Jacob Fischer - Guitarist

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:18
Size: 163,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:27) 1. Douce Ambience
(4:59) 2. Detour Ahead
(5:16) 3. Jean de Fleur
(5:14) 4. Gentle Rain
(4:02) 5. Brother Joseph
(3:44) 6. For My Lady
(4:30) 7. Motion
(4:25) 8. Sharing the Blues
(3:41) 9. Swing 39
(3:01) 10. My Serenade
(6:01) 11. Seven Come Eleven
(4:13) 12. West Coast Blues
(5:07) 13. Oriental Shuffle
(5:52) 14. Corner Pocket
(3:05) 15. Kärleksvals
(3:35) 16. Backwaters

On this superb recording, the supremely gifted and surprisingly eclectic Danish artist Jacob Fischer has chosen to interpret pieces by fellow guitarists. In recent years, Fischer has been identified with the Django Reinhardt«s tradition, and several of the songs in this well-chosen set are by Reinhardt or evoke his aura. But Fischer«s personal take on Reinhardt, as well as his inclusion of works by Jimmy Raney, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and others suggests that the guitarist draws on a much more varied musical palette. Jazz fans should be grateful to him and the rest of this group for creating music that reinforces the timelessness, artistic honesty, variety, vitality, and continued creative potential of small-group swing. From the album notes by Ed Berger, who retired in 2011 after more than thirty years at the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies to pursue freelance writing and photography. He is the author of biographies of Benny Carter and George Duvivier, and is currently writing a book about trumpeter Joe Wilder.

Personnel: Jacob Fischer: acoustic guitar; Bucky Pizzarelli: 7-string guitar; Antti Sarpila: clarinet, soprano sax; Nicki Parrott: bass; Eddie Metz: drums

Guitarist

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Maggie Herron - Your Refrain

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:49
Size: 87,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:57) 1. Whatnot
(3:45) 2. He Can't Even Lay an Egg
(4:17) 3. Your Refrain
(5:19) 4. Watching the Crows
(2:24) 5. In Case of Love
(3:17) 6. I Can't Seem to Find My Man
(5:00) 7. Both Sides Now
(4:04) 8. Touch
(4:43) 9. God Bless the Child

Hawaii’s Award-Winning Vocalist, Pianist, and Songwriter Maggie Herron’s Sixth Album, Your Refrain, is a gorgeous, witty, heart-bearing set of original songs written with her late daughter, Dawn Herron, to whom she dedicates the album.

Recorded during the shelter in place order, the album features a dazzling cast of collaborators, including pianist Larry Goldings, guitarist Larry Koonse, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, and arrangers Geoffrey Keezer, Gillian Margot, and Bill Cunliffe. Pianist, Maggie Herron’s 2019 project, Renditions, won the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Jazz Album Of The Year. The album revealed the jazz-steeped singer/songwriter as a beguiling interpreter of standards. Her poignantly enthralling new album Your Refrain was released on her Herron Song Records label and captures a creatively charged mother-and-daughter communion cut short by tragedy.

A luminous presence on Hawaii’s jazz scene for more than four decades, Herron has earned national renown as a gifted singer/songwriter. Less known is that she collaborated with her daughter, lyricist Dawn Herron, on many of her songs. They were in the midst of a fruitful patch of writing when a bicycle accident took Dawn’s life on April 5, 2020. She was 49 and left a husband and two teenage sons. Deep in mourning and on pandemic-induced hiatus from her eight-year tenure as a resident musician in the Halekulani Hotel-Waikiki, Herron decided to channel her love and grief into recording her recent collaborations with Dawn.

The title track, “Your Refrain,” is a powerful song about loss, but the album is brimming with life, wit, and humor. The opening track, “WhatNot,” is a bluesy ode to melancholy, featuring the brilliant pianist Larry Goldings and the superb, well-traveled tandem of bassist David Enos and drummer John Ferraro. The trio accompanies Herron on the hilarious “He Can’t Even Lay An Egg,” a sly piece of funk on which Dawn puts a fowl spin on the war of the sexes, and “I Can’t Seem to Find My Man,” a playfully wry piece that combines Frishbergian detail with Lennon and McCartney tunefulness.

The great Los Angeles saxophonist Bob Sheppard contributes exquisite soprano sax work on “Watching the Crows,” an uncommonly poetic affirmation about attaining insight into oneself. On first hearing of that song earlier this year, with Maggie backing herself on piano, Dawn told her, “mom, it’s my favorite collaboration to date”. Maggie had spent years coaxing her daughter to work on songs together. “Dawn had been writing short stories and poems most of her life and I kept asking her to write lyrics for me. I knew she would be great at it. With this newest release we now have 19 songs recorded as co-writers,” Herron says. The first two songs they wrote together were the romantic love song “Je T’aimerais”, arranged by Geoffrey Keezer, and “Le Printemps est Arrivé” where Dawn drew on her fluency in French. It is a graceful piece Maggie recorded with trumpet star Rick Braun, who also joined her on vocals. Both songs are on her 2014 album Good Thing.More......... https://bigislandmusic.net/award-winning-vocalist-maggie-herron-releases-sixth-album-your-refrain/

Your Refrain

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Jimmy Heath - Peer Pleasure

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 47:50
Size: 87,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:23) 1. Trane connection
(6:15) 2. Song for Ben Webster
(7:01) 3. You Can See
(6:01) 4. Is That So?
(6:25) 5. Ellington's Stray Horn
(8:03) 6. Forever Sonny
(6:40) 7. I Waited for You

The most unusual aspect of this CD is that Jimmy Heath, in addition to his usual tenor and soprano, also plays alto (his original instrument) on two of the six numbers. The material pays tribute to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster (an Ernie Wilkins original), and Dizzy Gillespie, and "Ellington's Stray Horn" is included along with a Monty Alexander original. Two songs are played by Heath with guitarist Tony Purrone, bassist Stafford James and drummer Akira Tana; pianist Larry Willis makes the group a quintet on one piece, and trumpeter Tom Williams expands the band to a sextet for the three remaining selections. The largely straight-ahead set benefits from the changing instrumentation and the fresh material, and Jimmy Heath (60 at the time) shows that he was still very much in prime form.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/peer-pleasure-mw0000651348

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Heath; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Tom Williams; Acoustic Bass – Stafford James; Drums – Akira Tana; Electric Guitar – Tony Purrone ; Piano – Larry Willis

Peer Pleasure

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Jacob Fischer Trio - Django

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:13
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:28) 1. Napolitana
(5:02) 2. Metabolic Age
(3:43) 3. Small Teardrop
(6:03) 4. Django
(5:31) 5. Sonho Carioca
(4:49) 6. Theme for Ernie
(4:08) 7. Frère Joseph
(4:53) 8. Retrato Em Branco e Preto (zingaro)
(3:24) 9. Accent Circonflexe
(3:11) 10. Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
(4:34) 11. Parisian Thorughfare
(4:50) 12. Amarcord
(2:46) 13. Hugos Howl
(3:25) 14. Den Allersidste Dans
(3:18) 15. Huset på Christianshavn

Jacob Fischer Trio made their record debut in 2008 with the Danish violinist Svend Asmussen as guest musician. With Django , the trio follows up on the success with Italian Fancesco Cali as guest musician on accordion. Django is, as the title suggests, a tribute to Django Reinhardt - the Belgian guitarist, who to that extent came to form a school within the genre mix jazz / gypsy. Few guitarists, like him, have created a style. But he did, despite a physical weakness

Like Django Reinhardt, Jacob Fischer plays guitar. And no one can be in doubt: Jacob Fischer is both fascinated by Django Reinhardt's universe and even an excellent guitarist with an obvious sense of the genre. Add to that the fact that he has managed to get Francesco Cali on accordion, you have the basic elements of what has become a good, expressive album. For that's what Django is: A beautiful, well-crafted whole with a simple set-up and a simple expression. An instrumental album that reflects the fusion of Jacob Fischers, Hugo Rasmussen, Janus Templetons and Fancesco Calis in the genre. https://translate.google.com.br/translate?hl=en&sl=da&u=https://gaffa.dk/anmeldelse/52688/jacob-fischer-trio-django&prev=search&pto=aue

Personnel: Guitar – Jacob Fischer; Guitar [Rhythm] – Regin Fuhlendorf; Accordion – Francesco Calì; Bass – Hugo Rasmussen; Drums – Janus Templeton

Django

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Ralph Peterson - Triangular

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:09
Size: 108,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:05) 1. Bemsha Swing
(7:37) 2. Triangular
(5:16) 3. Water Colors
(6:17) 4. Princess
(5:57) 5. Just You, Just Me
(4:38) 6. Move
(6:42) 7. Splash
(5:34) 8. Smoke Rings

This is a consistently simulating trio session by the creative drummer Ralph Peterson. On "Bemsha Swing," Peterson's drumming is straight from a New Orleans parade band while "Just You, Just Me" (which features pianist Geri Allen doing her witty impressions of Thelonious Monk) has the trio playing the opening and closing melody choruses in three different tempos simulataneously. "Move" really cooks and each of the five originals (bassist Essiet Essiet's "Splash," three diverse Peterson compositions and the fairly free improvisation "Triangular") have their own personalities. Although Allen is the lead voice, the musical communication between the members of the group results in each musician having an equally important role. Highly recommended.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/triangular-mw0000202206

Personnel: Drums – Ralph Peterson; Bass – Essiet Okon Essiet, Phil Bowler; Piano – Geri Allen

Triangular

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Nicki Parrott - If You Could Read My Mind

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:36
Size: 128,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:48) 1. I Can See Clearly Now
(4:18) 2. Jolene
(4:42) 3. If You Could Read My Mind
(4:36) 4. Vincent
(4:32) 5. Every Breath You Take
(4:56) 6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(4:31) 7. You Belong To Me
(4:04) 8. We've Only Just Begun
(4:54) 9. This Girl's In Love With You
(4:42) 10. Do That To Me One More Time
(4:16) 11. Lean On Me
(4:11) 12. The Water Is Wide

Nicki Parrott, an internationally acclaimed bassist, arrived in New York in May of 1994, the recipient of a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts allowing her travel to the US and study with her mentor, one of the world’s premiere double bassists, Rufus Reid. In the same year she was also nominated for the “Australian Young Achievers Award”.Today, Nicki Parrott is a world-class double bassist and an emerging singer/songwriter. In her work with artists from around the globe she has brought a signature sound to every bass part she has played. She performs regularly at the world’s best Jazz Festivals and can be seen Monday’s at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. Since June of 2000, this union has been an ideal showcase for her musical abilities, flair for improv, and gift for entertaining a crowd.Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki Parrott began her musical training on the piano at the age of four. She also took up the flute and continued to play both instruments throughout her school years. At the age of 15, Nicki switched her focus to the double bass, formed a band with her older sister Lisa (alto sax) and began composing instrumental pieces that they would eventually record for their premier CD release, The Awabakal Suite (2001).

After completing high school, Nicki moved to Sydney and attended the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, where she graduated with an Associates degree in Jazz Studies. When bassists such as the legendary Ray Brown (Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson) and John Clayton (Diana Krall, Whitney Houston) were playing in town, Nicki would find them, contact them and arrange lessons from them. She was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Pan Pacific Music Camp, and soon after, took first place in the 1992 Jazz Action Society's Annual Song Competition for her composition, Come and Get It.In 1990, Nicki began touring Australia with Russian musicians Daniel Kramer and Alexander Fischer playing sold out shows across the country. This was followed by successful tours with American trumpeters Bobby Shew and Chuck Findley. When she was off the road, Nicki was consistently playing bass with other world-renowned jazz musicians like New Zealand’s Mike Nock (piano), Australia's Dale Barlow (tenor sax), Paul Grabowsky (piano), Bernie McGann (alto sax) and the explosive Ten Part Invention.

In May of 2002, The Nicki and Lisa Parrott Quartet headlined the prestigious Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The show was broadcast on NPR and was well received by the press. She was also the resident bassist with the Kitchen House Blend, a house band that premiered and performed new music from local New York composers. They would blend jazz, hip-hop, classical and rock in one evening...“It was a very creative experience”.Nicki expanded her musical repertoire and appeared on the Broadway stage in such shows as: Imaginary Friends, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Summer of '42, and Jekyll and Hyde. She is still active on Broadway today and regularly performs in the comedic musical, Avenue Q.

Since coming to the United States Nicki Parrott has performed and/or recorded with such notable musicians as Randy Brecker, Skitch Henderson, Jose Feliciano, Rebecca Paris, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache Jr., Clark Terry, Michel Legrand, Billy Taylor, Dick Hyman, Patti Labelle & the New York Pops Orchestra, Annie Ross, the Florida Pops Orchestra, Terri Thornton, Holly Hoffman, DIVA, Marlena Shaw, Monica Mancini, Patrice Rushen, Harry Allen, Red Holloway, Kenny Davern, Mike Stern, Bernard Purdie, John Tropea, David Krakauer, Howard Alden, Randy Sandke, Greg Osby, Jack Wilkins, Ken Peplowski, Johnny Frigo, Joe Wilder, Houston Person, Wycliffe Gordon, Rachel Z and Johnny Varro.

Nicki has also performed at most of the world’s major jazz festivals. In the United States she’s appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival (2005), the Litchfield Jazz festival (2005), the Jazz in July concert series at the 92nd street Y (2003, 2004), the Detroit Jazz Festival (2005) and the Lionel Ha mpton Jazz Festival (2001). Outside the USA Nicki has appeared at the Cully Lavaux Festival (Switzerland - 1995), the Grimsby Jazz Festival (UK - 1996), Berlin Jazz Festival (Germany - 1998), the Ottawa Jazz Festival (2004), the Krakow Music Festival (Poland), JazzAscona (2005, 2006), Bern Jazz Festivals (Switzerland - 2005, 2006), Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (UK - 2006) and of course, she has played at numerous music festivals across Australia. Nicki Parrott is committed to the continuing musical education women receive in order to further their careers and ultimately remain active as musicians past their teen years. In keeping with her sense of community, Nicki’s desire is to teach underprivileged kids to play instruments and learn to enjoy music. It is her belief t hat teaching music to children helps keep them interested in school and out of trouble. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/nickiparrott

Nicki Parrott loves old pop songs with good lyrics and good melodies and decided to feature them into this jazz setting.

Personnel: Nicki Parrott (vocal); Larry Fuller (piano); Lewis Nash (drums); Harry Allen (tenor sax); David Blenkhorn (acoustic and electric guitars)

If You Could Read My Mind

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Mary Ann Hurst - Wishing On A Star

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:52
Size: 101,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:23)  1. Pete Kelly's Blues (Up/Swing)
(4:45)  2. Soon It's Gonna Rain
(3:48)  3. Skylark
(5:11)  4. A Taste Of Honey
(3:31)  5. People Get Ready
(5:11)  6. You Must Believe In Spring
(2:45)  7. When You Wish Upon A Star
(4:11)  8. Ain't No Sunshine
(3:19)  9. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(3:20) 10. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
(4:23) 11. Pete Kelly's Blues (Ballad Version)

Although billed as a trio effort, this album is a showcase for singer Mary Ann Hurst. Her previous track record includes the rather dauntingly-titled Chinese Folksongs In A Jazz Mode from 2000. There's nothing quite as exotic here, simply a well-wrought session that begins with more than a touch of the cool female vocalists of the 1950s. Even the opening track, "Pete Kelly's Blues," is pure jazz nostalgia, taken from the soundtrack of the Jack Webb film. Hurst's trio is not your usual piano/bass/drums unit but a combination of voice with acoustic guitar and percussion, giving this album a decidedly intimate patina. Mary Ann Hurst deivers many of the tunes in ballad tempo, raising the tempo on others to provide contrast to such titles as "Skylark," "When You Wish Upon A Star," and "You Must Believe in Spring." "Soon It's Gonna Rain," "A Taste of Honey," with a Latin pulse from Gilad, and a mid-tempo "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" all work to provide a well-mixed set. A few of these songs, like Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy" and Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine," seem to be in need of temporary retirement. Let us respect the value of percussionist Gilad and especially guitarist/arranger Freddie Bryant on this album. Bryant is a wonder, either strumming on the up-tempo songs or providing sensitive playing and solo work on the majority. The tongue-in-groove fit of his playing and Hurst's smoky vocals place this album on a special shelf. ~ Michael P.Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/wishing-on-a-star-mary-ann-hurst-love-bug-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Mary Ann Hurst: vocals; Freddie Bryant: guitar; Gilad: percussion.

Wishing On A Star

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Eli Degibri Trio - Live at Louis 649

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:53
Size: 171,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:28)  1. NY-TLV-NY
(11:08)  2. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(10:41)  3. Gypsy
(13:30)  4. Pum-Pum
( 8:47)  5. I Fall in Love Too Easily
(11:36)  6. Shoohoo
( 8:41)  7. Colin's Dream

Over the years, the phrases "organ/tenor group," "tenor/organ group," and "organ/sax combo" have often been synonymous with soul-jazz. When soul-jazz fans hear the words "organ" and "tenor" in the same sentence, they immediately think of all things funky; they immediately think of Stanley Turrentine's work with Shirley Scott or Gene Ammons' encounters with Jack McDuff and Johnny "Hammond" Smith. But one shouldn't forget about the post-bop innovations of Larry Young, who moved organ groups beyond soul-jazz and paved the way for everyone from Barbara Dennerlein to John Medeski. And on this live album, one hears a tenor/organ trio that has nothing to do with soul-jazz and everything to do with post-bop. The tenor saxophonist is Eli Degibri (who is also heard on soprano sax) and the organist is Gary Versace; rounding out the threesome is drummer Obed Calvaire. This 74-minute CD was recorded in August 2007 at Louis 649, a small club in Lower Manhattan's Alphabet City section (which was notoriously dangerous in the 1970s and 1980s but became quite gentrified during New York City's Rudy Giuliani/Michael Bloomberg era). Degibri could have easily embraced a sax/bass/drums format at Louis 649 but the fact that he went the organ route instead was a good thing, because this release is a worthwhile example of a post-Jimmy Smith approach to tenor/organ jazz. The trio's performances are hardly groundbreaking by 2007 standards; Young's groups were doing this type of thing 40 years earlier. But the performances are solid, albeit derivative, on the Tin Pan Alley warhorses "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye" as well as Degibri originals that include "Shoohoo," "Colin's Dream," and the moody "Gypsy." Although not a five-star masterpiece, Live at Louis 649 is a respectable document of Degibri's sax/organ encounters in downtown Manhattan. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-louis-649-mw0000794666

Personnel: Eli Degibri  (saxophone); Gary Versace (organ, Hammond b-3 organ); Obed Calvaire (drums).

Live at Louis 649

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James Clay - Tenorman: The Kid From Dallas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:37
Size: 152.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. In A Sentimental Mood
[4:36] 2. The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
[4:30] 3. Easy Living
[4:32] 4. Minor Meeting
[3:40] 5. Airtight
[4:46] 6. Willow Weep For Me
[4:27] 7. Three Fingers North
[4:12] 8. Lover Man
[4:16] 9. Marbles
[2:41] 10. It's Allright With Me
[5:29] 11. Scrapple From The Apple
[6:15] 12. Out Of The Blue
[5:31] 13. Sandu
[8:07] 14. Cheek To Cheek

James Clay (ts), Bobby Timmons (p), Jimmy Bond (b), Peter Littman (d), Lorraine Geller (p), Red Mitchell (b), Sonny Clark (p), Lawrence Marable (d).

In the summer of 1956 James Clay was a 20-year-old tenor saxophonist from Dallas, who had been living and playing in Los Angeles since mid-1955. At that time his colleagues were all young and independent experimentalists, completely outside of the flourishing West Coast jazz movement – players like trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Billy Higgins, and altoist Ornette Coleman – and though he said he was not an outside player, he worked easily within the unconventional settings of Coleman’s compositions.

Paradoxically, however, his only recordings were straight ahead, not at all in line with Ornette’s controversial music. On them his ideas flow melodically, especially in ballads and mid-tempos. On faster tunes, his blowing statements come from the strong swinging style and hot tone that characterized other Texas tenors such as Illinois Jacquet and Arnett Cobb, with a hard-bop approach clearly influenced by his idol Sonny Rollins. This CD contains all James Clay studio performances on tenor sax while the young kid from Dallas was living in Los Angeles in the mid Fifties.

Tenorman: The Kid From Dallas

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Ralph Peterson - Triangular III

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:56
Size: 154,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:20) 1. Uranus
(5:09) 2. Beatrice
(6:18) 3. Inner Urge
(7:09) 4. Backgammon
(5:55) 5. Manifest Destiny
(7:16) 6. Skylark
(9:27) 7. 400 Year Ago Tomorrow
(6:14) 8. The Art of War
(7:31) 9. Moments
(5:32) 10. Blues for Chooch

At the age of 53, Ralph Peterson has come full circle in terms of his role in modern jazz. Back in the '80s, he was considered a "young lion" when he debuted with hard bop collective Out of the Blue. These days, he can be considered an accomplished jazz elder, giving back generously to a new generation of up and comers as a dedicated educator. It is in this spirit that he has assembled a new piano trio group with two of the best and brightest talents on the current scene, pianist Zaccai Curtis and his brother Luques Curtis on bass.

The first installment of the Triangular series goes back to the 1989 Blue Note session featuring Geri Allen. Then in 2000 the sophomore set would spotlight pianist David Kikoski. This latest incarnation is something different altogether, both in the fact that it is a live recording and that there's a special element contained in the work of the Curtis brothers that seems to really inspire Peterson to new heights. Furthermore, this is a musician-owned product bearing the imprimaturs of both Onyx Records and Truth Revolution.

A mentor of Peterson's, pianist Walter Davis Jr. gave the drummer an early education in growth and development as an artist. One need go no further than a listen to Davis's Steeplechase set Scorpio Rising to hear the innate potential of the young drummer. Peterson repays the favor by featuring three of Davis' sublime originals. The opening "Uranus" is a genuine flag-waver, with its ingenious use of an eight note repeated vamp that provides the underlayment for one of Ralph's incendiary solos. "Backgammon" is notable for a sublime statement from Luques, a fully developed story that hits the high points and low points and everything in between. The bassist also ushers in "400 Years Ago Tomorrow," a stately melody that is contrasted against a swing-inflected blowing section.

A tip of the hat is given to a pair of Blue Note saxophonists, although uniquely fresh arrangements are the order of the day for this trio. Sam Rivers' "Beatrice" opens with the vamp figure from Coltrane's "Syeeda's Song Flute." The entire piece is an example of how Zaccai can set a mood through his mature storytelling. The Curtis' Latin roots can be heard in the 5/4 clave that transforms "Inner Urge." Ralph maneuvers his way through the thorny grove, adding further textures via the use of jam block and cowbell. Zaccai contributes two of his own originals to the set. "Manifest Destiny" seems to be cut of the same cloth as Joe Chambers' Blue Note compositions of the late '60s. Of a more introspective nature, "Moments" starts with Ralph using his mallets on the toms to establish a mood. He then uses a tambourine attachment to accent key phrases along with the pianist's right hand. With a distinct sense of ebb and flow, this beautiful piece might be one of the highlights of the entire set.

Ralph's own compositional genius is represented by an upbeat "The Art of War," a swinger that alludes to the drummer's martial arts background as a fourth-degree black belt. "Blues for Cooch" is a reference to a young Peterson's fascination with trains, but its form evades the customary. Eschewing the 12-bar form of the blues, this original actually is structured in eighteen bars, made up of three groups of six. Pay close attention to how Zaccai and Luques make it all sound so natural. Not an easy feat to be sure. Recorded just prior to Peterson undergoing hospitalization for some serious health issues, there is a sense of joy and abandon in these proceedings that is palpable. Aided and abetted by a fine recording job, it is no exaggeration to suggest that this might be one of the drummer's finest recorded moments and it certainly speaks volumes in terms of the potential of the Curtis Brothers.~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/triangular-iii-ralph-peterson-onyx-music-label-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Ralph Peterson, Jr.: drums; Zaccai Curtis: piano; Luques Curtis: bass.

Triangular III

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Amanda Tosoff - Words

Size: 100,6 MB
Time: 39:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz, Vocals
Art: Front

01. Daffodils (6:03)
02. Cool Embrace (4:50)
03. Simultaneous Windows (4:07)
04. Too Late (2:05)
05. Owl Pellet (3:25)
06. Living In The Past (4:45)
07. Down To The Water (6:18)
08. The First Day Of Winter (4:37)
09. Little Bird (3:46)

Amanda Tosoff is a B.C-raised Toronto-based pianist, composer, and bandleader, with five albums to her credit. Along her fascinating career path, Amanda has performed with such internationally recognized artists as Ingrid Jensen, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen, Brad Turner, Kelly Jefferson, and Jodi Proznick. She has also opened for jazz legends Bobby Hutcherson, Renee Rosnes, Oliver Jones, and Brazilian singer Luciana Souza, and her groups have recorded for CBC Radio programs Hot Air, Tonic, Jazz Beat, Canada Live, and Espace Musique’s series, Portraits Jazz.

On her brand new release Words, Amanda takes an adventurous leap beyond the confines of conventional jazz. She has taken poems and lyrics that possess a personal resonance for her and framed them in original new compositions that utilize vocals for the first time (sung by highly-regarded singer Felicity Williams of such bands as Hobson’s Choice, Broken Social Scene, and Bahamas). The result is an eclectic collection that incorporates elements of jazz, art song, classical, and folk/pop.

Words

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Clare Foster - Learning To Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:02
Size: 152,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. Sentimental Journey
(4:46) 2. What Is This Thing Called Love?/Quest For Love (Hot House)
(6:15) 3. Seraffa's Smile
(5:53) 4. A Breath of New Life (Adam's Apple)
(4:43) 5. The Trolley Song
(5:39) 6. Adoraçao
(4:48) 7. If I Should Lose You
(5:47) 8. The Mohican and the Great Spirit
(3:20) 9. Ballad In Blue
(5:15) 10. How Deep Is the Ocean?
(4:41) 11. Early Autumn
(5:53) 12. Love Is Here To Stay
(4:31) 13. Back In Your Own Back Yard / Full Circle

JAZZ singer Clare Foster has travelled the world to immerse herself in music and her thirst for learning has proved unquenchable.

Moving to New York at the age of 20, Clare attended the workshops of renowned jazz pianist Barry Harris and then went on to study and live with the acclaimed American singer Judy Niemack. On her return to the UK in 1990, she decided to take a one-year jazz diploma course at the Guildhall School of Music. She later discovered a love of Brazilian music after a period spent in Holland, where she performed a weekly residency in a Brazilian club. With four albums under her belt, including her latest release, Learning to Love, Clare shows no signs of slowing down. Audiences can enjoy her wealth of experience when she comes to Southend for an outside show at the bandstand in Priory Park in August. She says:“I usually have a line-up of piano and guitar and this time it is a cello and a baritone saxophone and jazz vocals. “There will be a lot more gaps between the music for vocals and it gives me a chance to take a different approach.”

Clare, who lives in Westcliff with her partner and two children, adds: “We will be playing music from the American Songbook. “We had a great response with the show when we performed at the Civic Centre and I think the repertoire really works.” The talented musician likes to keep her music interesting and challenging. “I do like to have variety in my work and I like Brazilian music because it is something that you have to study. “A lot of jazz musicians will be able to play a Latin rhythm, but in South America every part, like Colombia and Brazil, have their own beat. “I started playing with a Brazilian band 18 years ago and have been listening to it for 20 years, and I am still learning. “Jazz music is great because it is like a big pot and you can take influences from all over the place and pour them out and mix them into something different. As long as you do your homework I think you can create something valuable.”

Clare finds she still gets a lot of support when performing on home turf. “When I gig in Essex I tend to look out into the audience and recognise people, but I never know where from,” says the 41-year-old. However, she does believe more should be done to promote jazz in the area. She says: “It would be nice if the arts could come before money and I think it is a real shame jazz events like the Southend Jazz Festival and the jazz room at the Cliffs Pavilion have closed.” Clare admits fans might be surprised by the sound of her new album Learning to Love. She says: “I have gone in a different direction with this album, there are a lot more grooves, whereas before it would have been mostly swing. “It means people do not necessarily have to be fans of jazz to enjoy it. “I have to pinch myself sometimes. I am doing something I love. https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/4516006.clare-brings-blended-jazz-to-the-bandstand/

Personnel: Clare Foster - vocals; Jason Rebello - piano; Alec Dankworth - bass; Winston Clifford - drums; Shanti Jayasinha - trumpet/flugelhorn/cello/percussion; Jean Toussaint - tenor/soprano saxes ;Fayyaz Virgi - trombone ;Ryo Kawasaki - guitar

Learning To Love

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Rossano Sportiello - That's It!

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:20
Size: 160,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(4:22) 2. She Is There
(4:19) 3. Stars Fell On Alabama
(4:38) 4. Song For Emily
(4:19) 5. Guilty
(3:01) 6. Fine and Dandy
(3:44) 7. I Couldn't Sleep A Wink Last Night
(4:11) 8. That's It!
(3:52) 9. Take, O Take Those Lips Away
(4:55) 10. Someone To Watch Over Me
(2:44) 11. Nonno Bob's Delight
(3:54) 12. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
(2:55) 13. Thou Swell
(5:51) 14. Medley: A) Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered; B) Prelude N. 1 In C Major, BWV 846
(3:22) 15. Ain't Cha Glad?
(2:54) 16. The Sheik Of Araby
(4:38) 17. Tomorrow, It Will Be Bright With You

Imagine having Rossano Sportiello drop by your house and spontaneously decide to play your recently-tuned piano in your living room for an hour or so. That’s It has the relaxed informality of that type of solo recital, one that is full of brilliance. Sportiello starts off with a melodic version of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” and his “She Is There,” as if he were trying out the piano. Having convinced himself that he had made the right decision, he next performs a medium-tempo stride version of “Stars Fell On Alabama” and then really cooks on his “Song For Emily” which is a little reminiscent of “I Wish I Were Twins.” One can easily imagine Teddy Wilson or Fats Waller having fun with the latter tune.

During his set, Sportiello performs 17 pieces including five of his own, mixing together a few standards with superior obscurities. It is particularly nice to hear such songs as “Guilty,” “Ain’t Cha Glad” and “I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink Last Night” being revived in this setting. Among the other highlights are a romping version of “Fine And Dandy” (which abruptly ends, as if the pianist said to himself “enough of that”), his “That’s It” which sounds like a lost standard of the 1930s (it deserves to be covered by others), “Nonno Bob’s Delight” beginning as a waltz from the 1890s before it swings hard with basslines worthy of Dave McKenna, and a rapid yet episodic version of “Thou Swell.”If this musical dream had happened, it would be one of the finest hours that your piano ever experienced. Happily, one can experience this fantasy by simply putting on this rewarding CD.~ Scott Yanow https://syncopatedtimes.com/rossano-sportiello-thats-it/

That's It!

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Wendell Eugene's New Orleans Jazz Band - - If I Had My Life To Live Over

Size: 133,5 MB
Time: 56:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz
Art: Front

01. Lily Of The Valley (3:37)
02. Darktown Strutters Ball (3:29)
03. Mama Inez (5:03)
04. Bourbon Street Parade (4:25)
05. If I Had My Life To Live Over (3:38)
06. High Society (4:19)
07. When You're Smiling (Feat. Jamie Wight) (3:10)
08. The Young Get Old And The Old Get Cold Blues (5:51)
09. Bye Bye Blackbird (4:32)
10. Bogalusa Strut (2:55)
11. Basin Street Blues (Feat. Jamie Wight) (3:26)
12. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (4:07)
13. South Of The Border (4:27)
14. Muskrat Ramble (3:46)

Peronnel:
Lars Edegren – Piano
Jamie Wight – Cornet, Trumpet
Jason Marsalis – Drums
Richard Moton – Bass
Tom Fischer – Clarinet
Wendell Eugene – Trombone

Wendell Eugene is an American jazz musician from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a popular trombonist on the New Orleans jazz scene[4] and has recorded with artists such as Lionel Ferbos, Harold Dejan, and Kermit Ruffins. He is the second oldest active jazz musician in New Orleans next to Lionel Ferbos

This compilation showcases the best of Traditional New Orleans Jazz Musicians and celebrates Wendell Eugene's 90th Birthday and 75th Anniversary as a New Orleans Jazz Legend.

If I Had My Life To Live Over

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Rebecca Martin - Middlehope

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:08
Size: 101.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:35] 1. The Sweetest Sounds
[3:51] 2. A Fine Spring Morning
[6:04] 3. The Midnight Sun
[5:25] 4. Dindi
[4:24] 5. How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn
[5:33] 6. Bewitched
[3:11] 7. Then A Wall Came Up Inside Me
[3:07] 8. One Flight Down
[3:26] 9. Ridin' High
[3:27] 10. Where Is Love

Rebecca Martin's Middlehope starts out as a quirky collection of jazz ballads. But about halfway through, the vocalist turns her attention to two pop/rock-oriented songs by Jesse Harris, who happens to be one of Norah Jones' main songwriters. In fact, the second of these two, "One Flight Down," appears on Jones' debut disc, Come Away With Me. Martin and Jones do seem to share a fondness for the contemporary singer/songwriter aesthetic, but Martin is more of a jazzer; her world-weary drawl gives a lift to old tunes like "Bewitched," "The Sweetest Sounds," "Dindi," and Johnny Mercer's "How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn." Martin's band includes husband/bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Jorge Rossy, and tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry, but the album's truly defining sound is created by guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Steve Cardenas, a twosome who has graced ensembles led by Paul Motian and Marc Johnson. (They're pretty easy to tell apart; Rosenwinkel takes most of the solos.) Without any other accompaniment, the guitarists frame a particularly vulnerable performance by Martin on the closing "Where Is Love," weaving together shimmering, intersecting lines that obliquely define each unfolding harmony. The band communicates with utmost sensitivity on "A Fine Spring Morning," which is played entirely rubato. And McHenry beautifully shadows the chromatic descending lines of "Midnight Sun" with carefully chosen harmonies. He also sings (who knew?) on "Dindi," doubling the tender melody an octave below Martin. Highly recommended. ~David R. Adler

Middlehope

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Rhoda Scott & Kenny Clarke - Jazz In Paris: Rhoda Scott & Kenny Clarke

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:37
Size: 95.3 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Bitter Street
[5:18] 2. Satin Doll
[6:07] 3. It's Impossible
[5:43] 4. Speak Low
[3:01] 5. Now's The Time
[4:35] 6. Out Of Nowhere
[5:29] 7. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
[3:19] 8. Toe Jam
[4:34] 9. On Green Dolphin Street

Originally recorded in Paris at a pair of two-day sessions in 1977 and then released as a BarClay Records LP that same year, this fine duo set features the sturdy soul-jazz organ of Rhoda Scott paired with Kenny Clarke on drums, and together they create a remarkably full sound. It is worth noting that two of the best numbers here are Scott originals, "Bitter Street," which opens the album, and the funky "Toe Jam." ~Steve Leggett

Jazz In Paris: Rhoda Scott & Kenny Clarke

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Cannonball Adderley - Swingin' in Seattle : Live at the Penthouse 1966-1967

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:05
Size: 169,1 MB
Art: Front

( 0:13) 1. Jim Wilke Introduction I.
( 8:49) 2. Big P
( 0:24) 3. Spoken Outro I
( 0:14) 4. Spoken Introduction I
(11:10) 5. The Girl Next Door
( 0:48) 6. Spoken Introduction II
( 4:33) 7. Sticks
( 0:06) 8. Spoken Outro II
( 0:12) 9. Spoken Introduction III
(10:44) 10. Manhã De Carnaval
( 0:12) 11. Spoken Outro III
( 0:34) 12. Spoken Introduction IV
( 5:04) 13. Somewhere
( 0:16) 14. Jim Wilke Introduction II
(10:38) 15. 74 Miles Away
( 0:31) 16. Spoken Outro IV
( 6:47) 17. Back Home Blues
(10:44) 18. Hippodelphia
( 0:57) 19. Set-Closing Outro

Cannonball Adderley and his merry men brother/cornetist Nat Adderley, bassist Victor Gaskin, backbeat king drummer Roy McCurdy and bursting-at-the-seams-with-new-ideas pianist Joe Zawinul were having themselves a high time during 1966-67, that Renaissance time of adventure between Cecil Taylor's Unit Structures (Blue Note, 1966), Miles Smiles (Columbia, 1967) and the colorful, imagination emancipations of Sgt. Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band (Capital, 1967) and Charles Lloyd's live Forest Sunflower (Atlantic, 1967). Into this froth drops Cannonball's earthy and jocular soul/blues/jazz and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is tapping the national Top Ten and later takes home a Grammy for the storied LP Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Live at The Club!(Capital, 1966).

Recorded pre and post that milestone release, Reel to Real Recordings gives us Swingin' In Seattle: Live at The Penthouse (1966-1967) and it's really hard no, it's damn impossible not to feel on a cellar-level the celebratory joy these guys share and create with, as they peak and peak, night after night.

And, yes, of course there's a whole provenance of discovering unheard tapes and the human wrangling that goes on behind the scenes to get these things into the grateful listening sphere, but that could be a whole other essay. Meanwhile, "Big P," the break-from-the-gate opening track, swings and it gooses and it gets the audience up early and often. "Big P, that's a familiar way to open," Cannonball outros laconically, "Seems like we always begin to play "Big P" in Seattle. Maybe that's uhh, how we feel about things." Well thank you for that, a million times thank you!

These guys could do no wrong to whatever they brought their hearts to and "The Girl Next Door" is mercurial proof of that. From slow romance to dance floor fling with sky-high solos and tempo shifts that defy any metronome, the quintet just flows on its own time, in its own space and we step into that river as true disciples and ride the tide. "Sticks," a then new Cannonball composition, barrels from the get go and doesn't stop. One feels that, edited to perhaps the four-minute mark, this would have a made a great follow-up single with its punchy, chorus-like theme and soaring sax.

After a spirited, though pop-oriented, swing through the easy bossa nova of "The Morning of the Carnival" and Leonard Bernstein's elegiac "Somewhere," the band gets back to brass tacks and fires the cylinders for Zawinul's percolating spiral "74 Miles Away," with a for-the-ages Nat solo. A brazen run through Charlie Parker's "Back Home Blues" has Nat sitting out while big brother takes center stage. Julian and Nat keep being mentioned, but none of this sustained exuberance is possible with McCurdy, Gaskin, and Zawinul who take the task at hand and charge head on with it. The raucous "Hippodelphia," another gem from Zawinul's youthful, hyperactive pen, brings the October '67 night to a rousing close. A real early contender for best of 2019 lists.~ Mike Jurcovik https://www.allaboutjazz.com/swingin-in-seattle-live-at-the-penthouse-1966-1967-julian-cannonball-adderley-reel-to-real-review-by-mike-jurkovic.php

Personnel: Cannonball Adderley: alto saxophone; Joe Zawinul: piano; Victor Gaskin: bass; Nat Adderley: cornet; Roy McCurdy: drums.

Swingin'in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1967

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Corinne Mammana - Yes, No, Next

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:10
Size: 90,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:03) 1. Blue Skies
(3:06) 2. Painter Song
(4:29) 3. Lovesong
(4:49) 4. Smile / Put on a Happy Face
(4:13) 5. In Need of a Good Night’s Sleep
(4:38) 6. Music of the Night
(4:12) 7. This & That
(6:14) 8. Yes, No, Next
(4:21) 9. The Best Is Yet to Come

Vocalist Corinne Mammana follows her 2016 EP Under An August Moon (CD Baby) with her full-length debut, Yes, No, Next. Blending the tried-and-true (Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" taken straight ahead) with the downright inventive (The Cure's "Lovesong" rendered as a smooth samba), Mammana demonstrates a dense and fearless creative mettle not frequently equalled by her peers. With a voice at once coquettish and confident, Mammana reveals an ability to address any vocal genre, doubtless from her theater experience. Capably supported by the core trio of pianist Sean Gough, bassist Gene Perla and drummer Ian Froman, with wind input from Lorenzo Branca, the singer is able to showcase her impressive vocal chops, always tasteful and never over-the-top. Mamanna makes it all sound too easy.

A full-service singer, Mamanna arranged the nine selections (ten, including the CD-bonus "Everybody Needs A Best Friend") on the release. Her arrangements are capable and utilitarian until they become sheer genius, as on the thoughtful mash-up of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" with Strauss and Adams' "Put On A Happy Face." It is a well-presented, acute juxtaposition of two quite different songs, seamlessly linked thematically and musically. Few singers could have pulled this off, but Mammana does so with gusto. The singer is a composer also, cooing her way through a blues infused "This And That," while allowing Gough a searing organ solo. In a market clotted with the refuse of much lesser talent, Mammana distinguishes herself as the total package, with an omnivorous appetite for music... any music.~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/yes-no-next-corinne-mammana-corinne-mammana

Personnel: Corinne Mammana: voice / vocals; Gene Perla: bass; Ian Froman: drums; Sean Gough: piano; Lorenzo Branca: flute.

Yes, No, Next

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Harry Connick, Jr. - Alone With My Faith

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:44
Size: 134,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:54) 1. Alone With My Faith
(3:33) 2. Because He Lives
(4:19) 3. Be Not Afraid
(3:42) 4. Benevolent Man
(4:51) 5. Amazing Grace
(5:50) 6. The Old Rugged Cross
(3:58) 7. How Great Thou Art
(5:34) 8. God And My Gospel
(4:03) 9. Old Time Religion
(4:28) 10. All These Miracles
(3:47) 11. Look Who I Found
(4:53) 12. Thank You For Waiting (For Me)
(2:47) 13. Panis Angelicus

Harry Connick, Jr. spotlights his spirituality as well as his adept multi-instrumental chops on his intimate 2021 album Alone with My Faith, recorded on his own while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic (with some mixing and production assistance by Tracey Freeman). Connick has recorded big band, small group, and orchestral albums in the past, not to mention his work on Broadway. Here, he adds yet another genre to his resumé, interpreting traditional hymns and gospel songs alongside similarly soulful originals. It's not quite as easy a fit as his past ventures, but Connick achieves some transcendent moments on the record, thanks in no small part to his omnipresent virtuosity, playing every instrument on every track. You might expect that an album Connick recorded in isolation would be a pared-down affair featuring little more than his voice and a trusty old piano, but he proves to be a pretty self-sufficient one-man band, performing keys, horns, guitar, percussion, and backing harmonies. Connick's aw-shucks brand of charisma has often shined best on standards of the American pop tradition, making Alone with My Faith something of an unexpected side-step. This album feels more in line with his forays into Stevie Wonder-esque soul and pop on 1996's Star Turtle and 2015's That Would Be Me. It's a facet of his repertoire that feels joyful and exuberant, even if it's not perhaps the best use of his charming sincerity as a performer. From the '80s drum machine on the title track to the analog synths of "Thank You For Waiting (For Me)," the vintage R&B sound that pervades much of the album clearly holds a place in his heart, and it grows on you as he moves from track to track. Meanwhile, the gospel organ and twangy guitar of songs like "That Old Rugged Cross" and "Old Time Religion" conjure a rousing, Ray Charles-like old-timeyness that fits squarely in Connick's wheelhouse.~ Matt Collar https://www.allmusic.com/album/alone-with-my-faith-mw0003478816

Alone With My Faith

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Thad Jones - The Fabulous Thad Jones

Styles: Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:36
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(8:47)  1. Get Out Of Town
(7:33)  2. One More
(4:56)  3. Bitty Ditty
(5:16)  4. More Of The Same
(5:15)  5. Elusive
(2:50)  6. Sombre Intrusion
(6:08)  7. I Can't Get Started
(3:51)  8. I'll Remember April
(3:33)  9. You Don't Know What Love Is
(3:45) 10. Chazzanova
(7:33) 11. Get Out Of Town (Alternate Take)
(4:03) 12. One More (Alternate Take)

Trumpeter Thad Jones made his debut as a leader for Charles Mingus' Debut label during 1954-55, music that has been reissued as a single CD in the OJC series and as part of a huge 12-CD Mingus Debut box set. The 12 performances (which include two alternate takes) really put the focus on Jones' accessible yet unpredictable style. Half of the music showcases Jones in a quartet with pianist John Dennis, bassist Mingus and drummer Max Roach. while the other six numbers are more in a Count Basie groove with Frank Wess on tenor and flute, pianist Hank Jones, Mingus and drummer Kenny Clarke. 

The originals tend to be tricky, and even such standards as "I'll Remember April," "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Get Out of Town" have their surprising moments. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-fabulous-thad-jones-mw0000262510

Personnel includes: Thad Jones (trumpet); Frank Wess (tenor saxophone, flute); John Dennis, Hank Jones (piano); Charles Mingus (bass); Max Roach, Kenny Clarke (drums).

The Fabulous Thad Jones

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