digresses into overplaying. “Like Someone in Love,” which gets a solo opening before settling in for a gentle pace just above ballad speed, is a classic piece of piano trio work. 

Not known for his oral accompaniment (as opposed to Monk or Keith Jarrett), Jones can be heard clear as day on “We’re All Together” and elsewhere, which speaks to the exceptional recording quality of this album and newly remixed sound for its debut in the digital format. ~ Editors' Note https://music.apple.com/us/album/have-you-met-this-jones/873097291

Personnel: Hank Jones - piano; Isla Eckinger - bass; Kurt Bong - drums

Have You Met This Jones?

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Robert Farnon & His Orchestra - A Portrait of Johnny Mathis

Styles: Jazz, Easy Listening
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:45
Size: 84,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:49)  1. Misty
(2:17)  2. The 12th of Never
(3:00)  3. It's Not for Me to Say
(2:49)  4. What Will My Mary Say
(2:41)  5. When Sunny Gets Blue
(2:49)  6. Maria, from 'West Side Story'
(3:08)  7. Chances Are
(2:34)  8. A Certain Smile
(3:14)  9. Gina
(2:37) 10. Small World
(3:34) 11. Wonderful, Wonderful
(3:08) 12. Someone

Robert Farnon, a composer of light classical and "mood music," is a rival to figure such as Eric Coates, David Rose, and Percy Faith. He has also been notably successful in the field of film music since the 1940s. Robert Joseph Farnon was born into a musical family in Toronto, Canada in 1917. He showed a natural aptitude as a musician, and at age 19, was already being employed as an arranger with the Canadian Broadcasting Company Orchestra in Toronto, under the direction of Percy Faith. Farnon succeeded Faith as director of the orchestra when Faith departed Canada for America. Farnon's main interest at the time lay in writing serious music, despite the fact that he enjoyed great success with his arrangements. At age 22, he composed his first symphony, which was performed by the Toronto Symphony in 1941, and later by the Philadelphia Orchestra. A second symphony followed a year later, and it, too, received performances in Canada, but Farnon discovered that he had little personal affinity for writing works of that depth and dimension, talented though he might have been. It was during his service with the Canadian army during World War II, when he was assigned as a bandleader and sent to England, that Farnon discovered the light classical music of composers such as Charles Williams and Eric Coates. This was something of a revelation to him their brand of music was internally complex while not overly profound, inventive and expressive without being pretentious. Their work became something of the model upon which he chose to build his career as a composer, and that brand of light classical music led naturally, in turn, to film composition. Farnon made his career in England after the war, writing mood music for Chappell Music, a task at which he was eminently successful, his music not only popular in the broadcasts for which it was intended, but also entering the repertory of numerous pops orchestras in England and around the world. Farnon soon entered the field of film music as well, writing his first score in 1948 for the upper-class romantic comedy Spring in Park Lane, produced by Herbert Wilcox, and the music for its direct sequel Maytime in Mayfair.In 1951, Farnon was assigned to write the score for his first major international film, Captain Horatio Hornblower, based on the exploits of C.S. 

Forrester's naval hero of the Napoleonic era, starring Gregory Peck. A British Warner Bros. production directed by legendary action filmmaker Raoul Walsh, Hornblower was a hit around the world and remains one, as an oft-revived and telecast film; it is Farnon's best-known screen work as well, virtually his magnum opus. He subsequently had assignments for films such as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes and the screen adaptation of The Little Hut, which, as films, left relatively little impression on the public. In the '60s, his screen assignments included some slightly higher profile work, such as the music for the Hayley Mills film The Truth About Spring and also the all-star western adventure drama Shalako. Farnon has remained a top composer in his field for 50 years. In addition to his film scores, his popular instruments include "How Beautiful Is Night," "Journey into Melody," "Pictures in the Fire," "Westminster Waltz," and "A Promise of Spring." In addition to its melodic content, Farnon's music is noted for its deceptively complex internal structure, which makes it as interesting as it is attractive. A quiet, self-effacing man, without the gift for self-promotion that rivals Percy Faith or David Rose showed, Farnon has never had a high-visibility creative role, preferring to work quietly and show himself through his work. In 1992, Reference Recordings issued a CD of Farnon conducting his own concert pieces, and a suite derived of the Captain Horatio Hornblower score. ~ Bruce Eder https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-farnon-mn0000831796/biography

A Portrait of Johnny Mathis

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Doc Severinsen and His Big Band - The Look of Love : Big Band Magic

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Big Band 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:40
Size: 89,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. The Look of Love
(2:58)  2. Flamingo
(4:11)  3. Blues In the Night
(2:49)  4. Granada
(4:00)  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
(2:41)  6. Johnny One Note
(3:06)  7. Lonesome Road
(2:51)  8. My Funny Valentine
(3:26)  9. St Louis Blues
(2:31) 10. Love for Sale
(3:05) 11. I Cried for You { Now It's Your Turn to Cry for Me }
(3:42) 12. Poor Butterfly

For 25 years, Doc Severinsen was arguably the best-known trumpet player in America, appearing on television every weeknight as the leader of the Tonight Show Orchestra. Known for his exceptionally loud wardrobe, Severinsen often bantered good-naturedly with host Johnny Carson, while supplying the show's incidental music (bridging commercial breaks, introducing guests, etc.). Despite the musical limitations of that format, the Tonight Show Orchestra was increasingly considered one of the best big-band jobs available as time passed: generous exposure, steady work, and declining options elsewhere. Severinsen maintained a side career to allow himself to stretch out, recording bop, big-band swing, and crossover-friendly instrumental pop for a series of labels beginning in the '60s. When The Tonight Show was on hiatus, he toured with smaller groups and guested with numerous jazz and pops orchestras around the country. He had his critics in the jazz world, partly because his albums weren't strictly jazz, but also partly because he didn't display his chops very often; he was an able bebop soloist with a bright, clean tone and a tremendous range in the upper register of his horn. In the mid-'80s, he finally brought the Tonight Show Orchestra into the studio for a series of popular and well-received recordings. 

When the orchestra broke up in 1992, Severinsen hit the road with a select group of alumni, and also continued his guest appearances around the country. Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen was born on July 7, 1927, in Arlington, OR, and was initially nicknamed "Little Doc" after his father, a dentist. Starting music lessons at age seven, Severinsen originally wanted to play the trombone, although his violin-playing father urged him to take up that instrument instead. As it turned out, the trumpet was the only brass instrument available in their small town, and Severinsen got so good so quickly that he was performing with the local high school band while still seven years old. At age 12, he won the Music Educators' National Contest, and as a high schooler, he toured with Ted Fio Rito's orchestra. Upon finishing school, he joined a succession of touring big bands starting in 1945, including Tommy Dorsey (where he was a featured soloist), Charlie Barnet, Benny Goodman, and Noro Morales. In 1949, he settled in New York, where he worked as a staff musician for NBC and a recording session sideman, backing the likes of Dinah Washington and Anita O'Day. He moved over to television in 1952, and appeared on the original, Steve Allen-hosted Tonight Show as a member of Skitch Henderson's orchestra. In 1962, when Carson took over the show, Henderson made Severinsen his assistant orchestra leader. Around the same time, Severinsen cut the first of a series of albums for the Command label; his earlier efforts were largely standard big-band swing, but by the late '60s he had moved into groovy, swinging instrumental pop in the so-called "now sound" vein, often arranged by Dick Hyman. In 1966, Henderson abruptly departed The Tonight Show under still-mysterious circumstances. Milton DeLugg briefly took over as his replacement, but Severinsen was promoted to the post of orchestra leader and musical director in 1967. His outlandish, brightly colored wardrobe and easy comic chemistry with Carson quickly cemented him into the job, where he would stay for the next 25 years. In the meantime, Severinsen moved from Command over to RCA in the early '70s, and then went to Epic for 1975's Night Journey, a surprisingly credible foray into jazz-funk fusion. Even more surprisingly, Severinsen landed some disco play with the dance-club hits "I Wanna Be With You" and "Night Journey" in 1976. The follow-up LP, 1977's Brand New Thing, offered more of the same. 

In 1985, Severinsen recorded an album for Passport with a new fusion group called Xebron. The following year, he brought the Tonight Show Orchestra into the studio for their long-awaited first recording sessions, cutting a number of swing standards. The resulting album, The Tonight Show Band, was released on Amherst and sold briskly, also winning a Grammy for Best Jazz Large Ensemble Recording. A second, similar album, The Tonight Show Band, Vol. 2, was released in 1987. Facets, which found Severinsen working with crossover fusion ensembles and string orchestras, was a Top Ten jazz hit in 1988. Severinsen returned to the studio with the Tonight Show Orchestra in 1991 for the well-reviewed Once More...With Feeling!; they followed it in 1992 with Merry Christmas From Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Orchestra. It proved to be their last hurrah together; Carson's retirement that year ushered in major changes at The Tonight Show, and new host Jay Leno let Severinsen and the band go. Severinsen quickly gathered some of the band's most prominent members, and embarked on a sort of farewell tour of America. He would continue to tour with many of them during the '90s, most notably trumpeters Conte Candoli and Snooky Young, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, saxophonists Ernie Watts and/or Bill Perkins, and pianist Ross Tompkins. Additionally, Severinsen cut an album with the Cincinnati Pops (1992's Unforgettably Doc) and served as guest conductor for symphony orchestras in Minnesota, Milwaukee, Buffalo, and Phoenix; he also made numerous guest appearances as an instrumentalist, led brass workshops and clinics, and even moved into designing and manufacturing trumpets. After a lengthy hiatus from recording, he returned with 1999's Swingin' the Blues, which featured a generous selection of Tonight Show Orchestra alumni. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/doc-severinsen-mn0000167794/biography

The Look of Love : Big Band Magic

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Dave Scott - Brooklyn Aura

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:34
Size: 160,1 MB
Art: Front

( 2:14)  1. Prologue 2
(13:34)  2. Persistance
(12:22)  3. Non Adherence
(15:50)  4. Eccentricities
(11:43)  5. Brooklyn Aura
(13:48)  6. 11th Street Obstruction

Trumpeter Dave Scott is a shade different from peers on the Steeplechase roster in his preference for patience over prolificacy. Brooklyn Aura is only his fourth album for the Danish label in the last decade. As with the earlier outings Scott handles composerly duties, but deviates from the line-up of his earlier efforts in placing fresh recruits Jacob Sacks and Satoshi Takeishi in the piano and drum chairs respectively. Regulars Rich Perry and bassist John Hebert are returnees with the former’s tenor serving as a supple front line foil to Scott’s probing and polished modulations. Six pieces succeed in the difficult stylistic hat trick of leaning retro without sounding reductive or redundant.“Prelude” primes the players for the demanding itinerary ahead with a swirling, fanfare-styled series of horn unisons that folds directly into the prodding rhythm section introduction to “Persistence”. Scott’s burnished phrases echo the insistence intimated by the piece’s title, pushing and flexing against a propulsive vamp forwarded by Sacks. Hebert and Takeishi stoke the tension, tracing tightening concentric circles that signal Perry’s precision ensemble entry. An ensuing tenor solo interlude limns oblique phraseology in line with vintage Wayne Shorter as Sacks and Hebert drop out leaving just drums as restless accompaniment. Several more switches and sleights of instrument slide by and the overall effect echoes classic searching Sixties postbop as spun from confident 21st century sensibilities. The album’s four other pieces occupy comparably expanded space and Scott makes the most of the capaciousness to pack in plenty of subtle surprises and challenging obstacles for his colleagues. “Non Adherence” builds from an incremental cadence on the back of Hebert’s bass and Sack’s rigid left hand as composer and Perry peel off eliding asides. Once again the intrinsic agility and rounded smoothness of Scott’s brass works as a beguiling textural counterweight to the dark and brooding undercurrents at work in the music. “Eccentricities”, the balladic title piece and “11th Street Obstruction” collectively offer up another forty-plus minutes of labyrinthine, constantly active and reactive communication. Comparisons to the aforementioned Shorter and Andrew Hill are dots to connect, but Scott keeps the enterprise keenly personal, proving that a project’s proper time in the creative incubator is reliably worth the cost in wait. ~ Derek Taylor https://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/137286929598/dave-scott-brooklyn-aura-steeplechase
 

Personnel:  Trumpet, Composed By – Dave Scott; Bass – John Hebert; Drums – Satoshi Takeishi; Piano – Jacob Sacks; Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry

Brooklyn Aura

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Dave Grusin - Night-Lines

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:41
Size: 104,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Power Wave
(4:11)  2. Thankful N' Thoughtful
(4:15)  3. Theme From "St. Elsewhere"
(5:07)  4. Haunting Me
(3:35)  5. Secret Place
(5:05)  6. Night-Lines
(4:16)  7. Tick Tock
(4:01)  8. Kitchen Dance
(4:35)  9. Somewhere Between Old And New York
(4:19) 10. Bossa Baroque

Night-Lines is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin released in 1984, recorded for the GRP label. The album reached No. 4 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. The album's cover is from the November 1983 issue of Electronic Fun with Computers & Games. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Lines_(album)
 

Personnel:  Dave Grusin - piano, synthesizers; Ed Walsh - synthesizers; David Sanborn - saxophone; Marcus Miller - bass; Lincoln Goines - bass; Buddy Williams - drums; Rubens Bassini - percussion; Phoebe Snow - vocals; Randy Goodrum - vocals

Night-Lines

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Ralph Peterson - The Fo'tet Plays Monk

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:43
Size: 132,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:58)  1. Jackie-ing
(4:37)  2. Skippy
(9:15)  3. Epistrophy
(4:34)  4. Played Twice
(4:06)  5. Light Blue
(3:32)  6. Criss Cross
(5:18)  7. Four in One
(5:36)  8. Monkin' Around
(3:41)  9. Spherically Speaking
(5:23) 10. Well You Needn't
(5:38) 11. Brilliant Corners

The music of Thelonious Monk has influenced the entire spectrum of modern jazz. Tributes to Monk's music have been recorded by a wide variety of artists, from vocalist Carmen McRae to saxophonist Steve Lacy and musical auteur Hal Wilner. The rather unique line-up of the Ralph Peterson Fo'tet (drums/sax/vibraphone/bass) is refreshing on this program of Monk and Monk-inspired material. The Fo'tet Plays Monk (Ralph Peterson, drums; Belden Bullock, bass; Bryan Carrott, vibraphone; Steve Wilson, soprano sax) brings an adventurous creativity to a set of well-chosen tunes. Ralph Peterson is a fiery leader on drums and his arrangements look at the more familiar tunes from a fresh angle. "Jackie-ing", the disc opener, is given a funky New Orleans groove, while the time signature of "Epistrophy" is stretched to 7/4. On "Light Blue", Peterson lays down an African-influenced beat over the sinuous melody. The solos by Carrott and Wilson are consistently amazing throughout. Bullock lays down an unerring pulse with his dark woody bass sound. As always, Ralph Peterson creates rhythmic firestorms that are full of musical ideas and will have you smilingly in search of the One! The Fo'tet Plays Monk is a dazzling tribute to the music of Thelonious Sphere Monk. Very highly recommended. ~ Rick Bruner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-fotet-plays-monk-ralph-peterson-evidence-music-review-by-rick-bruner.php?width=1920

Personnel: Drums, Leader [Musical Director] – Ralph Peterson, Jr.;  Bass – Belden Bullock; Soprano Saxophone – Steve Wilson;  Vibraphone – Bryan Carrott

The Fo'tet Plays Monk

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Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen - Red Lips, Knuckles and Bones

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:53
Size: 108,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:09)  1. Red Lips
(3:49)  2. Never Know You Too Well
(1:08)  3. A Swing of It's Own Intro
(3:05)  4. A Swing of It's Own
(5:00)  5. Water Wall
(3:28)  6. Make Some Shine
(3:34)  7. Don't Fight the Undertow
(4:52)  8. The Man Had a Gun
(4:17)  9. Pink Push Wagon
(4:11) 10. Lazy Afternoon
(3:48) 11. Return to Start
(6:26) 12. Rich

You could be forgiven for thinking I have chosen to review the latest Alison Krauss record if you only listened to the country-tinged opening track Red Lips from Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen’s Red Lips, Knuckles and Bones. This enjoyable album does have one foot firmly in the world of Americana, but the base is still recognisably jazz on the Norwegian vocalist’s eleventh album, continuing in the tradition of Scandinavian singers such as Karin Krog, Laila Dalseth and Nora Brockstedt and younger profiles such as Silje Nergaard and Solveig Slettahjell. Asbjørnsen has a large palette to work from, being a jazz singer with roots in music across all sorts of genres cabaret, country, folk, rock and pop. Here she has largely written her own set of songs, often focusing on the power of femininity in contemporary life. 'When I put my red lips on, I can do just anything… I can start a hurricane; I can make a grown man sing… I could hurt a fly'. They also reflect personal losses suffered in her life over the past few years, specifically the death of close friend and contemporary artist Hariton Pushwagner (who was also something of a sixties and seventies pop icon in Norway). Despite these bereavements there is a feisty refusal to give up on this record, which at times verges upon music theatre in its sense of drama; so the tribute to Pushwagner and others who have departed receive a jaunty tribute on the track Pink Push Wagon: `We're surely running out of time / Fresh proof is tumbling down in line / gone’. With her unique phrasing, Asbjørnsen’s style balances between a crooning, pop, country approach and more traditional jazz. Her band make these stylistic jumps appear seamless, with the touchstone appearing to be swinging sixties jazz, and features her regular collaborators: Jens Fossum (bass), Svein Erik Martinsen (guitar) who also sings a duet with Asbjørnsen on the opening track, Hermund Nygård (drums) and co-producer Anders Aarum. The fine tenor saxophonist Knut Riisnæs' appears on three of the songs as well. A Swing of its Own, a song written for the Oslo Jazz Festival's 30th anniversary, highlights Asbjørnsen’s facility for a catchy tune, and provides an excellent solo turn for Martinsen’s moody guitar. Make Some Shine is light and catchy, with the full band joining in on the chorus; along with Red Lips it would be on Radio 2 in a just world. ~ Matt Groom https://www.prestomusic.com/jazz/articles/2637--recording-of-the-week-hilde-louise-asbjornsen-red-lips-knuckles-and-bones

Red Lips, Knuckles and Bones

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Bill O'Connell, The Latin Jazz All-Stars - Zócalo

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:49
Size: 137,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:42)  1. Big Sur
(6:47)  2. Joshua
(6:58)  3. Zócalo
(6:50)  4. For All We Know
(8:24)  5. Nothing but the Truth
(7:45)  6. 21st Century Blues
(5:42)  7. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
(5:16)  8. Eric's Song
(6:21)  9. One Note Mambo

Latin jazz piano dynamo Bill O'Connell found a parallel between this gathering and Zócalo, the main plaza situated in the center of Mexico City; that square has long been a place where people meet to connect, celebrate and join together as one, and the same sense of togetherness and unity associated with that spot surrounds this recording. O'Connell and his simpatico sextet mates sizzle, swoon and soar as they explore the art of creation through communication. Sometimes connections manifest themselves in simple and common ways, as when bassist Luques Curtis bolsters an O'Connell solo while drummer Adam Cruz pushes and prods, but sometimes the connections are more intense, though in a less obvious way. When trombonist Conrad Herwig colors behind saxophonist Steve Slagle during "For All We Know," for example, the respect and love that these artists have for one another and for the music itself is clear as can be. When this band pushes the envelope and steps on the gas, as on the spirited re-write of "Joshua" and the fiesty "Nothing But The Truth," they create a powerful rhythmic undertow that can't help but suck in everything within earshot; the music is simply that powerful. Elsewhere, the material is poignant ("For All We Know), lighthearted ("The Surrey With The Fringe On Top") and luminescent ("Erik's Song"). O'Connell, Curtis, Cruz and conga player Richie Flores have a lot of chemistry and the horns really complement one another; Herwig's earthy trombone set against Slagle's focused alto or his piquant-to-pure soprano make for a winning combination. If the goal here was truly to let these folks share their musical thoughts and become one in the process, then mission accomplished for this fine group of musicians. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/zocalo-bill-oconnell-savant-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Bill O'Connell: piano; Steve Slagle: alto saxophone (1, 3-5, 9), soprano saxophone (2, 6-8); Conrad Herwig: trombone; Richie Flores: congas; Luques Curtis: bass; Adam Cruz: drums; Roman Diaz: bata (2), vocals (2); Jadele MacPherson: vocals (2).

Zócalo

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Dinah Washington - The Good Old Days

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:25
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Record Ban Blues
(2:43)  2. What's The Matter With Baby
(2:42)  3. I'm Crying
(2:23)  4. Shuckin' And Jivin'
(2:19)  5. When The Sun Goes Down
(2:30)  6. Set Me Free
(3:09)  7. My Devotion
(3:10)  8. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(2:25)  9. Go Pretty Daddy
(2:39) 10. I Ain't Goin' To Cry No More
(2:36) 11. Old Man's Darlin'
(2:29) 12. One Arabian Night

Dinah Washington was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time. Hers was a gritty, salty, high-pitched voice, marked by absolute clarity of diction and clipped, bluesy phrasing. Washington's personal life was turbulent, with seven marriages behind her, and her interpretations showed it, for she displayed a tough, totally unsentimental, yet still gripping hold on the universal subject of lost love. She has had a huge influence on R&B and jazz singers who have followed in her wake, notably Nancy Wilson, Esther Phillips, and Diane Schuur, and her music is abundantly available nowadays via the huge seven-volume series The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury. Born Ruth Lee Jones, she moved to Chicago at age three and was raised in a world of gospel, playing the piano and directing her church choir. At 15, after winning an amateur contest at the Regal Theatre, she began performing in nightclubs as a pianist and singer, opening at the Garrick Bar in 1942. Talent manager Joe Glaser heard her there and recommended her to Lionel Hampton, who asked her to join his band. 

Hampton says that it was he who gave Ruth Jones the name Dinah Washington, although other sources claim it was Glaser or the manager of the Garrick Bar. In any case, she stayed with Hampton from 1943 to 1946 and made her recording debut for Keynote at the end of 1943 in a blues session organized by Leonard Feather with a sextet drawn from the Hampton band. With Feather's "Evil Gal Blues" as her first hit, the records took off, and by the time she left Hampton to go solo, Washington was already an R&B headliner. Signing with the young Mercury label, Washington produced an enviable string of Top Ten hits on the R&B charts from 1948 to 1955, singing blues, standards, novelties, pop covers, even Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." She also recorded many straight jazz sessions with big bands and small combos, most memorably with Clifford Brown on Dinah Jams but also with Cannonball Adderley, Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Wynton Kelly, and the young Joe Zawinul (who was her regular accompanist for a couple of years). In 1959, Washington made a sudden breakthrough into the mainstream pop market with "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," a revival of a Dorsey Brothers hit set to a Latin American bolero tune. For the rest of her career, she would concentrate on singing ballads backed by lush orchestrations for Mercury and Roulette, a formula similar to that of another R&B-based singer at that time, Ray Charles, and one that drew plenty of fire from critics even though her basic vocal approach had not changed one iota. Although her later records could be as banal as any easy listening dross of the period, there are gems to be found, like Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," which has a beautiful, bluesy Ernie Wilkins chart conducted by Quincy Jones. Struggling with a weight problem, Washington died of an accidental overdose of diet pills mixed with alcohol at the tragically early age of 39, still in peak voice, still singing the blues in an L.A. club only two weeks before the end. ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dinah-washington-mn0000260038/biography

The Good Old Days

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Junior Mance - That Lovin' Feelin'

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:43
Size: 76,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin
(3:58)  2. Mean Old Frisco Blues
(2:42)  3. Out South
(4:12)  4. The Good Life
(2:39)  5. Cubano Chant
(3:51)  6. Boss Blues
(2:39)  7. Blowin' In The Wind
(5:05)  8. When Sunny Gets Blue
(4:32)  9. Lee's Lament

That Lovin' Feelin' is an album by jazz pianist Junior Mance which was released on the Milestone label in 1972. The Allmusic site awarded the album 3 stars stating "That Lovin' Feelin' is essentially an album of acoustic-oriented jazz, but it is acoustic-oriented soul-jazz/hard bop that grooves in a funky, churchy, down-home fashion. Thankfully, That Lovin' Feelin' is not the sort of album that finds the artist playing note-for-note covers of rock and R&B hits and calling it "jazz" ...Although not quite essential, That Lovin' Feelin' is an enjoyable, swinging effort that deserves credit for having an interesting variety of material" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Lovin%27_Feelin%27

Personnel:  Junior Mance - piano; Bob Cranshaw - electric bass; Harold Wing - drums; Ralph MacDonald - percussion

That Lovin' Feelin'

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Donald Brown - Fast Forward to the Past

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:19
Size: 164,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:25)  1. Eminence
(6:39)  2. Skatterbrain
(7:09)  3. Carter Country
(7:13)  4. The Thing About George Coleman
(5:22)  5. Skain's Domain
(8:04)  6. Gazelle
(4:58)  7. Vera Cruz
(6:35)  8. Never In My Wildest Dream
(8:50)  9. Where Pelicans Fly
(6:59) 10. Don't Forget to Tell Her You Love Her

A fine pianist and educator, Donald Brown has also been a prolific composer. He grew up in Memphis and actually started out on drums and trumpet. By the time he attended Memphis State University (1972-1975), he was playing jazz piano. After years of local work, Brown replaced James Williams with the Jazz Messengers (1981-1982). He went on to teach at Berklee (1983-1985) and the University of Tennessee (starting in 1988), recorded albums as a leader for Sunnyside and Muse, and had his compositions performed and recorded by a wide variety of top modern jazz players. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-brown-mn0000180014/biography

Personnel:  Piano – Donald Brown; Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Mark Bolling; Bass – Essiet Essiet, Robert Hurst; Drums – Eric Harland; Electric Guitar – Lionel Loueke; Flute, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Danny Walsh ; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Jean Toussaint; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bill Mobley; Vibraphone – Steve Nelson

Fast Forward to the Past

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Angelo DeBarre - Angelo Debarre: Live in Paris

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:57
Size: 138,6 MB
Art: Front

( 3:48)  1. Le vieux tsigane
( 4:02)  2. Swing chez Toto
( 3:41)  3. Stand by
( 3:25)  4. Manège
( 3:25)  5. Entre amis
( 2:40)  6. La Manouche
( 5:08)  7. Troublant boléro
( 3:38)  8. Hungaria
( 3:18)  9. Stompin’ At Decca
( 4:20) 10. R-Vingt-Six
( 3:02) 11. Django’s Tiger
( 3:34) 12. My Serenade
( 4:36) 13. Micro
(11:13) 14. Vamp

Debarre was born in Saint-Denis, Paris, and began playing at age eight. In 1984, he formed his first group, the Angelo Debarre Quintet. In 1985, the group was hired by Serge Camps to play at his Parisian café, La Roue Fleurie, where Debarre was discovered by producer and guitarist Jon Larsen. Debarre has performed in several Romani and jazz festivals, including Birdland's annual Django Reinhardt Festival. He recorded Mémoires: Memories of Django with Tchavolo Schmitt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Debarre

Personnel: Guitar – Angelo Debarre; Contrabass – Antonio Licusati; Rhythm Guitar – Tchavolo Hassan; Violin – Marius Apostol

Angelo Debarre: Live in Paris

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Randy Brecker & Michael Brecker - Some Skunk Funk

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:52
Size: 158,3 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26)  1. Some Skunk Funk
( 6:46)  2. Sponge
( 6:26)  3. Shanghigh
( 4:56)  4. Wayne Out
( 6:07)  5. And Then She Wept
( 8:19)  6. Strap-Hangin
( 8:02)  7. Let it Go
( 6:17)  8. Freefall
( 4:58)  9. Levitate
(10:32) 10. Song for Barry

The 2003 performance documented on Some Skunk Funk may be credited to trumpeter Randy Brecker, but his brother, saxophonist Michael, joins in for a Brecker Brothers reunion with the added oomph of Germany's WDR Big Band. And if ever a band's repertoire was custom-made to be retrofitted with a larger horn section, it's that of the Brecker Brothers. Some of the material comes from Randy Brecker's solo career: "Shanghigh" and "Let It Go" from 34th N Lex (ESC, 2003), "Wayne Out" from Hanging in the City (ESC, 2001), and a new tune, "Let It Go." But what's remarkable is how comfortably these tunes fit in with Brecker Brothers material on Brecker Bros. (Arista, 1975) through Out of the Loop (GRP, 1994). The Brecker Brothers emerged as a distinct alternative to the muscular athletics of other fusion bands during the 1970s. As virtuosic as any such group, they played a swaggering downtown New York funk that differentiated them from the higher-octane Mahavishnu Orchestra, the progressive rock leanings of Return to Forever, and the increasingly world music-driven Weather Report. Even the band closest to the Breckers' brand of groove-driven music Herbie Hancock's Headhunters occupied a different space. 

Maybe it's because the brothers didn't feel it necessary to desert the more jazz-centric harmonies they'd learned playing with artists like Horace Silver. As electric and funky as the Brecker Brothers have always been, their jazz aesthetic has also distinguished them from peer fusion bands, making their best material truly timeless. Three of the ten tunes on this album the fiery title track, the greasier "Sponge" and the balladic "Levitate" are taken from their 1975 debut, and they sound as relevant today as they did then. Credit, of course, goes to Vince Mendoza who arranged and conducted the tracks for this expanded Brecker Brothers Big Band. The Breckers' writing has always been characterized by rich orchestration sometimes feeling much bigger than their small ensemble size would suggest. Mendoza's unique voice takes Michael's viscerally funky "Strap-hangin,'" for example, and layers more colors where appropriate, still twisting the arrangement into a new shape that feels like a logical extension, rather than an extensive rewrite. But with a crack core group featuring keyboardist Jim Beard, bassist Will Lee and drummer Peter Erskine, Mendoza also lets the ensemble collapse into smaller, more interactive units where appropriate during the solo sections. Solos from both brothers build on their own. Mendoza reintroduces the horn section at just the right time, pushing them to even greater extremes. And when the two brothers trade off during the song's outro, they remind us of just how powerful shared genetics can be. The rare blood disorder that has kept Michael Brecker on the sidelines for nearly two years makes Some Skunk Funk a bittersweet experience. It's a timely reminder of how important he is, and how critical it is that a stem cell donor be found. To learn more, visit Michael Brecker on the web. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/some-skunk-funk-randy-brecker-telarc-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Randy Brecker: trumpet; Michael Brecker: tenor saxophone; Jim Beard: piano, synthesizer; Will Lee: electric bass; Peter Erskine: drums; Marcio Doctor: percussion; the WDR Big Band: Heiner Wiberny, Harald Rosenstein: alto saxophones; Oliver Peters, Rolf Romer: tenor saxophones; Jens Neufang: baritone saxophone; Andy Hadere, Rob Bruynen, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer, John Marshall: trumpets; Dave Horler, Ludwig Nuss, Bernt Laukamp: trombones; Mattis Cederberg: bass trombone; Paul Shigihara: electric guitar.

Some Skunk Funk

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