Lillian Boutté - Having a Good Time

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 147,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:59) 1. Mama's Gone, Goodbye (feat. Humphrey Lyttelton)
(3:26) 2. Smile
(5:41) 3. Let Them Talk
(4:28) 4. I'm Having a Good Time
(4:04) 5. Nuages
(3:49) 6. Absolutely Positive
(3:13) 7. That's the Way to Treat Your Woman (feat. Humphrey Lyttelton)
(4:19) 8. Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby (feat. Humphrey Lyttelton)
(4:33) 9. Try a Little Tenderness
(4:45) 10. Stagger Lee
(5:03) 11. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (feat. Humphrey Lyttelton)
(4:03) 12. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
(3:40) 13. You Send Me
(3:37) 14. The Trouble with Me Is You
(3:22) 15. Wolverine Blues

A versatile singer based in New Orleans, Lillian Boutte is capable of singing both New Orleans Dixieland standards and New Orleans R&B, swing-era tunes, and contemporary originals. She sang as a child (winning a vocal contest when she was 11), performed with her college's gospel choir, and then in 1973, was hired by Allen Toussaint as a backup singer for the many projects recorded in his studio. Boutte appeared as an actress and singer in the musical One Mo' Time during 1979-1984, recorded a gospel album with the Olympia Brass Band in 1980, and in 1982, made her first jazz album. Boutte has spent time alternating between living and performing in Europe and New Orleans, and she has been closely associated with reed player Thomas L'Etienne who usually leads her backup groups. Through the years, Lillian Boutte has recorded for many labels (mostly in Europe) including Herman, Feel the Jazz, High Society, Turning Point, Timeless, Southland, Storyville, GHB, Calligraph (with Humphrey Lyttelton), Blues Beacon, and Dinosaur Entertainment.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lillian-boutt%C3%A9-mn0000291690/biography

Having a Good Time

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The International Classic Jazz All Stars - International Classic Jazz All Stars

Styles: Classic Jazz, Swing
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:14
Size: 129,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. Louise
(3:54) 2. L-O-V-E
(4:12) 3. C Jam Blues
(4:47) 4. The Night is Blue
(5:34) 5. As Time Goes By
(5:32) 6. The Blues I'd Forgotten
(4:44) 7. Strictly Instrumental
(6:13) 8. The Jeep is Jumpin'
(5:46) 9. The Billie Holiday Medley:I Cover the Waterfront/You've Changed
(3:14) 10. Take The A Train
(2:21) 11. The Sid Catlett Medley Thermo-Dynamics-Mop Mop
(7:34) 12. Wabash Blues

"This album is a must-have for any maistream jazz lover as there are not many chances to hear this kind of jazz nowadays, even less performed with such aplomb, taste and elegant creativity. The "dream team" line up includes such luminaries as american trombone legend Dan Barrett (Benny Goodman,Woody Herman, Buck Clayton among many others) who shines throughout the recording with his lyrical solos joined by the more than apt partner-in-crime Spanish tenorman Enric Peidro whose breathy, gorgeous sax sound and clever yet singable lines are the perfect counterpoint to Barrett's melodic approach. Its a pure joy to listen to Barrett and Peidro and their laid-back, conversation-like, unnassuming aproach wich makes you think on two old friends sharing a drink while chatting about their favourite movie or fishing spot. Australian bass player and singer Nicki Parrott greatly contributes to the overall results with her swinging bass lines, perfect note choice and timing, and also with a few vocals delivered with her usual class. British piano player Richard Busiakiewicz proves himself to be an outstanding musician: the way he comps to solos is simply brilliant, bringing to mind greats like Red Garland or Winton Kelly and his solos are both flawless and swingin all the way through.

To round up this extraordinary team, french drummer Guillaume Nouaux shows extensively why he's one of the best jazz (classic jazz if you want) drummers in the scene today: never too busy and always swingin with great savoir-faire (not in vain he's french!!) he proves himself a great soloist too, over the many solo spots he has in the recording.The choice of material is pretty well balanced in between lesser-known tunes as well as very popular material: is really something to hear how these brilliant musicians handle the challenge of playing some over-exposed numbers like "A" Train, C Jam blues, Love and a few others.No doubt as Count Basie once said: -its not the tune what really matters, but what you can do with it- Needless to say they get away with it with brilliance and a great deal of honesty too: all the recording transpires a great sense of well-natured camaraderie and friendship (the album was recorded after a long tour over Spain) and there's no fireworks or showing-off procedures.Just the opposite: what matters here is MUSIC with capital letters and sure there's a lot of that to be found in this extraordinary album.Enjoy listening and lets hope to have a second one soon! .(J.Steyner.Album liner notes) https://enricpeidro.bandcamp.com/album/international-classic-jazz-all-stars

Personnel: Dan Barrett Trombone.Vocals (7 only); Nicki Parrott Bass. Vocals on (2,5,7,10); Enric Peidro Tenor sax; Richard Busiakiewicz Piano; Guillaume Nouaux Drums

International Classic Jazz All Stars

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Paul Bollenback - Double Gemini

Styles: Guitar Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:39
Size: 139,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:35) 1. Breaking the Girl
(6:02) 2. After the Love Has Gone
(7:53) 3. Double Gemini
(5:09) 4. Reflections of Jaco
(6:41) 5. Let Her Cry
(6:51) 6. So Many Stars
(5:45) 7. Open Hand
(6:03) 8. Field of Gold
(4:57) 9. I Am Singin'
(3:41) 10. Cat's Eye

Other than Sergio Mendes' "So Many Stars," the music on this CD will probably be quite unfamiliar to most jazz listeners. In addition to four originals by the leader-guitarist, there is a song apiece by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Earth, Wind And Fire, Hootie And The Blowfish, Sting and Stevie Wonder. But the results actually fit securely into the soul jazz organ tradition. Guitarist Paul Bollenback, who has an appealing sound and an adaptable style, reharmonized some of the simpler pieces, stripped them of their pop rhythms and alternated swinging numbers with slower grooves. Although the strongest numbers are "So Many Stars" and the guitarist's solo rendition of his own "Cat's Eye," none of the selections are throwaways, and Wonder's "I Am Singin'" really cooks. Organist Joey DeFrancesco sounds fairly restrained and happy to be a sideman for a change, still showing off the strong influence of Jimmy Smith. Drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts is solid in support. Although it is doubtful if any of these songs (other than "So Many Stars") will catch on in the jazz world (the melodies are not overly strong), the performances on this disc are excellent and should interest soul-jazz collectors.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/double-gemini-mw0000030913

Personnel: Guitar – Paul Bollenback; Organ – Joey DeFrancesco; Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts

Double Gemini

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Ralph Peterson - Raise up off Me

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 84:32
Size: 194,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:04) 1. Raise up off Me!
(7:26) 2. The Right to Live
(4:29) 3. Four Play
(8:19) 4. I Want to Be There for You
(6:57) 5. Bouncing with Bud
(5:54) 6. Blue Hughes
(6:01) 7. Tears I Can Not Hide
(6:49) 8. Naima’s Love Song
(6:48) 9. Jodi
(6:40) 10. Fantasia Brazil
(4:13) 11. Shorties Portion
(6:33) 12. Raise up off Me Too!
(6:15) 13. Please Do Something(Bonus Track)

The recently deceased drummer/composer Ralph Peterson will be always remembered as a shrewd, confident player who was utterly expressive in the stories he intended to tell. Peterson died from cancer on March 1st, and Raise Up Off Me is an inspiring last album filled with optimism and empowering message. Most of the tracks here are explored in the trio format alongside two of his protégés, the brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis on piano and bass, respectively. The trio, which had recorded Triangular III in 2016, is joined by special guests on specific tunes. There are two dazzling originals at the top of the track list. Whereas the title cut denotes an optimum balance between relaxation and tension, reaching both spiritual and emotional states on occasion; “The Right to Live” is a post-bop number configured with untethered drum eruptions before earning a dancing quality in the B section that is hundred percent Brazilian. This is an influence that is also mirrored on “Fantasia Brazil”.

The acclaimed singer Jazzmeia Horn shines on three pieces: “Tears I Cannot Hide”, a Peterson ballad for which she wrote the lyrics; John Hicks/Betty Carter’s “Naima’s Love Song”, which gains a soft Latin touch while proceeding at a solid stride; and on her own “Please Do Something”, a lavishly and ferociously swinging ride where she’s seen at the peak of her vocal abilities. The latter tune appears as a bonus track on the LP and digital releases only “Four Play” is an uptempo blues burner fetched from pianist James Williams’ 1984 album Alter Ego, whereas Bud Powell’s “Bouncing With Bud” features a lively, lilting brushwork from Peterson, who takes his buoyancy to a much softer level on Zaccai’s ballad “I Want To Be There With You”.

Definitely a highlight, and with the Puerto Rican percussionist Eguie Castrillo on board, “Blue Hughes” is conveniently accented according to the breezy calypso waves that propel it. Being subjected to a fresh arrangement here, this tune had been recorded in 1985 by the Blue Note Records-founded group OTB (Out of the Blue) of which Peterson was a rhythmic pillar in conjunction to the bassist Robert Hurst. Peterson’s last goodbye exemplifies the empathetic force of his music and playing. https://jazztrail.net/blog/ralph-peterson-raise-up-off-me-album-review

Personnel - Ralph Peterson: drums, percussion; Luques Curtis: double bass; Zaccai Curtis: piano, keyboard; Jazzmeia Horn: vocals (#7,8,13); Eguie Castrillo: percussion (#6).

Raise up off Me

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Norman Simmons Trio - Jazz Essentials

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:43
Size: 92,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:08) 1. Stella by Starlight
(2:41) 2. You Do Something to Me
(4:06) 3. Love Is Eternal
(3:11) 4. Tranquility
(3:56) 5. Capacity in Blues
(3:26) 6. Jan
(3:32) 7. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(3:59) 8. My Funny Valentine
(4:15) 9. Peppe
(3:45) 10. Moonlight in Vermont
(3:38) 11. Chili Bowl

Pianist Norman Simmons is a superior arranger and good accompanist most famous for providing the hit arrangement of "Wade in the Water" for the Ramsey Lewis group. Simmons worked in the '50s and '60s for several vocalists, among them Dakota Staton, Ernestine Anderson, and Carmen McRae. He worked in 1960 with the Johnny Griffin-Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis group. In 1979 Simmons became a regular pianist for Joe Williams, performing with the acclaimed vocalist through the 1990s. Following Williams' death in 1999, Simmons led his first session in quite some time, resulting in the 2000 Savant release Art of Norman Simmons. In 2002 he issued Synthesis, his second effort for Savant. In Private, a Savant date also featuring bassist Lisle Atkinson and drummer Paul Humphrey, arrived in 2004.~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/artist/norman-simmons-mn0000884894/biography

R.I.P.

Born: October 6, 1929, Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: May 13, 2021

Jazz Essentials

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Richie Beirach Trio - What Is This Thing Called Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 132.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Contemporary jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. What Is This Thing Called Love
[6:19] 2. Leaving
[5:32] 3. Night And Day
[4:07] 4. Goodbye
[6:08] 5. Autumn Leaves
[6:11] 6. All The Things You Are
[3:53] 7. Pinocchio
[5:22] 8. Oh, What A Beautiful Morning
[7:26] 9. Nardis
[8:02] 10. On Green Dolphin Street

Double Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Billy Hart; Piano – Richie Beirach. Recorded at Sear Sound Studio in New York on June 18 and 19, 1999.

What a fantastic 'jazz piano trio' - yes George Mraz is truly a bassist delight, sympathetic, emotive, with improvised soloing thrown in. Virtuosic players all three, Billy Hart is one of the greatest drummers for modern jazz, creative, inventive, and progressive! Last but not least - the leader - Richie Beirach on piano - a consistently inventive pianist whose ability to play straight ahead or avant-garde and with lyricism makes him an original. ~John Herrmann

What Is This Thing Called Love

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Kristin Korb - Why Not?

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:06
Size: 72,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:53) 1. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:20) 2. I've Told Every Little Star
(4:42) 3. I Surrender Dear
(4:16) 4. Warm Valley
(4:31) 5. Zanzibar
(4:11) 6. Summer Wind
(4:11) 7. Sommervind (Bonus Track)

The flip side of “What If?” is “Why Not?”. It features Korb’s love of foot-tapping standards and lesser known gems with the intimate feel of an “unplugged” album. This is your personal invitation to join the party. In comparison to “What If?”, Korb’s arrangements are more straight ahead and less elaborate. They tend to lean on the tradition of feel-good swing. “It has been difficult for me to articulate my thoughts about ‘Why Not?’. One part of me feels like I didn’t do enough for this side. I didn’t make any crazy arrangements and the process in recording these tracks felt ‘easier’ in some way, almost like a sigh of relief in being able to re-connect with my bandmates again. Together, we celebrate a lifetime of great music making, being present in the moment, and being there for each other. Isn’t that enough?”

Korb’s familial connection to her bandmates Magnus Hjorth on piano and Snorre Kirk on drums is clear from the first beat. In contrast to “What If?”, this project is all about the trio and their interplay. I Surrender Dear opens with this baroque-ish chase between the instruments before exploding into an intense and high speed game of cat and mouse. “It takes a lot of energy for us to be positive and resilient in these times. We also need soft places to land, to breathe, to reconnect with ourselves, and to nurture our souls. Warm Valley does this for me.” Magnus Hjorth’s sensitive intro on the Duke Ellington classic sets the scene for this intimate duo.

A special highlight is guitarist Bruce Forman’s arrangement of Jerome Kern’s I’ve Told Every Little Star. Forman’s arrangement brings a vulnerability to the story that doesn’t exist in the original version. Korb’s bass solo takes that feeling even deeper. “This year, I celebrate 25 years since “Introducing Kristin Korb” was released with my mentor, Ray Brown. Ray opened the world to me through that CD. He inspired me in so many ways and challenged me to always bring my ‘A game’. I will be forever grateful. While I feel like I’ve made my own path musically, Ray is still a big part of it.” Ray’s influence is heard in the foot stomping opening track Come Rain or Come Shine. His spirit returns again in the final track Summer Wind. Korb closes the project with a tip of the hat to her life now in Denmark. Summer Wind was originally recorded in German and Danish before Johnny Mercer set his text to the music. The bonus track Sommervind has her singing in Danish, but it swings just the same. “What If?” and “Why Not?” were released as independent digital releases. In conjunction with the digital release of “Why Not?”, Korb and company are releasing the hard copy as a double disc compilation: “What If / Why Not”.

Personnel: Kristin Korb: All Vocals, Bass; Magnus Hjorth: Piano; Snorre Kirk: Drums; Tira Skamby: Percussion (Zanzibar)

Why Not?

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The Kristin Korb-Todd Johnson Trio - Get Happy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:44
Size: 136.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. I'm Old Fashioned
[4:59] 2. Top Of The World
[4:45] 3. Just A Closer Walk With Thee
[4:19] 4. If You Never Fall In Love With Me
[4:10] 5. Moon River
[4:42] 6. Sunshine & Slim
[4:30] 7. Cheek To Cheek
[2:08] 8. Wonder Why
[3:28] 9. Get Happy
[4:04] 10. You Don't Know What Love Is
[4:42] 11. Goin' Home
[2:58] 12. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[3:09] 13. Everything Happens To Me
[4:32] 14. Blues For Hellen
[3:19] 15. When You're Smilin'

Kristin Korb, vocals & upright bass; Todd Johnson-6-string bass; Kendall Kay, drums.

My vision for a "bass duo" began sometime in 2003. I'd been working successfully as a solo bass act, but missed the interplay of another musician. I knew if I could find the right bass player it just might work. Shortly thereafter, I discovered Kristin Korb. I contacted her and spoke with her about my idea. She said, "Let's give it a try." So I booked us at a duo series I was hosting. She came and had dinner with my family and me, we talked over a few tunes and we were off to the gig. Well, the rest is history. My vision was rapidly becoming a reality. Just one thing was missing. I found it quickly in Kendall Kay. He's one of the finest drummers and people you'll ever hope to work with. He ALWAYS plays the RIGHT thing at the RIGHT time. My vision is now complete.

I hope you find this CD musical, entertaining, and a little bit innovative. Not bad for 2 bass players and a drummer! ~ Todd Johnson

Get Happy

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Richie Beirach - Manhattan Reverie

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:41
Size: 159.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:14] 1. You Don't Know What Love Is
[6:09] 2. On Green Dolphin Street
[6:40] 3. If I Were A Bell
[5:07] 4. Manhattan Reverie
[8:49] 5. Etude (No. 6 In E-Flat Minor, Op. 10)
[9:07] 6. Transition
[8:34] 7. Stella By Starlight
[5:37] 8. Veils
[6:30] 9. Blood Count
[7:52] 10. Footprints

Richie Beirach: piano; George Mraz: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

It was all in the eyes. They say peek into someone's eyes if you really want to see what they're about and how they're feeling. From the looks of things at a performance to celebrate his sixtieth birthday at Birdland at the end of August 2007, it seemed that Richie Beirach was feeling good. Sounded tops, too. This classically-trained veteran pianist was marking his sixth decade on earth with a little help from his friends—trio band mates, bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Hart, expert rhythm makers also featured on this highly effective 2007 Japanese import from Venus Records, Manhattan Reverie. They all appeared to have a certain twinkle in their eyes, suggesting that they are very comfortable playing with each other, wise to each other's ways and that they were having a good time. It was kind of a nice message: Age has nothing to do with vitality or musical ability, except maybe, in this case, it adds to both of those things.

Two terrific guests shared in the belated (his birthday was in May) festivities at Birdland —trumpeter Randy Brecker and the violinist Gregor Huebner. Whether live or on recording, Hart and Mraz supplied excellent support to Beirach's intricate, introspective and lively playing. Surprises of the show included explorations of Bartók and Bach, each offering gorgeously rendered improvisations. A tribute to the late Michael Brecker, in the form of a rearranged "old Russian folk song as Beirach described it, was moving and beautiful, if at moments almost painful to witness, a feeling heightened by the intensity of brother Randy's participation. These stunning, seemingly effortless endeavors were punctuated by exquisite soloing by Huebner.

The live event had been touted in some circles as an occasion also to mark the release of Manhattan Reverie so the repertoire sampled on the Friday before Labor Day was somewhat unexpected, as no pieces from the album were played in that particular set. But the recording merits repeated listening. It features several standards, including "You Don't Know What Love Is, "On Green Dolphin Street and "If I Were a Bell, all performed at breakneck pace. Somehow that works. In fact, for those of us out here who are a little love-weary (or even love-leery?) it was a welcome change of pace to hear a heart-crushing tune like "You Don't Know What Love Is zip by at such a clip. Would that the pain of lost love could breeze by like that. The Germany-based pianist's own title track is delicious and more gently realized, though a pretty violin accompaniment goes by uncredited. ~Laurel Gross

Manhattan Reverie

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Alexa Tarantino - Firefly

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:35
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:39) 1. Spider's Dance
(4:44) 2. Mindful Moments
(4:08) 3. Move Of The Spirit
(4:43) 4. Iris
(4:19) 5. Daybreak
(1:37) 6. Surge Fughetta
(4:11) 7. Surge Capacity
(4:34) 8. La Donna Nel Giardino
(6:43) 9. Rootless Ruthlessness
(6:33) 10. Lady Day
(4:24) 11. Violet Sky
(5:56) 12. The Firefly Code

The twenty-first century sees many of us talking to a cloud-based artificial intelligence: "Alexa, play my music." And so she does. The time frame also sees the emergence of a talented human Alexa Alexa Tarantino, who plays her music, on Firefly, the woodwindist's third album release on Posi- Tone Records, an evolutionary leap forward conceptually and compositionally from her debut, Winds of Change (2019), and her second outing, Clarity (2020), both on Posi-Tone Records. Fronting a quintet which includes vibraphonist and label mate Behn Gillece and keyboardist Art Hirahara, Tarantino, plays alto and soprano saxophones, flute and clarinet, making a music which has a feeling of a release of positivity, of pent-up feelings and ideas being given voice with the easing of a post-pandemic isolation.

The disc opens with Hirahara's "Spider's Dance," a luminescent reverie, with the leader sounding particularly inspired, The arrangement the back and forth of piano, vibes and saxophone solos is as close to perfection as can be. Vibraphonist Gillece's "Mindful Moments" finds Tarantino switching to flute, floating over the rhythm section's fluid shuffle, leading into a composition from the group's drummer, Rudy Royston, "Move The Spirit," a high octane, get-up-and-dance type of tune.. With "Iris," a tune written by saxophonist Wayne Shorter which appeared on Miles Davis' ESP (Columbia Records, 1965) the ensemble explores Shorter's classic sound, edgy and luxuriant at the same time in this quintet's rendition.

All great music, but it is with her own "Daybreak" that Tarantino's evolutionary progression begins to show. The tune serves as Part 1 of her original "A Moment In Time" suite. It has a "clean slate, go out and make the day" sound, brimming with energy and optimism," moving into the minute-and-a-half "Surge Fughetta" from bassist Boris Kozlov's pen. The tune has a dreamy, chamber music vibe (flute, vibes and bass), which segues into Tarantino's "Surge Capacity," a scintillating barnburner, with Tarantino's blowing bringing alto saxophonist Jackie McLean to mind. Tarantino and the group re-visit Wayne Shorter with "Lady Day," a lovely, introspective, time-stands-still six and half minutes. This excellent set closes with the highlight, Tarantino's "The Firefly Code," which, on an Alexa mix (the artificial intelligence Alexa, not the saxophonist Alexa) could be mistaken for a Hubert Laws composition intricately and ethereally beautiful, exuding "hope, faith, rest and rejuvenation," as only the best music can.~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/firefly-alexa-tarantino-posi-tone-records

Personnel: Alexa Tarantino: saxophone, alto; Behn Gillece: vibraphone; Art Hirahara: piano; Boris Koslov: bass; Rudy Royston: drums.

Firefly

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Nnenna Freelon - Time Traveler

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:11
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07) 1. I Say a Little Prayer
(6:05) 2. Marvin Medley: If This World Were Mine / Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing/ Ain't No Mountain High Enough
(5:31) 3. Just You
(4:53) 4. Betcha by Golly Wow
(6:59) 5. Time in a Bottle
(5:05) 6. You Make Me Feel Brand New
(5:56) 7. Moon River
(4:58) 8. Time After Time
(4:49) 9. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:29) 10. Time Traveler
(3:17) 11. Time Traveler (Reprise)

Multi-GRAMMY nominated vocal artist Nnenna Freelon is back, delivering her eleventh album after a decade-long hiatus from the studio. With 'Time Traveler,' she offers a celebration of love and a prayer of hope for those living with loss. The sessions for the album stretched over two years, between 2018 and 2020, coinciding with the loss of Freelon’s soulmate and husband of forty years, Phil Freelon, to ALS. Freelon draws from her & Phil's shared love of jazz and rhythm and blues, to step through an imagined doorway where past, present and future collide. From the album's centerpiece, a medley of Marvin Gaye classics, to standards such as “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Moon River,” or her self-penned title song, Freelon reminds us of the grace and elegance that naturally accompanies her approach to interpreting melody. Inspired by her emotive glances to the past, and soulful presence in the here and now, she paints a portrait of reverence and gratitude for the gift of love that permeates every aspect of the human condition. https://media.allaboutjazz.com/track-time-traveler-by-nnenna-freelon

Personnel: Nnenna Freelon - Vocals; Miki Hayama - Piano (1,3,5,7,8), Fender Rhodes (2,4,9), Synthesizer (2,8) ; Chuckey Robinson - Keyboards (10,11); Brandon McCune - Hammond Organ (1,3); Keith Ganz - Guitar (2-6,8-11); Noah Jackson - Acoustic Bass (1,3-5,7,9); Gerald Veasley - Electric Bass (2,8); Lance Scott - Electric Bass (10,11); E.J. Strickland - Drums (1,3-5,7,9); Adonis Rose - Drums (2,8); Jon Curry - Drums (10,11); Beverly Botsford - Percussion (2,4,8); Trineice Robinson-Martin - Background Vocal (1); Kirk Whalum - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (4); Shana Tucker - Cello (5)

Time Traveler

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Melissa Stylianou - No Regrets

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:34) 1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(3:29) 2. Remind Me
(7:10) 3. I Got It Bad (Feat. Billy Drewes)
(5:07) 4. Humming To Myself
(5:14) 5. I Wish I Knew
(3:40) 6. Somebody's On My Mind (Feat. Anat Cohen and Linda Oh)
(3:31) 7. Down by the Salley Gardens (Feat. Matt Wilson)
(5:31) 8. A Nightingale Can Sing The Blues (Feat. Billy Drewes)
(8:06) 9. I'll Never Be The Same (Feat. Anat Cohen)
(6:30) 10. Polkadots and Moonbeams
(3:26) 11. I Mean You (Feat. Bruce Barth)

Canadian by birth and training, the singer Melissa Stylianou has been living in New York for a decade now, where she has made herself known and appreciated for her valuable collaborations ( Ben Monder , Chris Lightcap , Matt Wilson , Rodney Green ) and concerts in prestigious clubs like Blue Note, Iridium, Jazz Standard or Birdland. If in the previous four discs he faced a varied repertoire, alternating well-known standards with themes by Tom Waits , Biörk or Johnny Cash, in this No Regrets he chooses to immerse himself in tradition accompanied by a first-rate trio, including pianist Bruce Barth , the double bass playerLinda May Han Oh and drummer Matt Wilson . In some pieces the clarinetist Anat Cohen and the saxophonist Billy Drewes participate as guests. The record was also recorded in the most traditional way: live in a single session, with a double track recorder.

Stylianou is a singer with a clear and sensual timbre, who manifests her jazz identity with a brilliant technique and an intense interpretative taste. His singing favors atmospheres of intimate colloquiality but knows how to soar in moments of whimsical rhythmic tension. The disc is a nice roundup of well-known standards and a few songs that are not very popular but with a valuable "historical curriculum." Among them we have "Somebody's on My Mind,"Billie Holiday is linked to her magical interpretation, the archaic "Humming to Myself" sung by Connee Boswell , or "A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues," linked to the languid versions of Peggy Lee and Julie London .

Melissa offers us successful versions of it, for elegance and sobriety, accompanied from time to time by Anat Cohen, Linda Oh and Billy Drewes. Another happy choice, which goes beyond the jazz tradition, is the traditional "Down by the Salley Gardens" sung with poetic intensity with only the accompaniment of the drums. Among the best known themes, we particularly appreciated the dynamic version of the Monkian "I Mean You," in duo with Bruce Barth. Translate By Google.... https://www.allaboutjazz.com/no-regrets-melissa-stylianou-anzic-records-review-by-angelo-leonardi.php

Personnel: Melissa Stylianou: vocals; Bruce Barth: piano; Linda Oh: double bass; Matt Wilson: drums. Guests: Anat Cohen: clarinet; Billy Drewes: alto sax.

No Regrets

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3D Jazz Trio - I Love to See You Smile

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:32
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:20) 1. I Love to See You Smile
(8:21) 2. Besame Mucho
(8:29) 3. Moonglow
(6:07) 4. Back at the Chicken Shack
(8:49) 5. Angel Eyes
(7:14) 6. Recado Bossa Nova
(8:12) 7. When You and I Were Young, Maggie
(3:57) 8. L.O.V.E.

The spirit of sisterhood isn't based on size, but, rather, built on the power of kinship. If anybody in the jazz world truly understands that fact, it's drummer Sherrie Maricle. Way ahead of the curve when it comes to spotlighting the need for female empowerment and equality in the music, she's helmed the Diva Jazz Orchestra for more than a quarter of a century. And while that ensemble remains her flagship, some smaller spin-off combos that have followed it also carry serious weight. A quintet Five Play was formed near the turn of the millennium; the Diva Jazz Trio, featuring the rhythm section from the larger ensemble, turned some heads with the release of Never Never Land (Arbors Records, 2009); and her latest triangular endeavor the 3D Jazz Trio has been drawing praise since its debut album dropped in 2016.

The origins of this band predate its first release by two years, when Maricle connected with pianist Jackie Warren and bassist Amy Shook while backing dancer Maurice Hines' Tappin' Thru Life production at the Cleveland Playhouse. Strong chemistry between these three was there from the beginning, so an easy partnership came to pass. And judging by the music presented on this sophomore release, the group's bonds have only grown stronger and deeper over time. Right from the start on the Randy Newman-penned title track this trio cooks. Warren's monstrous chops ride atop the infectiously swinging foundation, Shook steps to the fore in fine form, and Maricle's stick work shines between the hits. A wonderful scene-setter that's tight in all the right ways, it leaves no doubt about this band's capabilities.

As the album continues, 3D explores numerous musical angles. Following a flowing Warren introduction, the collective powers deliver a "Bésame Mucho" which burns with the heat of a thousand suns. With a "Moonglow" that features some Gene Harris-esque flights from Warren's fingers, this crew pushes the thermometer from cool to hot and back again. The group's dynamic take on Jimmy Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack" adds a welcome dose of blues and soul to the mix. And a haunting and happening trip through "Angel Eyes," with arco bass offering the melody while a menacing piano riff operates in the shadows, places this old chestnut in new light. Those first five numbers make clear that this trio can handle just about anything with aplomb, and the three that make up the balance of the program the Brazilian-t "Recado Bossa Nova," morphing 12/8 winner "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" and up-tempo "L.O.V.E." simply seal the deal. This three-dimensional band soars and roars through this set with power, precision and supreme taste. It's smiles all around here.~ DAN BILAWSKY https://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-love-to-see-you-smile-3d-jazz-trio-diva-jazz

Personnel: Sherrie Maricle: drums; Jackie Warren: piano; Amy Shook: bass, acoustic.

I Love to See You Smile

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Curtis Fuller - Cabin In The Sky

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:30
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:49) 1. The Prayer / Taking A Chance On Love
(4:00) 2. Cabin In The Sky
(3:22) 3. Old Ship Of Zion
(4:15) 4. Do What You Wanna Do
(3:25) 5. Honey In The Honeycomb
(4:57) 6. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
(2:45) 7. Savannah
(3:46) 8. Love Turned The Light Out
(3:40) 9. In My Old Virginia Home (On The River Nile)
(5:27) 10. Love Me Tomorrow (But Leave Me Alone Today) / The Prayer

If you love Miles Davis' Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess both arranged by Gil Evans then you simply must consider Curtis Fuller's Cabin in the Sky. Recorded over two days in April 1962 for Impulse, the album's orchestrations are on par with both Davis albums and frame Fuller's trombone beautifully. [Pictured above, Curtis Fuller]. Arranged by Manny Albam [pictured above] one of the finest composer-arrangers of the '50s and '60s who remains woefully underappreciated Cabin in the Sky has the same sighing quality and provocative brassy bombast as the Evans works. They shift, turn, swing and ponder all the way through.

On the album, Fuller (like Davis) is cast as a wandering, vulnerable soloist who must spar with surging sections of the orchestra that hurl all sorts of heavenly bolts at him. From start to finish, Cabin in the Sky is a masterpiece that truly needs fresh critical consideration.At the time, however, the album was a considered a commercial flop through no fault of Fuller or Albam. Which is both tragic and baffling, considering its spectacular qualities and the musicians involved. Here's who were talking about... On the tracks with strings: Curtis Fuller (tb), Eddie Costa (vib,perc), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d) and Margaret Ross (harp) along with unknown strings. On the orchestral tracks: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Al DeRisi and Freddie Hubbard (tp); Curtis Fuller, Bob Brookmeyer, Kai Winding [pictured above] and Wayne Andre (tb); Alan Raph (b-tb) Harvey Phillips (tu) Jimmy Buffington, Ray Alonge, Tony Miranda and Morris Secon (fhr); Eddie Costa (vib); Hank Jones (p); Art Davis (b) and Osie Johnson (d).

As you can see, the date featured many of New York's finest. So what was the problem? To find out, I pulled Ashely Kahn's The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records off the shelf...

“The trombonist remembers that for a session requiring intricate coordination with large ensembles, all went surprisingly well until extra studio time was requested.

“ 'They allowed me three hours with the strings and three hours with the brass. The strings, obviously, went perfect; we got that done, boom, with time to spare. But we needed time to fuse the thing, to connect the strings with the brass... I said, No, [three hours is] kind of harsh, can we have another hour? They raised hell for about a week.'

“The album was completed, released with an evocative double male-female profile by photographer Pete Turner [pictured above], who received positive notice in the jazz press. Yet what ultimately transpired, from Fuller's perspective, was a bitter lesson in record company acccounting that can leave an unwary musician with little chance of recouping expenditures, some of which were hidden. “ '[Bob] Thiele said, If w'ere going to have strings, we're going to go all out. We went from a six-string ensemble to the New York Philharmonic. Well, now, whose budget is it anyway? Then I found out that they would charge me for the ashtrays and the music stands and everything else you know, this is a big business... [Photo above of Impulse producer Bob Thiele and John Coltrane by Joe Alper]

“ 'I think Creed [Taylor] would have run that over with me. But Bob Thiele was, Let's just do this and let's let it be done. But once the album came out, I just don't think that the company was prepared to put the kind of [marketing and promotional] money into it."

If you are unfamiliar with Fuller's Cabin in the Sky, you will be knocked out by the trombonist's conversational style and Manny Albam's extraordinary gift for turning an orchestra into a rip-tide of brassy energy. https://news.allaboutjazz.com/curtis-fuller-cabin-in-the-sky

Personnel: Curtis Fuller - trombone; Al DeRisi, Bernie Glow, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Royal - trumpet; Ray Alonge, Jim Buffington, Anthony Miranda, Morris Secon - French horn; Wayne Andre, Kai Winding - trombone; Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone; Alan Raph - trombone, bass trombone; Harvey Phillips - tuba; Eddie Costa - vibraphone, percussion; Barry Galbraith - guitar; Hank Jones - piano; Art Davis, Milt Hinton - bass; Osie Johnson - drums; Harry Lookofsky - violin, concertmaster; Margaret Ross - Harp; Unnamed string section; Manny Albam - arranger, conductor

Cabin In The Sky

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Caetano Veloso - A Foreign Sound

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:06
Size: 173,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:31) 1. Carioca (The Carioca)
(5:31) 2. So In Love
(1:20) 3. I Only Have Eyes For You
(6:07) 4. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
(3:27) 5. Body And Soul
(1:58) 6. Nature Boy
(4:09) 7. The Man I Love
(1:47) 8. There Will Never Be Another You
(2:38) 9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(3:28) 10. Diana
(5:18) 11. Sophisticated Lady
(4:16) 12. Come As You Are
(4:32) 13. Feelings
(2:33) 14. Summertime
(1:30) 15. Detached
(2:44) 16. Jamaica Farewell
(2:37) 17. Love For Sale
(3:09) 18. Cry Me A River
(3:05) 19. If It's Magic
(1:38) 20. Something Good
(3:25) 21. Stardust
(2:47) 22. Blue Skies
(3:24) 23. Love Me Tender - FAIXA BÔNUS

When an international artist records an English-language album, crossover is usually in the cards. For Caetano Veloso, however, it's an entirely different matter. The statesman of Brazilian pop, a musical giant who is on track to record more in his fifth decade of artistic striving than in any other (not to mention his accompanying exploits in literature), Veloso has no need to begin an American campaign. He also has shown no wish to. Caetano Veloso has never courted an American audience, though he has drawn a sizeable one because of his prescient, emotionally charged songwriting and a performance style that can be studied or unhinged depending on the circumstances required. A Foreign Sound is not only an English-language album but an American songbook, one that explores Veloso's long fascination with the greatest composers in American history. It began when he was a child in the '40s and '50s enamored of American culture, was strengthened when his hero João Gilberto began championing the great American songbook, and has remained steady if not continuous through his artistic career. The record is perhaps his most ambitious project ever, a 22-song album that ranges for its material from emperors of Broadway to the denizens of folk music, from the cultured (Rodgers & Hart's "Manhattan") to the torchy (Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") to the gritty (Nirvana's "Come as You Are"). Veloso's high tenor has only strengthened 30 years after his other English-language record an eponymous 1971 LP, recorded in London as a forlorn postcard to the country he had been forcibly removed from by Brazil's fascist-leaning government. Although few recordings in his discography (or any other's) can rival that one's emotional power, A Foreign Sound comes very close. Veloso transforms these standards by a clever combination of his subtle interpretive gifts, his precise, literate delivery, and his ability to frame each song with an arrangement that fits perfectly (usually either a small group led by his acoustic guitar or a small string group, though "Love for Sale" is given a spine-tingling a cappella treatment). Out of 22 songs, only Bob Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" sounds like a mistake; every other performance here is nearly irresistible, the perfect valentine to a country with a strong songwriting tradition that Veloso unites and celebrates with this album.~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-foreign-sound-mw0000329917

A Foreign Sound

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Molly Holm - Permission

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:15
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(1:55) 1. Improvised Raga
(7:01) 2. Sea Journey
(9:08) 3. Permission
(4:54) 4. The Bear
(9:14) 5. Go There Now
(8:06) 6. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
(2:24) 7. Secret Words
(6:44) 8. Something Else
(8:17) 9. Afro Blue
(2:55) 10. Straight No Chaser
(4:51) 11. You Don't Know What Love Is
(2:40) 12. Song At Seventeen

Vocalist Molly Holm has had a potent progressive ("Avant-garde") presence in the Bay Area for three decades, having been an original member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra and was a featured singer with Terry Riley and Zakir Hussain. Creatively, Holm never grew up into the proper, standard-singing chanteuse that many of her contemporaries did, rather she has remained on the cutting edge of jazz vocals exactly where she belongs. Permission is an eclectic collection of vocal jazz standards most having the lyrics composed after the music and six Holm originals that fit seamlessly into the universal groove of the disc. Edgy and defiant, Holm's musical approach is to push the envelope and her supporting musicians right up to the point of post-modern deconstruction, stopping just in time before her efforts disintegrate into ravenous particles.

The only true "standard" on the disc is a subdued ballad reading of "You Don't Know What Love Is," whose inclusion could have been based on Holm wanting to prove she can sing it straight. It does serve as a nice contrast to something like Holm's own "Improvised Raga," smacking of elastic electric bass bubbling funk crossed with Eastern Plainchant dissolving into Chick Corea's "Sea Journey." Mark van Wageningen's bass playing is virtuosic as a lead instrument while Holm takes the song into sophisticated contemporary jazz territory. Holm's title original is hypnotic over a simple rhythmic and harmonic figure. The piece provides a suitable vehicle for Holm's vocal experimentations over Frank Martin's probing piano. Larry Schneider provides a lengthy and meandering Coltranesque solo over the scaffolding of the song. "Permission" provides a good foil to Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue" which Holm stretches into assorted sizes giving the piece wide-open spaces.

The two highlights are Charles Mingus's "Good Bye Pork Pie Hat" (with lyrics by Rahsaan Roland Kirk) and Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser." The former stands up to any performance of this Mingus homage to Lester Young. Acoustic Bassist Jeff Chambers defies the time-space continuum with his limber pizzicato seasoned with Schneider's soprano horn and Martin's piano accents. This is eight-plus minutes of bliss. "Straight, No Chaser" is taken in the musical vernacular into which it was born. Trombonist Wayne Wallace polishes off Monk's jagger edges without harming his virile dissonance. It swings the hardest on this most satisfying and gratifying recording.~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/permission-molly-holm-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Molly Holm: vocalist and composer; Larry Schneider: soprano saxophone; Frank Martin: piano; Jeff Chambers: acoustic bass; Famoudou Don Moye; Deszon Clairborne: drums; Antonia Minnecola: North Indian vocal percussion; Wayne Wallace: trombone; Bill Bell: piano; Eddie Marshall: drums; Marc van Wageningen: electric bass; Paul van Wageningen: drums; David Frazier: percussion.

Permission

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Kyle Asche Organ Trio - The Hook Up

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:55
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:00)  1. Tightrope
(6:36)  2. The Best Thing For You
(4:39)  3. Takala
(6:15)  4. For Those That Are There
(5:32)  5. For Mike
(7:16)  6. Hide Inside
(6:15)  7. Alfie
(6:19)  8. The Hook Up

Nothing says "jazz" like an organ trio, and nothing sounds "cooler." I mean dark sunglasses, tight black suit and skinny dark tie cool, maybe a cigarette dangling, like on some of those old Wes Montgomery album covers on Riverside. Chicago-based guitarist Kyle Asche fits very well into the Wes Montgomery sound, though the look has been updated suits have a more modern cut, with some color, and the ties are wider, and the cigarettes (thankfully) are nowhere to be seen. These are young guys Asche is 26 but they've absorbed the Montgomery/Grant Green organ trio sound and given it a modern twist, with some gritty sax work growling up from under the guitar/organ solos on four of the eight tunes. Asche penned six of the tunes on The Hook Up, some fine compositions that pay homage to the tradition. The group also covers Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing for You" and Burt Bacharach's "Alfie," the latter opening with an extended Asche solo, the group joining him a minute and half in, with the whisper of Pete Benson's B-3 and the soft hiss of Todd Howell's brushes on skin. It seems an unlkely vehicle for the organ trio, but they make the song theirs, and it's a nice change of pace from the bluesier tone of most of the rest of the recording. Tenor saxophonist Scott Burns joins the trio on four tunes, mixing up the group sound on a nicely-paced set, one played with a lot of soul, passion and an updated "coolness."~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-hook-up-oa2-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Kyle Asche: guitar; Pete Benson: Hammond B-3 organ; Todd Howell: drums; Scott Burns: tenor saxophone.

The Hook Up

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Gerry Mulligan Quartet - Reunion With Chet Baker

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz

Year: 1957

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 68:11

Size: 159,9 MB

Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Reunion

(5:09)  2. When Your Lover Has Gone

(4:46)  3. Stardust

(4:15)  4. My Heart Belongs To Daddy

(4:28)  5. Jersey Bounce

(4:44)  6. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top

(3:44)  7. Trav'lin' Light

(4:34)  8. Trav'lin' Light (Alternate Take)

(5:14)  9. Ornithology

(3:43) 10. People Will Say We're In Love

(3:23) 11. The Song Is You

(3:37) 12. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You

(3:33) 13. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (alternate take)

(6:01) 14. I Got Rhythm

(6:46) 15. All The Things You Are

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet of 1952-53 was one of the best-loved jazz groups of the decade and it made stars out of both the leader and trumpeter Chet Baker. Mulligan and Baker had very few reunions after 1953 but this particular CD from 1957 is an exception. Although not quite possessing the magic of the earlier group, the music is quite enjoyable and the interplay between the two horns is still special. With expert backup by bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Dave Bailey, these 13 selections (plus two new alternate takes) should please fans of both Mulligan and Baker.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/reunion-with-chet-baker-mw0000194443

Personnel:  Chet Baker — trumpet;  Gerry Mulligan — baritone saxophone;  Henry Grimes – bass;  Dave Bailey - drums

Reunion With Chet Baker

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Toots Thielemans - European Quartet Live

Styles: Harmonica Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:24
Size: 130,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:27) 1. I Loves You, Porgy
(5:39) 2. Summertime
(6:58) 3. Começar de Novo
(5:47) 4. The Days of Wine and Roses
(3:16) 5. Circle of Smile (Theme From: Baantjer)
(3:07) 6. Round Midnight
(5:55) 7. Les Feuilles Mortes
(4:27) 8. Theme from Midnight Cowboy
(6:01) 9. On Green Dolphin Street
(3:55) 10. Ne Me Quitte Pas
(4:40) 11. Bluesette
(3:05) 12. For My Lady

Jean "Toots" Thielemans' musical education started early he had already started to play the accordion at the age of three. But it was his skill on the harmonica that brought him international fame, and it's that skill which is to the fore on European Quartet Live, featuring a set of well-known tunes taken from concerts in 2006, '07 and '08. It's the second Thielemans live album to be released in 2010 after The Live Takes, Volume 1 (In + Out Records), which was recorded in the '90s and with a different lineup of musicians, but it also includes versions of the first three tracks to be found on European Quartet Live. Thielemans was in his mid-80s when performing these concerts, but the precision and tone of his playing could well be that of a much younger musician. This is an album which has a comforting familiarity: a relaxed set that could have been recorded in a small club or even at a private party for friends, rather than in a series of concert halls. The European Quartet's other members give Thielemans sympathetic backing, the result, at least in part, of their long musical association. Drummer Hans van Oosterhout is particularly notable, providing subtle and inventive rhythms that are always interesting but never intrusive.

For the most part, these tunes are familiar, and the band's arrangements are mainstream beautifully played, but with no surprises. The songs are ideal for Thieleman's warm and romantic style, but his playing is especially suited to fellow-Belgian Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," and Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prevert's Great American Songbook standard, "Les Feuilles Mortes," also known as "Autumn Leaves," in which the harmonicist closes with a bar or two of the French anthem, "La Marseillaise." The quartet's version of John Barry's theme to the film soundtrack of Midnight Cowboy (1969) on which Thielemans also played features a fine double-bass solo from Hein Van de Geyn, while on Thielemans' "Bluesette," the harmonicist adopts an accordion-like tone.

Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" and George Gershwin's "Summertime" are also treated imaginatively by the quartet. "Summertime" gets an upbeat, swinging arrangement, its opening bearing more than a passing resemblance to Miles Davis' "All Blues," with both Thielemans and pianist Karel Boehlee delivering positive solos. Thielemans performs "Round Midnight" unaccompanied, and it's an inspired take on this classic tune, showcasing the harmonicist's continued ability to play with empathy and emotion. The venues at which European Quartet Live was recorded are not identified, but their audiences all give the band an enthusiastic welcome, as if they are greeting old friends. In return, Thielemans and his band mates deliver what the audiences expect: classic tunes, played with warmth and enthusiasm.~ Bruce Lindsay https://www.allaboutjazz.com/european-quartet-live-toots-thielemans-challenge-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

Personnel: Toots Thielemens: harmonica; Karel Boehlee: piano, synthesizer; Hein Van de Geyn: double-bass; Hans van Oosterhout: drums.

European Quartet Live

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Freda Payne - Lonely Woman

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:51
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:29) 1. After the Lights Go Down Low
(3:01) 2. Sweet Pumpkin
(2:51) 3. Blue Piano
(2:36) 4. The Things We Love to Do
(2:16) 5. Awaken My Lonely One
(2:38) 6. Sweet September
(4:03) 7. I Cried for You
(4:27) 8. 'Round Midnight
(3:15) 9. Out of This World
(4:07) 10. Lonely Woman
(3:55) 11. I Wish I Knew
(2:07) 12. It's Time

The multi-talented Freda Payne is best known for her singing career, yet she has also performed in musicals and acted in movies over the years, and was briefly the host of her own TV talk show. Born Freda Charcilia Payne on September 19, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan, Payne developed an appreciation of music at an early age (due to such sultry jazz singers as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday). Payne's own musical career blossomed soon after, as she began early singing radio commercial jingles, which brought the young vocalist to the attention of several music-biz heavyweights. Berry Gordy, Jr. attempted to sign Payne to his then-burgeoning record company Motown, while Duke Ellington employed Payne as the featured singer with his renowned orchestra for two nights in Pittsburgh, resulting in Ellington offering the teenager a ten-year contract. But in both cases, Payne's mother turned them down.

During the early to mid-'60s, Payne established herself as a fine jazz vocalist, touring the country with both Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby, and issuing a jazz/big band-based album in 1963, After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!. In addition to a sophomore effort surfacing three years later, How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore, Payne enjoyed further exposure via appearances on such TV shows as Johnny Carson, David Frost, and Merv Griffin. But it wasn't until Payne signed on to the Invictus label in 1969 (headed by longtime friends/former Motown songwriters/producers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland) and issued the fine album Band of Gold that she scored her breakthrough hit single, the album's title track, which peaked at number three in the U.S. and topped the chart in the U.K. in 1970.

Although Payne never enjoyed another hit as substantial as "Band of Gold," several other successful singles followed in the early '70s: "Deeper and Deeper," "Cherish What's Dear to You," "You Brought the Joy," and the Vietnam protest song "Bring the Boys Home." Further albums followed throughout the '70s, including such titles as Contact, Reaching Out, Payne & Pleasure, Out of Payne Comes Love, Stares & Whispers, Supernatural High, and Hot, which all failed to make an impression on the charts. Payne then switched her attention from music to TV, as she hosted her very own (yet short-lived) talk show in 1981, Today's Black Woman. The '90s saw Payne return to music, as such albums as An Evening with Freda Payne and Christmas with Freda & Friends were issued, while Payne also landed roles in such movies as Private Obsession, Sprung, and Ragdoll. Payne continued to balance an acting and music career during the early 21st century, as she appeared in the 2000 Eddie Murphy comedy Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and the made-for-TV movie Fire & Ice, plus issuing an all-new album in 2001, Come See About Me. Around the same time, several hits compilations were issued, including such titles as Band of Gold: The Best of Freda Payne, Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings, and The Best of Freda Payne: Ten Best Series. Impulse re-released After the Lights Go Down Low in 2005, but failed to add any bonus material. She returned in 2007 with the album On the Inside, which was a collection of her most personal songs. In 2009, she re-entered public consciousness with an appearance on American Idol, performing her most iconic song. In June 2014, she released a jazz-influenced studio album entitled Come Back to Me Love.~ Greg Prato https://www.allmusic.com/artist/freda-payne-mn0000796710/biography

Lonely Woman

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