Alexandra Shakina - Mood Indigo

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:38
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:44) 1. Estate
(5:36) 2. I Could Have Told You
(6:29) 3. Isn't It Romantic?
(4:10) 4. Let's Face The Music And Dance
(3:13) 5. Love you Madly
(5:24) 6. Mood Indigo
(3:42) 7. Only Trust Your Heart
(5:07) 8. A Sleepin Bee
(4:00) 9. Take Love Easy
(3:02) 10. You Are The Top
(4:03) 11. Comes Love
(5:39) 12. I'm A Fool To Want You
(5:22) 13. I Thought About You

One of the Russian diva who sings in a jazz mood with a romantic husky voice, the long-awaited second album of Alexandra gives you a wonderful love song cocktail! Translate By Google https://www.venusrecord.com/v2/release/VHCD-1267.html

Personnel: Alexandra Shakina, vocals; Massimo Farao', piano; Nicola Barbon, bass; Gianni Cazzola, drums

Mood Indigo

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Sonny Simmons - Last Man Standing

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:42
Size: 135,1 MB
Art: Front

( 8:42) 1. Call to Order
(11:00) 2. Ancient Ritual
( 4:30) 3. La Benedectina
( 4:34) 4. Janet's Mood
(15:45) 5. Black Gardenia
( 8:34) 6. Melodius Theme
( 5:34) 7. Theme for Ernie

This is the latest in a series of albums under saxophonist Sonny Simmons' name put out by the Norwegian Jazzaway label; a further instalment in the documentation of an abundantly creative artist, but one who only relatively recently has started to receive the kind of exposure he deserves. The setting here is a straight-ahead one and Simmons thrives in it. In the company of a rhythm section that does everything a listener might ask of it, and a whole lot more besides, Simmons puts himself across in a program consisting of his original compositions and Tadd Dameron's "Theme For Ernie," the inclusion of which indicates the leader's appreciation of a tradition goes back a whole lot further than a lot of people might imagine.

The same might be said of Simmons' grasp of the musical forms outside of the area he's most readily associated with. "Janet's Mood" is a case in point, not least because its ballad form serves as a vehicle for Simmons' acidic lyricism, happily purged of false sentiment. Pianist Anders Aarum shows here his mastery of a kind of fractured chromaticism that's entirely his own at the same time as he evokes the spirit of prime McCoy Tyner. On the subject of chromaticism, the leader's phrasing on "Black Gardenias" has about it that compellingly relentless quality that saxophonist John Coltrane might have blazed a trail for, but which has still made for better than worthwhile music ever since. The quartet maps out that territory so effectively here that it can only be called remarkable, especially when in so doing Simmons puts out his knowledge of where the music is his coming from whilst simultaneously putting out his own thoughts. In that balance, perhaps, lies true expression.

"Melodious Theme" underscores the group's empathy in no insignificant fashion, Simmons navigating the stormy sea blown up by his accompanists with customary aplomb and bringing galvanic phrases to bear whilst seemingly straining against the limits of human expression. Having said that, there's an important quality that he shares with saxophonist Fred Anderson he never resorts to screaming through his horn as a device for making a point, facile or otherwise. The impassioned logic that both men pour out through their music-making is a shared thing of wonder.

"Theme For Ernie" has about it that wistful air that's emblematic of much of Tadd Dameron's music. Simmons emphasises it through the simple expedient of initially singing the melody through his alto saxophone before putting in some potent variations. What one can only assume to have been ample rehearsal time makes a difference here, so cohesive is the group's thinking. If not that, then that indefinable quality that makes for compelling music was in the room at the time, and what's true in this instance is equally true of the whole program.~ Nic Jones https://www.allaboutjazz.com/last-man-standing-sonny-simmons-jazzaway-review-by-nic-jones.php

Personnel:Sonny Simmons: alto saxophone; Anders Aarum: piano; Mats Ellertsen: bass; Ole-Thomas Kolberg: drums. Torstein Lofthus: drums .

R.I.P.

George Freeman - Man & Woman

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:24
Size: 99,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:12)  1. Till There Was You
(5:59)  2. You've Changed
(4:37)  3. I Ain't Got Nobody
(5:04)  4. Groovy Lady
(5:13)  5. Funny How Time Slips
(6:49)  6. Squeeze Me
(4:06)  7. Stardust
(6:19)  8. Georgia on My Mind

While Man & Woman embraces a mellower approach than guitarist George Freeman's other Groove Merchant dates, it's by no means the late-night boudoir record its erotic cover suggests the stripped-down, nuanced sound instead adheres to a relatively straightforward soul-jazz formula, more focused and earthbound in its orientation than the average Freeman session. Teaming here with pianists Harold Mabern and Kenny Barron, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Buddy Williams, the guitarist embraces the change of pace, settling comfortably into the music's slow, slinky grooves not only are his solos as imaginative as before, but they also boast a rippling sensuality otherwise absent from his previous records. ~ Jason Ankeny  http://www.allmusic.com/album/man-woman-mw0001213579

Personnel: George Freeman – guitar;  Harold Mabern - piano, electric piano;  Kenny Barron - electric piano;  Bob Cranshaw – bass;  Buddy Williams - drums

Man & Woman

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Maggie Herron - Between the Music and the Moon

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:00
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:22) 1. Wolf
(4:47) 2. I Can't Get to Sleep
(5:09) 3. Between the Music and the Moon
(3:53) 4. Seduction
(3:28) 5. Ritmo Latino
(3:26) 6. Notre amour
(4:26) 7. In a Heartbeat
(4:54) 8. I'll Never Leave Your Side
(3:43) 9. Another Dose of You
(5:10) 10. Let Him Stay
(4:46) 11. After All the Time
(3:51) 12. I Lie Just a Little

While her previous album included a healthy dose of standards, for her new CD Between The Music & The Moon, singer-songwriter Maggie Herron wanted to focus on original material. The results are 12 songs that range between Latin dance to bluesy romps and sultry ballads. Herron's songwriting skills are evident from the start and her deep, rich voice takes the listener on a musical journey.

On the opening number "Wolf," a slinky horn intro gives way to a smoky vocal from Herron with clever lyrics from her daughter Dawn (Who contributed to several tracks). Think "Fever" stylistically, though with more musical accompaniment. "I Can't Get To Sleep" is an ode to insomnia. Sung over an incessant, almost marching band drum pattern from Abe Lagrimas. Lagrimas pulls double duty on the song, delivering a Spanish-inspired solo on ukulele while Herron gives a tasteful piano solo of her own.

The Latin theme continues on "Seduction" and "Ritmo Latino." The former lives up to its name with a sultry vocal from Herron while the latter finds her shifting effortlessly between English and Spanish over a danceable rhythm and strong horns. Grant Geissman channels his inner Carlos Santana from a strong guitar solo on "Seduction."

For the title track, Herron gives a breathy vocal with angelic harmonies courtesy of Denise Donatelli. This pretty ballad showcases a subdued, yet effective flugelhorn solo from Ron Stout. The musicianship, both here and throughout, is top notch, with the players never getting in the way of the songs.

The breezy ballad "Notre Amour" finds Herron singing in French, giving a passionate vocal with pretty trumpet from Ron Stout. The album closes with "I Lie Just A Little." This bluesy track finds Herron accompanied by Dean Taba on bass, who delivers a killer bass line to back Herron's soulful vocals. Between The Music & The Moon showcases Herron's considerable talents as a singer-songwriter. While the songs may all be new to listeners, the potent music and singing definitely makes this album worth a listen. http://blindedbysound.com/reviews/cd-review-maggie-herron-between-the-music-and-the-moon/

Between the Music and the Moon

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Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway - A Duet Of One

Styles: Clarinet And Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:10
Size: 167,8 MB
Art: Front

( 8:51)  1. I'm getting Sentimental Over You
( 7:39)  2. Slow Dance
( 7:32)  3. Adagio Swing
(11:16)  4. I want to Be Happy
( 7:32)  5. New Orleans
( 6:12)  6. This is the Time
( 6:10)  7. After You've Gone
( 8:11)  8. Blue Waltz
( 4:29)  9. Love of My Life
( 5:16) 10. We'll Always Be Together

In 2005, longtime collaborators Eddie Daniels and Roger Kellaway reunited at Los Angeles' Jazz Bakery to try their skills without the comfort of bass or drums. Luckily, they were up to the challenge more than ever. The result, A Duet of One, presents two musicians who blend melody and spontaneity so well that they could improvise a symphony together. From the first moments of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," Daniels and Kellaway establish a foundation that only grows tighter, as the clarinet asks and the piano answers through the head. Both play with a delicate touch. Paquito D'Rivera writes, in his excellent liner notes, that the two had never played the tune before, making the result still more impressive. Piano and clarinet swap unaccompanied solo statements with the ease of dialogue, slowing tempos and changing dynamics, before returning to the classic melody. Kellaway is a real treat to hear, an underrated player with a sound that mixes touches of Art Tatum and Tin Pan Alley with distinctly modern swing. He consistently finds the right spot for every key, up and down the board. Meanwhile, Daniels' flawless technique belies the subtlety of his tone. His sound is always clean, whether at deep lows or glass cracking highs. At any given moment, he can quote delicate classical repertoire, or reach down for some soul, as he does on "Adagio Swing" with bluesy catcalls and fingers flying.

But for all the individual abilities on display, the songs live on the give-and-take between players. An 11-minute "Why Was I Born?" transforms the original tune into lyrical repartee. The conversation is carried by a chromatic triplet motif that passes from clarinet to piano, and vice versa, like a warming bottle. They pull it through the octaves, mix in clever twists, and make redefining a standard seem easy. "New Orleans" finds Daniels' clarinet laying sweet improv with soft dynamics, suggesting a big city mournfulness brought down South. The stalking steps of "This is the Time," repeated in round, leap into a tremendous Kellaway solo, full of subtle, angular choices. Both players swap flourishes and trills before launching into a rollicking "After You've Gone" that features wild clarinet blowing. The sound is decent for a live album. Some of Kellaway's wonderfully subtle touches are nearly lost, particularly on a subpar sound system. Daniels sounds perfect though, down to the whispery clicks of his keys, and the crowd is warm without being overbearing.

The mellow "Blue Waltz" is a masterpiece of breathy intonations and romantic piano flourishes. The set closes with "We'll Always Be Together," an upbeat, Latin-tinged number. Daniels puts on a show of elegant technique as Kellaway eases him along to a rousing end. But before the melody is fully restated, Daniels breaks away to once again recreate the tune, as if a few extra lines need adding before he hops offstage. It's a fitting end to a deeply enjoyable album. ~ Warren Allen  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-duet-of-one-eddie-daniels-ipo-recordings-review-by-warren-allen.php

Personnel: Eddie Daniels: clarinet; Roger Kellaway: piano.

A Duet Of One

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Lori Williams - A New Book

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:38
Size: 124,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:03) 1. A New Book
(4:54) 2. New Day
(5:09) 3. Demais
(5:29) 4. Freely (Test the Waters)
(4:27) 5. I Can't Tell You Why
(5:20) 6. Let's Stay Together
(7:17) 7. Ukuphila (The Healing Song) - Joburg Mix
(4:05) 8. New Day - Radio Edit
(4:03) 9. I Can't Tell You Why - Radio Edit
(4:36) 10. Demais - Radio Edit
(4:09) 11. Freely (Test the Waters) - Radio Edit

Setlist unabashedly plays favorites, and Lori Williams is by any measure near the top of the favorites list. This D.C. vocalist’s instrument contains the kind of nuances that one could get lost in. She has the kind of attenuation and subtlety that we associate with jazz singing instantly a kind of jazz-vocal ‘discipline,’ for lack of a better term. But Williams slips in hints and sometimes dead give aways that she has packed away the kind of soul power that would make her a tremendous R&B or gospel singer. Perhaps it’s a sort of vocalist’s twist on Ernest Hemingway’s “iceberg theory”: What you hear on the surface is only about 10 percent of what’s really there. As it happens, what is there is crystalline clarity, perhaps the most precise articulation of any singer in town, and a range that will, when she runs it, produce shivers. "She's got a soft-edged, creamy voice that's a natural vehicle for introspection, but also one that you could happily curl up and get lost in. It's stunning, supple subtle, sumptuous, soulful music - let's call that the five Ss of Lori Williams, shall we?"~Michael J. West - The Washington City Paper https://www.lorijazz.com/

"A NEW BOOK is a wonderful collection of thoughtfully crafted messages of love and new beginnings. Lori Williams' beautiful voice glides soulfully and effortlessly across a smooth and inviting rhythmic landscape with messages of abundance, joy, and affirmation. This project is food for the soul and a soundtrack for your daily groove!" ~ Dianne Reeves

A New Book

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Chiara Civello - Canzoni

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2014

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 69:44

Size: 160,2 MB

Art: Front

(3:51)  1. Via con me

(3:34)  2. Io che non vivo senza te

(4:25)  3. Con una rosa

(4:29)  4. Che me importa el mundo

(5:22)  5. Va bene va bene così

(4:26)  6. Io che amo solo te

(4:04)  7. Never Never Never

(4:13)  8. Metti una sera a cena

(3:27)  9. Una sigaretta

(3:52) 10. Fortissimo

(4:17) 11. Incantevole

(4:01) 12. E penso a te

(4:18) 13. Il Mondo

(3:31) 14. Senza fine

(4:28) 15. I mulini dei ricordi

(4:08) 16. Mentre tutto scorre

(3:18) 17. Arrivederci

Originally from Rome but now based in New York City, Italian singer/songwriter Chiara Civello is an eclectic, far-reaching artist who brings a variety of pop, jazz, cabaret and Latin influences to the table. Although Civello has performed straight-ahead jazz in the past, she is not a full-time jazz singer or a bebop purist by any means; stylistically, much of the material she has recorded for Verve is closer to Sade, Basia, Norah Jones, Nellie McKay (minus the eccentricity and sharp-tongued humor) or Rickie Lee Jones than it is to hardcore jazz vocalists like Abbey Lincoln, Sheila Jordan and Kitty Margolis. But the jazz influence is almost always present in Civello's pop recordings and since her arrival in the United States, she has crossed paths with major jazz musicians like alto saxophonist Phil Woods and guitarist Mike Stern. Listing all of Civello's influences could be time-consuming; Civello gives the impression that along the way, she has listened to everyone from Joni Mitchell, Sade and Sting to Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London and Billie Holiday. Brazilian jazz and pop is also a strong influence on Civello, who is obviously well aware of Brazilian greats such as Astrud Gilberto, Gal Costa, Ivan Lins and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Although Civello grew up in a country where Italian is the primary language, much of her writing has been in English. Civello, in fact, has been singing and writing in at least four languages English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish and when she performs in English, Civello sings with only a slight trace of an Italian accent. Her command of the English language is excellent, and her accent is beneficial in that it gives her performances a great deal of character.

Civello was still living in Italy when, at the age of 17, she was hired to perform as a featured vocalist for the Mario Raja Big Bang (as opposed to Mario Raja Big Band). After that, she was employed by Italian jazz drummer Roberto Gatto, who is well-known in Italy and included her in his group the Noisemakers. In 1993, Civello moved to Boston after being awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music and by the time she graduated from Berklee in 1998, Civello had received a Boston Jazz Society Award as well as a Cleo Laine Award. In 2000, she left Boston for New York City, where she met veteran producer Russ Titelman, who has worked with a long list of major artists that includes, among others, Paul Simon, Rickie Lee Jones, Randy Newman, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor and Brazilian star Milton Nascimento. Titelman went on to produce a demo for Civello and introduced her to Ron Goldstein, president and CEO of the Verve Music Group, and Goldstein ended up offering her a contract. Titelman also introduced Civello to veteran pop composer Burt Bacharach, with whom she co-wrote the song "Trouble." Late Quarter Moon, Civello's first album for Verve, was given a February 2005 release date in the United States. https://itunes.apple.com/br/artist/chiara-civello/id41621668

Canzoni

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Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan Sings The Mancini Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:38
Size: 77.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals, Standards
Year: 1965/1998
Art: Front

[2:41] 1. How Soon
[2:38] 2. Days Of Wine And Roses
[2:53] 3. Dear Heart
[2:50] 4. Charade
[3:47] 5. Too Little Time
[3:49] 6. Dreamsville
[1:51] 7. Bye-Bye Theme From Peter Gunn
[2:50] 8. Moon River
[2:29] 9. (I Love You And) Don't You Forget It
[3:37] 10. Slow Hot Wind
[2:26] 11. Mr. Lucky
[1:44] 12. It Had Better Be Tonight

Sarah Vaughan's contribution to the female jazz vocal genre, during the twentieth century, puts her alongside the likes of Dinah Washington, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald. As a child Sarah Vaughan sang in church and had extensive piano lessons from 1931-39, which helped her become a capable keyboardist. After she won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre, she was hired for the Earl Hines big band as a singer and second vocalist. Unfortunately, the musicians' recording strike kept her off record during this period (1943-44).

When lifelong friend Billy Eckstine broke away to form his own orchestra, Vaughan joined him, making her recording debut. She enjoyed her time with Eckstine's orchestra, where she became influenced by a couple of his sidemen, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, both of whom had also been with Hines during her stint. Vaughan was one of the first singers to fully incorporate bop phrasing in her singing, and to have the vocal chops to pull it off on the level of a Parker and Gillespie. During the 1950's, Sarah recorded middle-of-the-road pop material with orchestras for Mercury, and jazz dates (including a memorable collaboration with Clifford Brown) for the label's subsidiary, EmArcy.

Sarah Vaughan Sings The Mancini Songbook

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Jean Hoffman - Sings and Swings

Styles: Vocal And Piano, Swing
Year: 1958/2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 92,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:34) 1. Dancing on the Ceiling
(3:33) 2. I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(3:45) 3. Makin' Whoopee
(2:22) 4. What Is There to Say?
(3:49) 5. Sometimes I'm Happy
(2:59) 6. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
(3:00) 7. Bluebird of Happiness
(3:04) 8. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
(3:16) 9. Time Was
(3:07) 10. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
(3:51) 11. Street of Dreams
(3:54) 12. My Buddy

Jean Hoffman (Portland, 1930) is well-known as an unostentatious, small-voiced singer, and a pleasantly prodding, rhythmic pianist. She made a name for herself in the San Francisco club circuit during the ‘50s, often supported by bass and drums. In 1957, Billboard hailed the release of her first album, Jean Hoffman Sings and Swings, with some words of praise: “An exciting new voice, a rarity indeed in today’s market, has at long last blossomed via chirp Jean Hoffman, who combines the best elements of jazz styling without negating her pop commercial lure. While it’s a little voice, it’s strong, resonant and powerful in expression. Her rendition of Bluebird of Happiness is one of the freshest and most imaginative arrangements of this tune to come along in many a moon, and coupled with the other standards in this package, it makes for palpitating listening. An artistic success, deserving of heavy exposure and air-play.” https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/jean-hoffman-dorothy-carless-albums/53369-sings-and-swings-the-carless-torch-2-lp-on-1-cd.html

Personnel: Jean Hoffman, vocals & piano (electric piano on #1,3,9), accompanied by Jack Weeks (bass), Bill Young (drums). Dean Reilly, replaces Weeks on #1.

Sings and Swings

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Fredrika Stahl - Natten

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:13
Size: 88,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:14) 1. Turn of Life
(2:51) 2. Rescue Me
(3:55) 3. Electric
(2:56) 4. Cruel World
(2:52) 5. Rivers
(3:19) 6. Finalement la nuit
(3:38) 7. The Razor’s Edge
(3:03) 8. Get Even
(4:25) 9. The Fall
(3:34) 10. Bed Sheets
(4:22) 11. Static Cellophane

Swedish-born jazz and pop vocalist Fredrika Stahl's career got going when she met producer Geef, which led to a meeting with pianist Tom McClung, who then formed a band around her and helped land her a major-label deal with the French arm of BMG, Vogue Records. Born in Stockholm on October 24, 1984, Stahl spent the majority of her preteen years in France, before returning to Sweden to finish schooling. Upon her graduation, Stahl found her way back to France, and met the people who would help make her a well-known name. Her debut album, A Fraction of You, was unveiled in the summer of 2006, and she followed the release with a number of performances, sharing stages with such artists as Erick Poirier, Ichiro Onoe, and Manuel Marches. Stahl released her second album, Tributaries, in 2008 on the Jive label.~ Chris True https://www.allmusic.com/artist/fredrika-stahl-mn0000623591/biography

Personnel: Vocals – Clément Ducol, Fredrika Stahl; Piano – Clément Ducol; Fredrika Stahl ; Bass Guitar – Laurent Vernerey; Cello – Pierre-François Dufour ; Drum Machine – Pierre-François Dufour; Drums – Pierre-François Dufour; Guitar – Bruce Driscoll; Freddy Koella Sébastien Collinet; Keyboards – Clément Ducol; Fredrika Stahl); Paul-Marie Barbier; Sébastien Collinet; Tony Paeleman; Vocals, Guitar – Dominique A.

Natten

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Jamie Cullum - Taller

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:36
Size: 138,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:35) 1. Taller
(4:49) 2. Life Is Grey
(4:20) 3. Mankind
(3:33) 4. Usher
(5:24) 5. The Age Of Anxiety
(3:25) 6. For The Love
(3:49) 7. Drink
(3:08) 8. You Can't Hide Away From Love
(4:00) 9. Monster
(3:09) 10. Endings Are Beginnings
(3:38) 11. Love Is In The Picture
(3:47) 12. Work Of Art
(3:34) 13. The Man - From "King Of Thieves"
(3:21) 14. Good Luck With Your Demons
(3:25) 15. Marlon Brando
(2:30) 16. Show Me The Magic

Recording for a legendary jazz label may be fraught with expectations, especially for a contemporary artist with unabashedly eclectic tastes. But at this stage in his career, upwards of 10 million album sales along, Jamie Cullum doesn’t appear the least bit concerned with where his music falls on the pop-jazz spectrum. Arriving five years after his last album and marking his eighth studio release, Taller is Cullum’s most self-assured and least calculated offering to date, engaging for its candor, craft, and dynamic breadth.

The British singer/songwriter and keyboardist can win over live audiences on the strength of his showmanship alone. On recordings, though, his boyish croon isn’t appealing enough to compensate for a throwaway lyric or dull arrangement. Fortunately, the long layoff between releases seems to have sharpened Cullum’s pen and wits. After kicking off with the wry, self-referential title track, Taller delivers a series of strong performances, intimate and expansive by turns. The upbeat tracks, more often than not, leave the most lasting impressions, whether it’s the gospel-charged “Mankind” or the Prince-inflected “Usher.” Of course, the album’s commercial prospects will likely benefit from Cullum’s cleverly rebooted brand of pop and funk.~ Mike Joyce https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/jamie-cullum-taller-blue-note/

Taller

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Kathleen Grace, Larry Goldings - Tie Me to You

Styles: Vocal,Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:00
Size: 92,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. Tie Me to You
(3:10) 2. Where or When
(3:05) 3. Everywhere
(5:17) 4. John the Revelator
(3:52) 5. Berceuse
(3:53) 6. The Thrill Is Gone
(3:46) 7. Embarcadero
(5:06) 8. Love for Sale
(5:28) 9. What'll I Do
(2:49) 10. I'll Follow the Sun

For singer Kathleen Grace, vulnerability is a crucial virtue. Exploring themes of loss, discovery, love’s impermanence, and the need for personal reconstitution, she brings spare elegance to the fore during these highly affecting performances.

Working closely with pianist/organist Larry Goldings, Grace often strips pieces down to their essence. In many cases, all that remains is the naked heart of a woman in a state of becoming and the primary supports required for her journey. During the intimate title track, co-written by Grace and Goldings, those supports basically amount to some harpsichord-esque tack piano and string atmospherics. For the country-folk of the singer’s “Everywhere,” it’s her guitar and Gabe Witcher’s now-prominent violin. And on Darek Oleszkiewicz’s alluring “Embarcadero” (with lyrics from Grace), it’s the composer’s Argentine bass lines, with some light coloring around the edges.

The remaining songs are mostly familiar, but few appear in expected form. Rodgers & Hart’s “Where or When” delivers a vertiginous high, with Goldings creating live, looping backgrounds on his glimmering pocket piano. The traditional boots-on-the-floor blues “John the Revelator” gets an added touch of swagger and sway. Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale,” anchored by bassist David Piltch’s wide beat and recast in three, markets yearning smartly from its new metric perch. And Lennon & McCartney’s “I’ll Follow the Sun” takes on a different light while serving as a sign of redemption at the end of this hard road. With a defining trait spelled out ever so clearly in her surname, Kathleen Grace offers personal truths with sensitivity and integrity. Her openness breeds absolute respect. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/kathleen-grace-with-larry-goldings-tie-me-to-you-monsoon/

Personnel: Kathleen Grace – voice, guitar; Larry Goldings – piano, keyboards, organ, pocket piano, glockenspiel; David Piltch – bass; Gabe Witcher – violin ; Darek Oleszkiewicz – bass

Tie Me to You

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Chiara Civello - Eclipse

Styles: Vocal

Year: 2017

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 46:46

Size: 137,6 MB

Art: Front

(4:11)  1. Come Vanno Le Cose

(3:18)  2. Eclisse Twist

(4:25)  3. Cuore In Tasca

(6:35)  4. Qualcuno Come Te

(3:08)  5. Sambarilove feat.Roubinho Jacobina

(4:01)  6. Parole Parole

(3:07)  7. Amore, Amore, Amore

(4:12)  8. La Giusta Distanza

(3:58)  9. Um Dia

(3:26) 10. New York City Boy

(3:02) 11. To Be Wild

(3:18) 12. Quello Che Conta

Three years after the last album, Songs, Chiara Civello is about to return to the record market with a new album called Eclipse coming out in March, but not just ... as of May The artist will return to tour to present live new songs. The new album will be released with Sony Music Italia release on March 31 and will be presented live with four special appointments in some prestigious Italian locations, which will be added to new appointments in the coming months.  Chiara Civello began her record career in 2005 with the album Last quarter moon , the first album of an Italian artist to be engraved with the prestigious label Verve Records . In 2012 he follows The Place of the World , a record containing the same song with which Chiara Civello participates in the Sanremo Festival . During his career, Civello has composed with Burt Bacharach , collaborating with the star of Brazilian pop Ana Carolina and winning the Multishow Award for Best Song in Brazil  Eclipse is the sixth studio record of the singer. http://www.allmusicitalia.it/news/chiara-civello-eclipse.html  (translate by google)

Eclipse

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Norah Jones - ‘Til We Meet Again

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:51
Size: 175,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:24) 1. Cold, Cold Heart - Live
(5:37) 2. It Was You - Live
(4:16) 3. Begin Again - Live
(3:50) 4. Those Sweet Words - Live
(7:33) 5. I've Got To See You Again - Live
(5:33) 6. After The Fall - Live
(4:48) 7. I'll Be Gone - Live
(5:29) 8. Just A Little Bit - Live
(4:35) 9. Falling - Live
(5:04) 10. Tragedy - Live
(4:32) 11. Sunrise - Live
(6:48) 12. Flipside - Live
(5:06) 13. Don't Know Why - Live
(7:11) 14. Black Hole Sun - Live

Norah Jones has released her first-ever full-length live album with ‘Til We Meet Again, a 14-track compilation of performances that took place around the globe between 2017-2019.

The album released via Blue Note Records on Friday (4/16) hears the acclaimed pianist, singer, and songwriter perform a mix of songs spanning her career during world tour stops in the United States, France, Italy, Brazil, and Argentina. The album’s tracklisting includes performances of “Cold Cold Heart”, “Don’t Know Why”, “Those Sweet Words”, “Sunrise”, her Grammy-nominated collaboration with Mavis Staples in “I’ll Be Gone“, new originals from 2020’s Pick Me Up Off The Floor in “Begin Again” and “Just A Little Bit”, and her cover of Soundgarden‘s “Black Hole Sun”.

Hear Jones discuss the new album with Blue Note president and Wolf Bros bassist Don Was on a new episode of the label’s First Look YouTube series below. https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/norah-jones-releases-til-we-meet-again-live-compilation/

‘Til We Meet Again

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Jan Gunnar Hoff - In Town

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:40
Size: 111,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:52) 1. In Town
(6:29) 2. Revamp
(5:57) 3. Promises
(7:24) 4. Your Song
(1:17) 5. Clouds
(5:41) 6. Bits and Pieces
(5:00) 7. Seven Seas
(3:43) 8. The Return
(3:50) 9. Picture I
(3:22) 10. Picture Ii

Jan Gunnar Hoff (born 22 October 1958) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, arranger and professor, living in Bodø, known from cooperations with jazz musicians like Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Lars Danielsson, John Surman, Karin Krog, Maria Joao, Marilyn Mazur, Anders Jormin, Arve Henriksen, Per Jørgensen, Alex Acuña, Mike Stern, Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk, Per Mathisen, Arild Andersen, Nils Petter Molvær, Ståle Storløkken, Audun Kleive and Mathias Eick.

Hoff was born in Bodø. He is a graduate of the Teachers' College in Bodø and Bergen, and was further educated in the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium under Terje Bjørklund (1986–89), and in composition at Norges Musikkhøgskole (2001). He had his jazz debut with his own trio on Ad Lib Jazzklubb (1976). Hoff´s background includes classical piano, progressive rock, pop and jazz. Hoff has released 20 recordings as soloartist and co-leader and he has composed 250 works for different settings. In 2005 he received the prestigious Edvard-prize (named after Edvard Grieg) for his jazz mass Meditatus and the same year he wrote the commission work for Vossajazz. In 2013 Jan Gunnar Hoff and his “Hoff Ensemble” was nominated for US Grammy Awards with their album Quiet winter night. Hoff´s quartet album Fly North with Marilyn Mazur, Anders Jormin and Arve Henriksen was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, Spellemannpris 2014. Jan Gunnar Hoff has performed in Los Angeles, New York, London, Zagreb, Milano, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Stockholm, Istanbul, Havana, Riga and other major cities.

In January 2014 Hoff received the highest distinction in Norwegian Jazz, the Buddy-award. In May 2014 he was credited internationally as an official Steinway Artist. Hoff´s recent albums include Stories - solo piano 2L 2016, Terra Nova w/mezzo soprano Marianne Beate Kielland, Lawo classics 2017, Polarity with Audun Kleive, Anders Jormin, Morten Lindberg, 2L April 2018, Barxeta II with Per Mathisen and Horacio Hernandez, Losen Records June 2018 and Jan Gunnar Hoff Group feat. Mike Stern on Losen Records November 2018. Hoff is working as a professor at the University of Tromsø and the University of Agder. He co-founded The Groove Valley JazzCamp in Beiarn, and was artistic director for TGV Jazz camp from 2005 to 2009. Hoff also initiated Bodø Jazz Open which was launched in January 2011, where he was artistic leader and festival head until 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Gunnar_Hoff

Personnel: Piano, Keyboards – Jan Gunnar Hoff; Guitar – Børge Petersen-Øverleir(tracks 1,5,6); Trumpet – Mathias Eick(tracks 3,8); Bass – Bjørn Kjellemyr; Drums – Audun Kleive; Saxophone [Saxophones] – Tore Brunborg

In Town

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Ahmed Abdullah - Ahmed Abdullah And The Solomonic Quintet

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:05
Size: 121,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:08) 1. African Songbird
(5:00) 2. Gypsy Lady
(6:52) 3. The Search
(4:57) 4. Canto II
(7:19) 5. Khaluma
(7:30) 6. The Dance We Do
(5:34) 7. Wishbone Suite
(8:42) 8. The Dance We Do (Take 1)

Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah sprays around dissonant solos and spearheads an often frenzied set that was his second release for Silkheart. The lineup was exceptional, notably the powerful tenor saxophonist David S. Ware, dynamic bassist Fred Hopkins, and underrated drummer Charles Moffett.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/ahmed-abdullah-and-the-solomonic-quintet-mw0000265789

Personnel: Ahmed Abdullah – trumpet, flugelhorn, voice; David S. Ware – tenor saxophone; Masuhjaa – guitar; Fred Hopkins – bass; Charles Moffett – drums

Ahmed Abdullah And The Solomonic Quintet

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Eli Degibri - Emotionally Available

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:33
Size: 125,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:02) 1. Song For a Sad Movie
(6:25) 2. Big Fish
(7:46) 3. Like Someone In Love
(5:41) 4. Mika
(7:18) 5. Pum-Pum
(4:05) 6. Giant Steps
(5:36) 7. Wild Wide East
(6:10) 8. Mmmaya
(5:24) 9. Emotionally Available

Saxophonist Eli Degibri attended the Berklee College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory, from which he graduated with honors. For three years, he toured worldwide with the Grammy-award winning Herbie Hancock and his Sextet. Degibri currently performs and tours with the legendary drummer Al Foster, the Charles Mingus Big Band, as well as the Eli Degibri Quintet. His acclaimed debut CD, In the Beginning, was released in 2004. Emotionally Available is his second release for Fresh Sound Records. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/eli-degibri-albums/4471-emotionally-available.html

Personnel: Eli Degibri - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Aaron Goldberg - piano, fender rhodes; Ben Street - bass; Jeff Ballard - drums; Ze Mauricio - pandeiro

Emotionally Available

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Veronica Swift - This Bitter Earth

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:14
Size: 141,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. This Bitter Earth
(4:11) 2. How Lovely to Be a Woman
(5:16) 3. You've Got to Be Carefully Taught
(6:19) 4. Getting to Know You
(4:50) 5. The Man I Love
(4:25) 6. You're the Dangerous Type
(5:20) 7. Trust in Me
(2:11) 8. He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)
(4:56) 9. As Long as He Needs Me
(2:54) 10. Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong
(4:16) 11. Prisoner of Love
(6:21) 12. The Sports Page
(5:44) 13. Sing

With This Bitter Earth, 26-year-old Veronica Swift casts aside her designated trajectory as the next great up-and-coming pure-jazz singer to embrace something grander, more pop-oriented and profound. The daughter of late pianist Hod O’Brien, Swift belted her first album out of the club as a precocious nine-year-old. Four albums later, Confessions cemented her rep as a jazz lioness with a pure tone, large lungs, a knowing sense of repertoire, and sure swing style. JazzTimes readers rewarded her with 2019 Best New Artist and Best Vocal Release poll wins.

Perhaps more naturally than everyone’s current favorite, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Swift occupies classic standards like a young Anita O’Day. But This Bitter Earth finds her pushing beyond cloistered jazz boundaries, recalling the sunny, big-throated readings of Eydie Gormé allied to the sincerity and tone of Broadway vocalist Jessie Mueller. She still thrills with Songbook nuggets (“As Long as He Needs Me,” “The Man I Love”), but restless as any 20-something vocalist aware of Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, Swift shows her further ambitions in non-ironic takes of Goffin and King’s “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” and the Ann-Margret vehicle “How Lovely to Be a Woman.” She boldly addresses the songs as they were intended—which is arguably a gutsier stance on pre-feminist material than that of Salvant, who revels in overturning a song’s intended meaning.

Elsewhere, “Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong” rescues the cha-cha from semi-obscurity, while “Prisoner of Love” is languorous and rich, Swift wrapping herself around the melody like a Broadway diva. The gently unfurling “Sing” closes the record and returns Swift to what she does best, enchanting the listener with whispered caresses and elastic phrases that are as powerful as they are enticing.~ By Ken Micallef https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/veronica-swift-this-bitter-earth-mack-avenue/

This Bitter Earth

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Gary Bartz - Monsoon

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:04
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:29) 1. Samuel
( 7:52) 2. Never Never Land
(12:47) 3. Run Before the Sun
( 7:15) 4. Strode Rode
( 9:22) 5. Monsoon
( 7:57) 6. Soul Eyes
( 8:17) 7. Uncle Bubba

Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award© with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, he has broken the mold with more than 40 solo albums and over 200 as a guest artist.Gary Bartz first came to New York In 1958 to attend the Julliard Conservatory of Music. Just 17 years old, Gary couldn't wait to come to the city to play and learn. “It was a very good time for the music in New York, at the end of what had been the be-bop era,” says Bartz. “Charlie Parker had passed away three years previously but Miles' group was in its heyday, Monk was down at the Five Spot, and Ornette Coleman was just coming to town. Things were fresh.” Back then, Gary could regularly be found drinking Cokes in the all ages “peanut gallery” of Birdland, enjoying a marathon bill of performers. “If I didn't have money to get in. I'd help somebody carry a drum and sneak in,” laughs Bartz. “I learned that early on."

Circa mid-'60s, the alto saxophonist - still in his early 20s - began performing throughout the city with the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln Group and quickly established himself as the most promising alto voice since Cannonball Adderley. “In those days, we used to go by people's lofts and stay for weeks, just working on music,” says Gary. “Folks would all chip in and buy food, and one of us would cook. But there was always music, because people were dropping by at all hours. We didn't even think about it; that's just what we did. We were very unselfish about what we were writing because, after all, music doesn't belong to any one person. It belongs to the people, to everybody.”

With the splash of his New York debut solidly behind him, Bartz soon joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. According to the story, Gary's parents owned a club in Baltimore, the North End Lounge. When his father hired Blakey for a gig, Gary grabbed the opportunity to fill a sax player vacancy in the band. After his performance that night, the young Bartz was officially hired to join the Jazz Messengers; in 1965, he would make his recording debut on Blakey's ‘Soulfinger’ album. From 1962-64, Gary joined Charles Mingus' Workshop and began practicing regularly with fellow members of the horn section, including Eric Dolphy. In 1968, Bartz began an association with McCoy Tyner, which included participating in Tyner's classic ‘Expansions and Extentions’ albums. Work with McCoy proved especially significant for Bartz because of the bandleader's strong connection to John Coltrane who Gary succinctly cites as a profound influence. During his first two years with Tyner, Gary was also touring with Max Roach and taking some time out to record on Max's Atlantic Records release, ‘Mermbers Don’t Get Weary’. “With Max, there was that bond with Charlie Parker,” declares Bartz. “Charlie Parker is why I play the alto saxophone.”

Bartz received a call from Miles Davis in 1970; work with the legendary horn player marked Gary's first experience playing electric music. It also reaffirmed his yen for an even stronger connection to Coltrane. In addition to working with Miles in the early '70s - including playing the historic Isle of Wight Festival in August, 1970 - Bartz was busy fronting his own NTU Troop ensemble. The group got its name from the Bantu language: NTU means unity in all things, time and space, living and dead, seen and unseen.Outside the Troop, Bartz had been recording as a group leader since 1968, and continued to do so throughout the '70s, during which time he released such acclaimed albums as, ‘Another Earth’, ‘Home’, ‘Music Is My Sanctuary’ and ‘Love Affair’, by the late '70s, he was doing studio work in Los Angeles with Norman Connors and Phyllis Hyman. In 1988, after a nine-year break between solo releases, Bartz began recording what music columnist Gene Kalbacher described as “Vital ear-opening sides,” on such albums as ‘Monsoon’, ‘West 42nd Street’, ‘There Goes The Neighborhood’, and ‘Shadows’.

Bartz followed those impressive works in 1995 with the release of his debut Atlantic album ‘The Red and Orange Poems’ a self-described musical mystery novel and just one of Gary's brilliantly conceived concept albums. Back when Bartz masterminded the much-touted ‘I’ve Known Rivers’ album, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes, his concepts would be twenty years ahead of those held by some of today's jazz/hip hop and acid jazz combos. So it continues with ‘The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life’ A testimonial to a steadfast belief in the power of music to soothe, challenge, spark a crowd to full freak, or move one person to think. It adds up to a shoe box full of musical snapshots from a life lived and played with passion and stirred - with both joy and sadness - by the blues. Gary's release ‘Live at the Jazz Standard Volume 1 – Soulstice’ is the first of a series of recordings documenting his legendary, non-stop style, live performances. This initial release on his own OYO label bares testimony to Gary's continuing growth as a composer, group leader, and master of both the alto and soprano saxophones. A quartet session recorded in 1998, was followed by ‘Live at the Jazz Standard, Volume 2’ released in 2000, which features Gary's exciting Sextet. His follow up release ‘Soprano Stories’ Gary exclusively performed on the soprano saxophone in a studio quartet setting.br

His follow up album to the highly acclaimed Volume I of the Coltrane Files, Toa Of A Music Warrior, will be released in early 2015 along with his album honoring Woody Shaw entitled ‘Two MF’s’. Gary Bartz continues taken his rightful place in the pantheon of jazz greats and has his sight is set on releasing more music on his label OYO Records. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/garybartz

Personnel: Gary Bartz - alto saxophone, composer; Butch Lacy - piano; Clint Houston - bass; Billy Hart - drums.

Monsoon

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Ahmed Abdullah's Diaspora - Dedication

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:24
Size: 164,1 MB
Art: Front

(14:43) 1. Amanpondo
( 7:52) 2. Brazil One
( 5:15) 3. Song of the Force (take 4)
(10:35) 4. Deja's View
(11:21) 5. Song of the Holy Warrior
( 3:37) 6. La Vie en Rose
( 6:16) 7. Song of Love
( 4:24) 8. I'll be Seeing You
( 7:19) 9. Song of the Force (take 2)

In the annals of free jazz drumming names like Sunny Murray, Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves often percolate to the top of the lists as the progenitors of the tradition. Equally important, if sometimes overshadowed is Charles Moffett, who as a member of Ornette Coleman’s trio with David Izenzon completed one of the most inspiring improvising collectives of the 60s. His achievements were by no means limited to this seminal group and his career stretched well into the decade of the 90s before his untimely passing. What does this capsule reflection on Moffett have to do with the disc at hand by Abdullah’s Diaspora? Actually a great deal. This is not your typical Spirit Room session (if there even is such a thing), in fact this isn’t your routine ‘free jazz’ date either. At its fundamental root this is the product of five men whose lives have been shaped and sustained by the legacy of a sixth- the indomitable Charles Moffett.

Paying praise on this disc is an incredible group comprised of some of the most vibrant voices in creative improvised music. Abdullah convened them not only to pay homage, but also to pour their individual interests into the pool and come up with a fresh nectar of sustaining musical expression. In this respect he largely succeeds building a variegated musical melange that bespeaks the group’s chosen name. The opening “Amanpondo” is built on a slippery calypso beat and segues through a succession of stellar solo statements by each of the players. Cody Moffett, Charles son, holds court on his father’s metal drum kit and builds a stentorian rhythmic presence that fit’s the piece’s ‘island flavor’ perfectly. “Brazil One” shifts the focus to another set of tropical sounds with a beautifully lyric prelude. The piece proper propelled again by Cody’s sensitive drumming drifts along with Abdullah’s robust vocal chant floating on top. Ward eventually moves to the front for a blissful melodic improvisation.

With “Deja’s View” the group takes a totally unexpected turn into hot buttered soul. The gently syncopated beat, mellifluous flute, muted brass and bulbous electric bass that round out the piece would not be out of place on Issac Hayes’ Shaft soundtrack. “Song of the Holy Warrior” builds up momentum rapidly from a rhythmic vamp based in Moffett’s brisk prefatory solo, before Abdullah, Ward and Masujaa spar in a spiraling landslide of cyclonic phrasings. Abdullah takes a well-meaning, but somewhat raspy singing turn on the reading of “La Vie En Rose,” a tune powered largely by Masujaa’s iridescent chording. On “Song of Love” Ward’s shares the spotlight with Abdullah weaving a beautiful spell on dulcet alto that bookends his partner’s sweetly muted brass. Blake gets his chance too, on “I’ll Be Seeing You” his muscular strums and plucks take center stage. Tributes, particularly musical ones, can be a tricky enterprise and reconciling a reverence for the dedicatee with one’s own creative vision is often a delicate balance. Abdullah and his bandmates attain such a harmony on this disc juggling their love for Moffett with their own restlessly creative energies to produce a testament of moving depth and passion.

Personnel: Ahmed Abdullah- trumpet, flugelhorn, voice; Carlos Ward- flute, alto saxophone; Masujaa- guitar; Alex Blake- bass, electric bass; Cody Moffett- drums.

Dedication

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