Artur Akhmetov - Somewhere on the Other Side of the World

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:50
Size: 100,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. Have a Passion (Dedicated to McCoy Tyner)
(5:02) 2. Train to Swana
(5:34) 3. Iceberg
(6:25) 4. Sleep to Dream
(0:47) 5. Bass Intro
(7:39) 6. Somewhere on the Other Side of the World
(6:01) 7. C.S
(6:45) 8. The Hive

Artur is an outstanding jazz guitarist who will play the compositions of his own album Somewhere On The Other Side Of The World, recorded in 2015 in New York City. He will perform along with musicians from the Warsaw scene: Maciej Kadziel, Cesar Guerson, Franciszek Pospieszalski and Stefan Wienken – percussion https://goout.net/en/artur-akhmetov-group/szyridj

Somewhere on the Other Side of the World

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Red Garland - Soul Junction

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:22
Size: 97.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1957/2013
Art: Front

[15:24] 1. Soul Junction
[ 6:46] 2. Woodyn' You
[ 7:31] 3. Birks' Works
[ 6:12] 4. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[ 6:27] 5. Hallelujah

Bass – George Joyner; Drums – Arthur Taylor; Piano – Red Garland; Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane; Trumpet – Donald Byrd.

Pianist Red Garland's very relaxed, marathon blues solo on the 15-minute "Soul Junction" is the most memorable aspect of this CD reissue. With such soloists as tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and trumpeter Donald Byrd, plus steady support provided by bassist George Joyner and drummer Art Taylor, Garland gets to stretch out on the title cut and four jazz originals, including "Birk's Works" and "Hallelujah." Coltrane is in excellent form, playing several stunning sheets of sound solos. ~Scott Yanow

Soul Junction

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Dan Siegel - Faraway Place

Styles: Piano,Accordion Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:47
Size: 99,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Old School
(4:27) 2. Sentimental Story
(4:08) 3. Tried and True
(3:41) 4. Something You Said
(3:57) 5. Curves Ahead
(4:07) 6. Faraway Place
(4:20) 7. Some Time Ago
(3:16) 8. Bluebird
(2:19) 9. Your Smile
(3:54) 10. Looking Up
(4:14) 11. Once Again

Like many titles released in 2021, Dan Siegel's Faraway Place is a product of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was conceived and recorded mostly in isolation by a stellar cadre of musicians: drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, and Omari Williams, saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trumpeter/trombonist Lee Thornburg, guitarist Allen Hinds, acoustic bassist Brian Bromberg, electric bassists Abraham Laboriel and Dwayne "Smitty" Smith, and percussionist Lenny Castro. Brazilian vocalist Rogerio Jardim also appears on two tracks. Siegel composed the music in isolation and attended two socially distanced sessions in a Los Angeles studio with Gadd and Colaiuta. He sent the finished rhythm tracks with piano demos to his cast and had them add their parts, then added finished piano, accordion, organ, and other keyboards to frame these 11 short to mid-length jazz tunes, offered in a variety of styles. "Old School" commences with a funky soul-jazz vamp à la the Cadet era Ramsey Lewis Trio, appended by Castro's bubbling congas around the piano and grooving horns with a chart as fine as Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder." Siegel layers a B-3 organ under his meaty piano fills and accents before Hinds adds funky wah-wah guitar atop Bromberg's bassline as the jam begins to cook. "Sentimental Story" is a midtempo ballad framed by Castro's fluid percussion and Gadd's intricate brushwork. Hinds' chord voicings and Bromberg's resonant bassline allow Siegel to explore a melody that nods to the influence of Vince Guaraldi.

"Tried and True" commences with a slippery, funky piano groove but quickly evolves as the horn section, bassline, and lead guitar lines build a groove recalling Gaucho-period Steely Dan. "Something You Said" is the first of four tunes to feature Siegel's accordion playing. Here it whispers under the shimmering piano that crisscrosses folk and pop lyricism as Hinds and the rhythm section dance around them. Siegel's solo expands the tune into post-bop territory. "Curves Ahead" with Williams on drums and Smith on electric bass, weds the vintage soul-jazz to Latin and contemporary jazz with a smoking electric piano solo and wafting organ. The brief "Your Smile" weds a classical chamber piece with Baroque overtones to samba. Only two-minutes long, it features Jardim's airy, wordless vocals atop piano, upright bass, bassoon, English horn, and viola. Hinds' pulsing wah-wah guitar and Laboriel's simmering electric bassline underscore the prog rock-cum-contemporary jazz groove that colors "Looking Up." Colaiuta's rolling breaks and accents frame Siegel's crystalline chords and canny right-hand fills before he delivers a downright funky solo. Closer "Once Again," offers stylish contemporary post-bop with just the hint of a Latin tinge as Siegel walks the line between swing and soul and Bromberg digs deep into wood to extract the groove with the elegant syncopation of Colaiuta. Faraway Place stands with Siegel's best work for its complex yet utterly accessible approach to rhythmic interplay and kaleidoscopic harmonic invention, all rendered in relatively brief but beautifully arranged compositions.~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/faraway-place-mw0003544032

Personnel: Piano, Keyboards, Accordion: DAN SIEGEL; Guitar: ALLEN HINDS; Acoustic Bass: BRIAN BROMBERG; Electric Bass: ABRAHAM LABORIEL (3, 7, 10), DWAYNE “SMITTY” SMITH (5); Drums: VINNIE COLAIUTA, STEVE GADD (2, 9), OMARI WILLIAMS (5); Percussion: LENNY CASTRO; Trumpet, Trombone: LEE THORNBURG; Saxophone: ERIC MARIENTHAL; Vocal: ROGERIO JARDIM (8, 9); Violin: CHARLIE BISHARAT; Cello: JACOB BRAUN English Horn: CHRIS BIETH Bassoon: DAMIAN MONTANO Hymn Choir: TOM McCAULEY, ALLEN HINDS, DAN SIEGEL (7)

Faraway Place

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Claudia Rezende - The shadow of your smile

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:54
Size: 74,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:19) 1. The look of love
(3:44) 2. Moon river
(2:37) 3. Voce me ganhou
(3:16) 4. The shadow of your smile
(2:26) 5. You belong to my heart
(4:05) 6. The way you look tonight
(3:12) 7. If you went away
(3:06) 8. The very thought of you
(3:31) 9. Autumn leaves
(2:33) 10. How about you

Amina Figarova - Come Escape With Me

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:55
Size: 149,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:40)  1. Come Escape With Me
(7:02)  2. Hot on the Trail
(7:08)  3. Flight of Fancy
(4:05)  4. Mr. T.M.
(5:22)  5. Dancing in the Wind
(3:15)  6. Buckshot Blues
(6:19)  7. Zealot
(4:35)  8. Awakening
(3:00)  9. Blues for Wiro
(4:46) 10. Destiny
(7:14) 11. Market Place
(5:25) 12. Reaching Out to You

The title of Come Escape With Me resembles the debut recordings of Norah Jones and Nellie McKay within the past few years, and the photogenic cover shot of Amina Figarova on this album seems to announce the arrival of another singer/songwriter. Alas, marketing being what it is, this is neither a debut nor a singer. Jazz pianist/composer Amina Figarova is an Azerbaijan native now residing in Rotterdam who has led this group for several years. This is her fifth album for Munich Records. 

The strength of this release is the pianist's sense of composition and arranging skills, as well as the quality of the musicians in her septet. The dozen tunes are all originals and all fit well within the jazz mainstream. In fact, it is hard to differentiate these Dutch musicians from the many well-known jazz combos that have played and recorded over the past few decades here. Most impressive are the work of flautist Bart Platteau (Figarova's husband) on the ballads "Reaching Out To You" and "Awakening"; the alto sax of Tom Beek on "Market Place" and "Reaching Out To You"; and the trumpet work of Marcel Reys on "Dancing in the Wind." "Destiny" is a reflective piano piece for Amina Figarova. ~ Michael P.Gladstone  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/come-escape-with-me-amina-figarova-munich-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php

Personnel: Amina Figarova, piano;  Bart Platteau, flute, Bb-flute, wooden flutes;  Marcel Reys, trumpet, flugelhorn;  Tom Beek, alto and soprano sax;  Kurt van Herck, tenor sax;  Wiro Mahieu, bass;  Chris Strik,drums

Come Escape With Me

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Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different

Styles: Harp Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:35
Size: 101,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:42) 1. Reclamation
(7:11) 2. Spirit U Will
(4:31) 3. Pretend
(5:21) 4. Somewhere Different
(5:41) 5. Love & Struggle
(7:05) 6. Beautiful Is Black
(4:02) 7. Olivia Benson
(3:01) 8. Tickled Pink

Harpist and composer Brandee Younger has joined Impulse! Records to release her major-label debut album Somewhere Different. The album blends the sounds of jazz, classical music, R&B, hip-hop and funk into one genre-defying recording.You can listen to the first single Reclamation right here. Somewhere Different was produced by Dezron Douglas and recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in New York between November of 2020 and February of 2021.

The eight-track recording features drummer Allan Mednard, bassist Rashaan Carter, trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Chelsea Baratz, flautist Anne Drummond and drummer Marcus Gilmore. It also features guest vocals by Tarriona “Tank” Ball from Tank and the Bangas and a special appearance by legendary bassist Ron Carter.A boundary-pushing musician and composer, Younger has shared the stage with major names in jazz, hip hop and R&B including Ravi Coltrane, Christian McBride, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders, Common and Lauryn Hill.

Younger’s last release was Force Majeure, a duo album recorded with Dezron Douglas and released in December.With Somewhere Different, the artist touches on a number of musical and emotional themes while maintaining a cohesive, contemporary sound with a refined focus.“I hope it is enjoyable to listen to, not hard to listen to, nothing to be analyzed or over-analyzed, but that people will just enjoy it,” Younger tells music journalist and author Marcus J. Moore in the record’s liner notes. “Everything has a groove, and that’s me.” https://jazz.fm/brandee-younger-somewhere-different-impulse-records/

Somewhere Different

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Della Reese - Diamonds Are Girl's Best Friend

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:34
Size: 96,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:27) 1. Let's Get Away from It All
(3:09) 2. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
(2:25) 3. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(2:37) 4. I'll Get By
(4:23) 5. How Did He Look
(5:16) 6. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)
(2:35) 7. Don't You Know
(2:38) 8. Not One Minute More
(2:51) 9. Come On-a-My House
(2:48) 10. Why Don't You Do Right
(2:55) 11. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
(2:30) 12. You're Driving Me Crazy
(2:40) 13. It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House
(2:12) 14. Tea for Two

Renowned as both a television star and a top-flight interpreter of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and straight-ahead pop music, Della Reese's many talents ensured a long, varied, and legendary show biz career. In addition to being nominated for both an Emmy and a Grammy and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Reese was also an ordained minister in the Universal Foundation for Better Living, an association of churches she helped found in the early '80s.

Born Deloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, the young Reese began singing in the Baptist church choir in her hometown of Detroit at age six. In 1945, having developed quite rapidly, she caught the ear of legendary gospel queen Mahalia Jackson, who invited Reese to join her touring choir; Reese did so for the next five summers. Upon entering Wayne State University to study psychology, Reese formed a women's gospel group, the Meditation Singers, but her college career was cut short by the death of her mother and her father's serious illness. Reese worked odd jobs to help support the rest of her family; she also continued to perform with the Meditation Singers and various other gospel groups. Encouraged by her pastor, Reese began singing in nightclubs in hopes of getting a singing career off the ground; recently married to a factory worker named Vermont Adolphus Bon Taliaferro, her name was too long to fit on marquees, and she eventually arrived at her performing alias by splitting up her first name. After impressing a New York agent, who promptly signed her, Reese moved to New York and joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1953. A year later, she had a recording contract with Jubilee, for whom she scored hits like "And That Reminds Me," a 1957 million-seller.

Switching to RCA Victor, Reese landed her biggest hit in 1959 with "Don't You Know?," a song adapted from Puccini's La Bohème; this cemented her career, leading not only to plentiful appearances on variety shows, but successful nightclub tours of the country and eventually nine years of performances in Las Vegas, as well as recording contracts with a variety of labels over the next few decades.

Building on her previous variety show experience, Reese made a small bit of television history in 1969 when she became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Later that year, she became the first Black woman to host her own variety show, the syndicated Della, which ran until 1970. Following its cancellation, Reese returned to her nightclub tours, often putting in guest appearances on television shows like The Mod Squad, Sanford and Son, and Chico and the Man; after three prior failed marriages, Reese also found a lasting relationship with producer Franklin Lett, whom she married in 1978.

On October 3, 1980, while taping a song for The Tonight Show, Reese suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly proved fatal; however, thanks to a successful operation, she was able to make a full recovery. She kept up her singing career and appeared on television shows like Designing Women, L.A. Law, and Picket Fences, as well as the Eddie Murphy films Harlem Nights and The Distinguished Gentleman. Reese also starred in the Redd Foxx sitcom The Royal Family from 1991-1992, and garnered what was undoubtedly her highest level of recognition in the inspirational drama series Touched by an Angel, a quite popular program that ran for nine years, between 1994 and 2003, on the CBS network. After Touched by an Angel finished its run, Reese continued to act intermittently on television through to 2014. She died at her home in Encino, California in November 2017 at the age of 86.~Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/della-reese-mn0000196544/biography

Diamonds Are Girl's Best Friend

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Maynard Ferguson - Primal Scream

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:12
Size: 83,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:09) 1. Primal Scream
(10:09) 2. The Cheshire Cat Walk
( 5:33) 3. Invitation
( 5:55) 4. Pagliacci
( 7:24) 5. Swamp

An all-star cast assists Maynard Ferguson in this disco-tinged big-band outing. Ferguson's trademark trumpet playing is featured in all its screaming glory, and Mark Colby contributes a couple of high-energy sax solos. "Primal Scream" and "Invitation" sound as though they were lifted right off the mid-'70s disco dancefloor, complete with T.S.O.P.-type strings and pulsing rhythms. "Pagliacci," too, has the disco beat pounding underneath a Jay Chattaway adaptation of an operatic melody, with Bobby Militello featured on an energetic, overblown flute solo. Chick Corea's "The Cheshire Cat Walk" sounds like latter-day Return to Forever, as Corea's synth trades licks with Ferguson's horn over a familiar RTF rhythmic/chordal bassline sequence. The final cut, Eric Gale's "Swamp," stands out because of its reggae beat. This album was an obvious attempt to jump on the disco-funk bandwagon, and serves as a well-played, though dated, document of that era.~ Jim Newsom https://www.allmusic.com/album/primal-scream-mw0000311404

Personnel: Trumpet [All Solos] – Maynard Ferguson; Alto Saxophone – Dave Sanborn; Bass – Gary King; Bass Trombone – David Taylor, Paul Faulise; Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken; Drums – Steve Gadd; Flute, Baritone Saxophone – Bobby Militello; French Horn – Brooks Tillotson, Earl Chapin; Guitar – Eric Gale, Jeff Mirenov, Jerry Friedman; Piano, Synthesizer [Arp], Clavinet – Bob James; Tenor Saxophone – Joe Farrell; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Mark Colby; Trombone – Tony Studd; Trumpet – Marvin Stamm; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bernie Glow, Jon Faddis, Stan Mark; Viola – Emanuel Vardi, Theodore Israel; Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Frederick Buldivini, Harry Cykman, Joseph Malin, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman; Vocals – Hilda Harris, Lani Groves, Patti Austin

Primal Scream

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Clifford Lamb - Blues & Hues New Orleans

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:29
Size: 80,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:15) 1. Curtain Time
(7:17) 2. Clench
(4:01) 3. Voodoo With Hoodoo
(2:50) 4. Mardi Gras
(4:46) 5. Unrequited Love
(7:00) 6. Blues & Hues New Orleans
(3:17) 7. Final Curtain

There are quite a few cities in the world that have an important musical legacy, and in many cases, the city's musical history might be one of the first things people associate with it. Take New Orleans. Commonly known as the birthplace of jazz, it's hard to imagine New Orleans without conjuring up brass bands, jazz clubs and juke joints. San Francisco-based pianist Clifford Lamb explores New Orleans' musical and cultural aspects with Blues & Hues New Orleans by offering musical mashups exploring the Crescent City's legacy.

A mashup is certainly nothing new in music. This is, of course, where an artist takes elements from existing works and synthesizes them into a unique original composition. Musicians have done this to a greater or lesser degree for years in genres such as hip hop and experimental music. However, mashups have also been a growing part of jazz as well. Artists such as Robert Glasper and Us3 have utilized mashups successfully in their music.

Lamb, who has been a musician since his childhood, began working with mashups on his 2019 recording Blues & Hues (Weber Works). Although he originally studied classical music, he developed an interest in jazz as a teenager and continued his studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music. During his professional career, he's played with some of the top names in jazz, including Kevin Eubanks, John Patitucci, and Tommy Campbell. By working with mashups, he uses his experience and compositional skills to explore new possibilities in jazz.

With Blues & Hues New Orleans, he takes the mashup concept to a new level. As Lamb describes it, he wants to use the mashups "to embrace the elements of an individual city," and it's not just limited to the uplifting parts of the city's history. He wants listeners to experience each city in its entirety. New Orleans is the first stop on his musical road trip, which seems appropriate. Lamb is joined here by Herlin Riley on drums, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Roland Guerin on bass, Rhonda Smith on bass, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, and Justin Klunk on alto saxophone. The album was recorded in New Orleans, and the musicians definitely capture the city's spirit. Whether it's thoughtful melodic pieces like "Unrequited Love" or more funky grooves such as "Mardi Gras," there's an unmistakable New Orleans vibe throughout.

The album, however, wouldn't have the same feel without the mashups. Lamb takes his own songs and fuses them with music by composers such as Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner, Terrence Blanchard, and Max Steiner. The result is something other than a collection of Lamb originals with a few references thrown in. This is true integration of musical compositions, a musical gumbo celebrating New Orleans from its earliest days to the present. Blues & Hues New Orleans offers more than just an album of good jazz music. It celebrates the power of community and also gives the audience something to think about. Listening to the album will, Lamb hopes, "give people a chance to reflect on their own lives and by doing so it will give them the chance to not only appreciate the music, but also experience what the music truly has to offer.~ Kyle Simpler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blues-and-hues-new-orleans-clifford-lamb-webberworks-entertainment-group

Personnel: Clifford Lamb: piano; Herlin Riley: drums; Nicholas Payton: trumpet; Donald Harrison: saxophone, alto; Roland Guerin: bass; Gregg Bissonette: drums; Rhonda Smith: bass; Justin Klunk: saxophone, alto.

Blues & Hues New Orleans

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Amina Figarova, Kim Prevost - On Canal Street

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:04
Size: 112,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Canal Street Blues
(4:46) 2. Fever
(4:50) 3. Averacruz
(3:53) 4. No Means No
(5:02) 5. New Orleans Samba
(3:43) 6. Pass the Word
(4:05) 7. Midnight
(4:17) 8. Night Dream
(4:07) 9. Love Is the Cure
(4:49) 10. Selena
(3:36) 11. Meant to Be

Amina Figarova is without doubt one of the most productive jazz composers and talented jazz piano players from Europe. Now living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Amina started playing piano and composing at a very early age. She studied as a classical concert pianist at the Baku Conservatory, jazz performance at the Rotterdam Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Amina Figarova performs with her own group at many jazz festivals and jazz clubs around the world, such as The North Sea Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Capetown International Jazzfestival, Salvador Bahia Jazz Festival, Brasil, JakArt Festival, Indonesia, Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, Blue Note jazz club New York, and has given concerts in Israel, Europe, United Arabs Emirates, Mexico, USA, Azerbaijan, and many others.

Recorded her first CD “Attraction” in 1994, a start of a wonderful career as pianist and composer, a CD with all compositions and arrangements of Amina, almost all the music on her CDs are composed by herself. In 1998 she was invited to study at the Thelonious Monk Jazz Colony in Aspen, Colorado. A summer camp for the most talented young musicians. That same year she released her second album “Another Me”, a mix of funk, fusion and R&B, influenced by jazz, reggae and latin music, again with all original compositions. In March 2000 she was invited as artist in residence for the Dmitri Matheny Home Season in the San Fransisco Bay Area. That is how the Amina Figarova International Band got started, now released two live recorded CDs. Also the colobaration with Kim Prevost and Bill Solley from New Orleans resulted in the recording “On Canal Street”. Amina is touring and performing often with Denise Jannah. Amina performed with the American All Stars Band with James Moody, Nathan Davis, Claudio Roditi, Larry Corryell, and Wynard Harper.

“Come escape with me” (Munich Records, MRCD 465) showcases Amina's exceptional compositional and arranging skills. Her music (all of the CD's 12 tunes are written by her) is tasteful and refined, showcasing her talents as well as those of her band - a three-piece horn section and one amazing flute player. This new release is the most logic follow up of her septet CD releases “Firewind” and “Night Train”, celebrating the fifth anniversary of her septet. At the moment Amina tours with two different groups. Her septet features other wonderful musicians from The Netherlands and Belgium, and her Amina Figarova International Quintet. “Come escape with me” is recorded in the Netherlands with Marcel Reijs on trumpet, Kurt van Herck on tenor sax, Tom Beek on alto sax, Wiro Mahieu on bass, Chris Strik on drums and Amina's husband Bart Platteau on a whole scala of flutes. The music on this Munich Records CD is a great example of Amina's musical and compositional talents. She takes you to unknown areas to let you taste a different atmosphere, always with her own style and magical swing.

“Come escape with me” is allready for three weeks in the Top 10 of the Jazzweek airplay chart with # 7 as highest ranking! https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/aminafigarova

Personnel: Amina Figarova – Keyboards; Kim Prevost – Vocals; Bart Plateau – Flutes; Bill Solley – Guitar and Synthesizers; Ricky Sebastian – Drums; Roland Guerin – Bass; Kenyatta Simon – Percussion; Cope Kirkland – Rap; Sanford Hinderlie – Synthesizers

On Canal Street

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Melody Gardot - Live At The Olympia Paris

Styles: Vocal, Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 101:50
Size: 233,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:44) 1. Don't Misunderstand
( 7:09) 2. Same To You
( 6:03) 3. She Don't Know
( 7:12) 4. Bad News
(11:29) 5. March For Mingus
(13:32) 6. Morning Sun
( 6:48) 7. Les Etoiles
( 4:42) 8. Baby I'm A Fool
( 8:23) 9. Who Will Comfort Me
(10:24) 10. Preacherman
(19:22) 11. It Gonna Come

Melody Gardot has chosen a Parisian venue of choice, the august Olympia, for her first DVD. With a brass section, organ, guitar to which she adds her own stylish guitar and piano playing and drums she has a full backing within which to serenade her audience.

The nature of the serenading can be artful or intense and the funky patterns of Same To You definitely fall within the latter category, not least because of a storming and stormy tenor sax solo. The Jazz Soul inflections of her instrumental backing they’re well drilled to a man offer Gardot a patter-into-parlando introduction to She Don’t Know at the end of which the lighting rig is focused solely on the striking singer, complete with scarf around her head, black shades, fedora, skinny black trousers, and leather coat. The slow burning blues riffs of Bad News, on which Gardot straps on her easy rider, are accompanied by a voluble tenor solo though because the mic is stationed directly over the bell, it means that the tone suffers. Sitting at an upright piano for March for Mingus, appropriately accompanied by an upright bass, she includes parlando in French in a very theatrical, even knowing way.

But her rapport with the audience is spellbinding an effect not wholly replicated by a moment where one of the saxists stuffs two saxophones into his mouth in clear emulation of Roland Kirk. The Gospel cum Nina Simone inspiration on Morning Sun seems clear enough, Gardot’s vibrato taking on a somewhat insistent edge, whilst Les Étoiles is another attractive French-language chanson, where muted trumpet, bass clarinet and acoustic guitar bring out plenty of fine accompanying figures and make the band sound larger than it truly is.

Wa-wa trumpet gets on down on Who Will Comfort Me I wish there had been more trumpet solos and fewer sax ones and this lively invigorating number prefaces Preacherman where, surprisingly there’s a very brief moment of picture break-up. The cooking outro is the encore, It Gonna Come, with all the band members namechecked and the audience quite rightly on their feet. Gardot is one of today’s most elusive yet understatedly charismatic singers influenced as much by pop mainstream as by jazz as by Parisian confessional and chanson and Motown. She serves up this gumbo as only she knows how. Good camera work (in the main) allows one to enjoy her in the ‘intimacy’ of a filmed concert.~Jonathan Woolf http://www.musicweb-international.com/jazz/2016/Melody_Gardot_DVD.htm

Personnel: Melody Gardot (voice, guitar, piano,): Chuck Staab (drums, musical director): Mitchell Long (guitar): Shareef Clayton (trumpet): Korey Riker (baritone and tenor saxophone): Irwin Hall (tenor and alto saxophones, bass clarinet): Edwin Livingston (bass): Devin Greenwood (keyboards)

Live At The Olympia Paris

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Darius Brubeck - Before it's too Late

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:37
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

( 4:44)  1. Before It's too Late
( 6:01)  2. Sad Song
( 6:55)  3. Mighty Like the Blues
( 6:20)  4. Shadows
( 3:58)  5. Across Your Dreams
( 5:22)  6. Nombelelo
( 6:16)  7. Ravely Street
(14:10)  8. Mamazala
( 3:48)  9. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Darius Brubeck and his brothers Chris and Dan, as Brubecks Play Brubeck, have done international tours annually since the group was formed (with Dave O’Higgins on sax) for a UK concert tour in 2010. Pianist, composer and Fulbright Professor of Jazz Studies, Brubeck was the Director of the Centre for Jazz & Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa until 2005 when he moved to London and established the highly successful Darius Brubeck Quartet. After graduating from Wesleyan University where he studied ethnomusicology and history of religion, Brubeck worked free-lance, started his own bands, and toured the world with his famous father and brothers as a member of Two Generations of Brubeck and The New Brubeck Quartet (Dave, Darius, Chris and Dan Brubeck).   

He moved to South Africa in 1983, to initiate the first Jazz Studies Degree offered by an African university, gaining international recognition for his work in education and for his recordings and concerts with South African musicians. His regular, London-based group, The Darius Brubeck Quartet plays all around the UK and Europe. Following the success of their recent recording, Cathy’s Summer, they will be releasing a new CD, Years Ago soon. https://www.dariusbrubeck.com/brubecks-play-brubeck-3/bpb-band-biographies/

Before it's too Late

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Bob Wilber, Ove Lind - Vital Wilber & Lilting Lind (Remastered)

Styles: Clarinet, Saxophone jazz, Swing
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:35
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:51) 1. Jubilee
(3:31) 2. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself a Letter
(4:51) 3. Am I Blue
(3:06) 4. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(2:43) 5. My Heart Stood Still
(4:52) 6. After You've Gone
(3:16) 7. The Land of the Midnight Sun
(3:43) 8. Clarion Song
(4:03) 9. Sunday
(3:44) 10. Treasure
(2:37) 11. Limehouse Blues
(3:26) 12. There's a Small Hotel
(3:22) 13. How Long Has This Been Going On
(3:55) 14. Sugar
(3:35) 15. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(3:00) 16. Good Friday Bounce
(3:50) 17. East of the Sun

Robert Sage Wilber, clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator, was born in New York City on March 15, 1928. He grew up in a musical household and recalls being fascinated with Ellington's recording of “Mood Indigo” at the age of three. In 1935, Wilber moved to Scarsdale, NY and at 13 he began formal clarinet study. He started playing jazz in high school and often visited New York City's 52nd Street absorbing the music of traditional jazzmen such as Pee Wee Russell, Sidney Bechet, Muggsy Spanier, and modern jazzmen Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker. Early on, he dedicated his life to jazz at the expense of formal college studies.

Wilber studied with Sidney Bechet in 1946, living with him for several months and sitting in with him occasionally at Jimmy Ryan's. In 1948, Bechet sent him in his stead to Nice, France to perform at the first-ever jazz festival, after which Wilber toured with Mezz Mezzrow. In 1946 Wilber formed The Wildcats and recorded sides for Commodore and, with Bechet, for Columbia. In Boston from 1948 to 1951, he led a group of veteran jazzmen at the Savoy Cafe and also played at George Wein's Storyville as a headliner with the De Paris brothers and Sid Catlett.

Wilber entered the Army in 1951, after which he studied with modernists Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz. He also studied classical clarinet with Leon Russinoff for five years. During this time, Wilber had significant gigs with Eddie Condon and Bobby Hackett, and formed his own group, The Six, focusing on combining traditional and modern jazz elements. In 1958-59, he toured twice with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. In 1968, Wilber joined the World's Greatest Jazz Band (WGJB) for six years. He began composing and writing more, and his music reflected increasingly progressive elements. In 1975, Wilber formed the highly regarded Soprano Summit along with co-leader Kenny Davern. This quintet featured both early jazz pieces and original music. The WGJB and Soprano Summit experience combined with work Wilber had done for Duke Ellington conventions in the 1960s reflected an increasing interest in jazz repertory work, not only recreating jazz from original scores but allowing for modern variations. In the 1970s and 1980s, he produced concerts for the New York Jazz Repertory Company and directed the Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble.

In 1981, Wilber formed Bechet Legacy, a group dedicated to the musical heritage of Sidney Bechet. Wilber was the musical director for the soundtrack to the movie The Cotton Club (for which he won a Grammy in 1986) and for the Broadway show Mr. Jelly Lord. In 1988, he assembled an orchestra and recreated the famous 1938 Benny Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall as well as at London's Royal Albert Hall. In 1989, Wilber organized and performed a Royal Ellington concert for the Queen, featuring the performance debut of Ellington's “The Queen's Suite.” In 1992, he persuaded Artie Shaw to visit England to conduct a concert at Royal Festival Hall in which Wilber played Shaw’s “Concerto for Clarinet” among other classical and jazz selections. An internationally renowned and consummate jazz musician, Bob Wilber's work is not finished. He continues to travel and perform extensively featuring his own original music as well as that of Bechet, Morton, Ellington, Goodman, and Henderson, among others. Wilber has performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO) several times in recent years, most recently as musical director for the LCJO Benny Goodman Centenary concert (May 2009). He has helped make jazz repertory an integral part of jazz education around the world. In 2010, Wilber was selected as the headliner for the University of New Hampshire’s historic 200th concert in the Traditional Jazz Series. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/bobwilber

Vital Wilber & Lilting Lind

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Linda Oh - Walk Against Wind

Styles: Vocal, Post Bop
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:33
Size: 146,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:48) 1. Lucid Lullaby
(3:44) 2. Firedancer
(6:57) 3. Speech Impediment
(3:55) 4. Perpluzzle
(7:28) 5. Walk Against Wind
(6:51) 6. Ikan Bilis
(4:16) 7. Mother Reason
(4:54) 8. Mantis
(6:38) 9. Deepsea Dancers
(6:42) 10. Midnight
(4:15) 11. Western

On the exquisite Walk Against Wind bassist Linda May Han Oh showcases her unique compositional style that rivals, artistically, her mastery over her instrument and her improvisational prowess. These 11 originals express various motifs reflecting Oh's diverse influences yet a delightfully dark poetry imbues all of them, giving the album its thematic unity. The intensely cinematic "Speech Impediment," for instance, has a languid melody and shimmering refrains. Oh's Lilting, wordless vocals echo saxophonist Ben Wendel wistful lines. As the tempo picks up the tune becomes crisper and more hypnotic. Wendel and guitarist Matthew Stevens exchange thrillingly dissonant lines over drummer Justin Brown's thunderous beats and Oh's thumping bass. Brown's dynamic solo ushers in the concluding head.

Brown opens the atmospheric "Ikan Bilis" with his haunting drumming that endows the music with a primal spirituality. Pianist Fabian Almazan makes a guest appearance as he and the other band members contribute their respective introspective musings. The individual instrumental voices coalesce into a mystical and memorable ensemble performance that has an undercurrent of subtle funky rhythms. Almazan's chiming keys and Stevens' resonant notes mix in with Oh and Brown's percolating cadence to buoy Wendel's warmly wailing tenor.

Another guest, Korean traditional percussionist Minji Park, adds an Eastern touch to the expectant "Mantis" with her exotic janggu & kkwaenggwari. Oh takes center stage with complex and lyrical extemporization that is intriguingly crepuscular. Wendel's yearning, fiery phrases thrillingly contrast with the contemplative serenity of the rest of the track. The pensive and dramatic "Deepsea Dancers" demonstrates Western Classical hints especially in the melodic fragments that are its building blocks. Stevens and Wendel alternate eloquent spontaneous monologues that are sometimes stimulatingly angular and at others elegantly fluid. Oh's muscular reverberations and Brown's soft thuds and brushing add an element of tension to the overall mood.

Walking Against Wind is a mature work that perfectly balances different musical elements. The prewritten and the spontaneously created seamlessly meld and miscellaneous inspirations fuse into a singular and sublime whole. It is Oh's best release to date and, hopefully, a sign of what is to come next.~ HRAYR ATTARIAN https://www.allaboutjazz.com/walk-against-wind-linda-oh-biophilia-records-review-by-hrayr-attarian.php

Personnel: Linda May Han Oh: bass, voice; Ben Wendel: saxophone; Matthew Stevens: guitar; Justin Brown:drums; Fabian Almazan: piano (2, 6, 10); Minji Park: janggu & kkwaenggwari(8).

Walk Against Wind

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Milt Jackson - The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:18
Size: 88,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. The Cylinder
(3:02)  2. Makin' Whoopee
(4:50)  3. Alone Together
(4:29)  4. Tenderly
(4:03)  5. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(3:38)  6. Nuages
(3:40)  7. Deep in a Dream
(4:39)  8. I'm a Fool to Want You
(3:45)  9. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
(3:23) 10. Tomorrow

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson's enormous capacity for invention percolates throughout the sumptuous settings on the "with strings" date, The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson. Jackson and the large string section, masterfully arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones, mesh beautifully. Equally critical, the rhythm section is superbly integrated in the arrangements, underpinning the billows of violins and cellos with a distinct jazz pulse. 

Above all, Jackson is himself, bringing his consistently flawless phrasing and subtle, but ever-present, blues feeling to his role as featured solist. Bassist Milt Hinton, drummer Connie Kay, guitarist Barry Galbraith, and pianist Jimmy Jones make up the rhythm section for this 1960 session. ~Jim Todd https://www.allmusic.com/album/ballad-artistry-of-milt-jackson-vibrations-mw0000666544

Personnel: Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Quincy Jones (conductor); Don Hammond (flute); Romeo Penque (reeds); Gloria Agostini (harp); Jimmy Jones (piano); Barry Gailbraith, Chuck Wayne (guitar); Bill Crow, Milt Hinton (bass); Connie Kay (drums).

The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson

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Ann Crumb, Harry Allen & His All Star Jazz Band - Live at Islamorada's Festival by the Bay 1998

Styles: Vocal, Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:57
Size: 159,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Blues in the Night
(4:04) 2. I'm Gonna Go Fishin
(4:41) 3. Lover Man
(4:10) 4. Come Rain or Come Shine
(7:46) 5. Lover Come Back (Instrumental)
(6:46) 6. Soon It's Gonna Rain
(6:36) 7. Ruby
(3:16) 8. I'm a Stranger Here Myself
(7:35) 9. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Instrumental)
(4:44) 10. Cry Me a River
(2:26) 11. Deedles' Blues
(3:51) 12. All Right, Ok, You Win (I'm in Love with You)
(8:24) 13. Sent for You Yesterday (Instrumental)

Elizabeth Ann Crumb (May 25, 1950 – October 31, 2019)"Ann Crumb Passes Away from Ovarian Cancer" broadwayworld.com, November 1, 2019 was an American actress and singer.

Career: The daughter of composer George Crumb and mother Elizabeth Crumb, pianist, and sister of composer David Crumb, she made her Broadway debut in 1987 as a member of the original cast of Les Misérables. Her other Broadway credits include Chess, Anna Karenina, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1993, and Aspects of Love, as Rose Vibert, a role she originated in the West End.

Crumb toured in the title role of Evita and appeared in numerous regional theatre productions staged by the Guthrie, Coconut Grove Playhouse, and Tennessee Repertory Theatre, among others. Her television credits include the daytime soaps As the World Turns, The Guiding Light, and Another World, and the primetime dramas Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She was in pre-production for a mini-series entitled The Road to Saint Lazarre in which she was to portray famed spy Mata Hari.

Crumb's recordings include A Broadway Diva Swings, a concert version of Nine with Jonathan Pryce and Elaine Paige, and Unto the Hills, in collaboration with her father. Her forthcoming jazz CD is entitled Goodbye Mr. Jones.

Personal life: Crumb was committed to the cause of animal rescue and adoption. In December, 2009, she co-ordinated a “doglift” of over 50 dogs, all slated for euthanasia at shelters in the Midwest to no-kill rescues in the Northeast where homes could be found for them. Crumb was born in Charleston, West Virginia. https://www.muziekweb.nl/en/Link/M00000266118/POPULAR/Ann-Crumb

Live at Islamorada's Festival by the Bay 1998

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Massimo Faraò, Barbara Raimondi - Life's a Lesson

Styles: Piano, Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:05
Size: 102,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:02) 1. Social Call
(4:15) 2. Tangerine
(4:28) 3. Skylark
(3:01) 4. Life's a Lesson
(3:51) 5. But Not for Me
(3:30) 6. I'll Be Seing You
(4:50) 7. Jitterbug Waltz
(5:04) 8. Stocholm Sweetnin'
(5:55) 9. Poinciana
(4:03) 10. Londonderry Air - Oh Danny Boy

Barbara Raimondi was born in Savona and has been working in the music field for over twenty years, having started very young as a self-taught person.Subsequently she moves to Turin, where she will enroll at the Jazz Center, following the Singing and Harmony Courses held by Francesca Oliveri and Luigi Tessarollo. He will attend the Jazz Center for two years and, on his return to Liguria, he will perfect his vocal technique with an opera teacher, expanding his knowledge in speech therapy. Later he attended seminars held by internationally renowned Italian and foreign musicians, first of all the American singer Rachel Gould, professor of modern singing at the Royal Jazz Conservatory in The Hague, Holland. He has collaborated with numerous recording studios, lending his voice for the creation of pop and commercial music pieces (Italian singer-songwriters, dance and acid jazz songs) and has participated as the only vocalist in the theatrical tour '95 - '96 of Roberto Vecchioni.

She then approached the jazz world, collaborating with musicians such as: Andrea Pozza, Luigi Bonafede, Emanuele Cisi, Giampaolo Casati, Paolo Porta, Garrison Fewell, Giorgio LiCalzi, Luciano Milanese, Roberto Rossi, Peggy Stern, Rob Sudduth, Claudio Chiara, Furio By Castri, Roberto Regis. In 2000 he released his first CD as a soloist entitled "VITA DA ALTOPARLANTE" for the Philology label: the work was made with his 4etto, composed by Riccardo Ruggieri on piano, Alessandro Maiorino on double bass and Enzo Zirilli on drums and avails itself of the prestigious collaboration of Emanuele Cisi on tenor and soprano saxophone. In August 2000 he participated in the "Mediterranean Noises" Festival in Roccella Ionica called in a project by Enrico Pieranunzi, a "Jazz Operina" dedicated to the Beatles and Miles Davis written by Pieranunzi on commission from the Festival.

In 2002 he also began to tackle a contemporary classical repertoire, collaborating with the vocal ensemble "The Dream of Polifilo" directed by Maestro Oto Perillo, with whom concerts were held at the Abbey of Staffarda, at the Church of Savigliano and in the Basilica. by Superga, performing Georgy Ligeti's Lux Aeterna and a piece by Enrico Correggia. Subsequently she worked with "The Ensemble Coro di Torino" on the realization of two concerts that were held in June 2003 for Enrico Correggia's seventieth birthday and, in 2004, she was one of the protagonists of the composer's multimedia work "Hoffmaniana" Austrian Thomas Deszy, produced by the Bregenzer Festspiele (AT) and replicated in Vienna in spring 2005.Still in the musical-theatrical field he participates in the show "Requiem for Rita Atria" with Valter Malosti and Furio Di Castri and also proposes his jazz reworking of Giorgio Gaber's songs with pianist Silvia Cucchi.

In 2005 his second recording work was released in collaboration with his historic quartet and prestigious guests, such as guitarist Sandro Gibellini, musician of great melodic and harmonic sensitivity; the disc is mainly composed of unreleased songs of his own composition and bears the title TOO NOISE. The third cd was released in January 2009, COUPLING JUDGMENT for the Dodicilune label, previewed at MITO - Settembre Musica in Turin and at the Turin Film Festival in November 2008. The disc features very illustrious collaborations, by Marco Pereira to Enrico Pieranunzi, Mario Rosini, Furio Di Castri, Luigi Bonafede, Riccardo Fioravanti among others. In 2010 he published his fourth album, CONTIGO EN LA DISTANCIA, a project that, together with Roberto Taufic and Enzo Zirilli, revisits the traditional Latin American repertoire in a jazz style: music of great emotional communication proposed with a new language. Barbara Raimondi is currently professor of modern singing at the Civic School of Turin and the Conservatories of Brescia and Trento; it also carries out private teaching activities, also holding in-depth seminars, both vocal and more purely jazz.~Translate by Google http://www.jazzontheroad.net/artista.asp?n=254

Personnel: Massimo Faraò - piano; Barbara Raimondi - vocal ; Claudio Chiara - alto sax; Nicola Barbon - bass

Life's a Lesson

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Barbara Lea, Keith Ingham - Fine and Dandy

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:16
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:32) 1. Mah Lindy Lou
(3:42) 2. When in Rome
(4:27) 3. Fine and Dandy
(2:30) 4. I Dream Too Much
(4:59) 5. Killing Time / One Second Thought
(3:12) 6. Blue Again
(3:20) 7. Come to Baby, Do
(3:48) 8. How High the Moon
(3:09) 9. Walking by the River
(3:02) 10. Pettin' and Pokin'
(2:43) 11. Love Is a Simple Thing
(3:27) 12. My Silent Love
(2:39) 13. I'd Rather Call You Baby
(4:22) 14. The Morning After
(3:36) 15. Just a Little Lovin'
(3:48) 16. Lost in a Fog
(2:53) 17. How Little We Know
(4:01) 18. Lullaby of the Leaves
(2:57) 19. Pick Yourself Up

Vocalist Barbara Lea thought that women songwriters (both composers and lyricists) have never gotten sufficient exposure for their overall contributions, so she decided to devote an entire CD to works by women songwriters. Accompanied by the talented pianist Keith Ingham, Lea explores songs from several decades, both familiar and obscure. Lea has been singing for decades, yet has been unjustly overlooked. Yet her pitch is still right on the money over five decades after her debut. Lily Strickland composed "Mah Lindy Lou," a now overlooked gem from the 1920s, as Lea sings it with a simple elegance, backed by Ingham's quietly striding piano. One of the best known songs heard on this disc is Kay Swift's hit "Fine and Dandy," taken at a leisurely tempo by Lea, who also restores the frequently omitted verse.

Bernice Petkere's "Lullaby of the Leaves" has long been popular with instrumentalists, though singers tend to overlook it; Lea savors ever word of Joe Young's lyrics. Ella Fitzgerald is probably the best known performer of hundreds of vocalists and instrumentalist to record "How High the Moon," but Lea comfortably makes it her own, once again restoring the omitted verse before delivering a warm rendition at a relaxed tempo. The playfulness of pianist Una Mae Carlisle's "Walking by the River" suggests the influence of Fats Waller. But the most hilarious track is Lora Lee's lively "Pettin' and Pokin'," a wild romp about a noisy couple. Every track is of interest and it would make sense for Barbara Lea and Keith Ingham to record a similar songbook representing similar songwriters whose work is not represented on this excellent CD.~Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/fine-and-dandy-mr0001606371

Personnel: Vocals – Barbara Lea; Piano – Keith Ingham

Fine and Dandy

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Louis Armstrong - Disney Songs The Satchmo Way

Styles: Trumpet, Vocal
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:33
Size: 74,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:22) 1. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
(2:47) 2. Ten Feet Off The Ground - From "The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band"
(2:37) 3. Heigh-Ho (The Dwarf's Marching Song)
(1:56) 4. Whistle While You Work
(6:41) 5. Chim Chim Cher-ee
(2:08) 6. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
(2:53) 7. 'Bout Time
(3:15) 8. The Ballad of Davy Crocket
(2:26) 9. The Bare Necessities
(4:25) 10. When You Wish Upon A Star

This delightful set features Louis Armstrong in 1968 (not 1966 as it states in the liners) performing ten tunes associated with Disney films. One may not expect much from such songs as "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," "Whistle While You Work," and "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," but Armstrong's joyful vocals and occasional emotional trumpet really uplift the material. His rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" is touching, and few of the songs (including "The Bare Necessities" and "Heigh-Ho") have never sounded livelier and more fun.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/disney-songs-the-satchmo-way-mw0000196552

Personnel: Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocals

Disney Songs The Satchmo Way

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Eddie Daniels - Night Kisses: A Tribute To Ivan Lins

Styles: Clarinet, Flute, Tenor Sax
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:40
Size: 166,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:40) 1. A Voz Do Povo
(4:26) 2. Pano de Fundo
(5:09) 3. Mãos de Afeto
(4:24) 4. D'Aquilo Que Eu Sei
(6:01) 5. Velas Içadas
(4:47) 6. Dinorah, Dinorah
(5:02) 7. Cantor Da Noite
(6:38) 8. Quadras De Roda: O Passarinho Cantou
(4:23) 9. Amor
(6:03) 10. Lembra
(5:46) 11. Depois dos Temporais
(7:21) 12. A Noite
(4:53) 13. Ivante

Ever since the first wave of Jobim and Gilberto mania broke, the world has gratefully bathed in the inexhaustible flow of melody that emanates from Brazil. Ivan Lins is one of the Brazilian composers to have made a deep impression on the jazz world, along with Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Dori Caymmi and Egberto Gismonti, (to whom Daniels recorded a tribute in 2018). Mark Murphy devoted an entire album (1986’s Night Mood) to the songs of Lins, and it’s easy to see why the Brazilian’s often melancholy compositions appealed to Murphy. The songs here are all from a relatively short but turbulent period 1977 to 1983 during which Brazil chafed under a brutal American-backed military dictatorship.

As the title suggests, this new album is a labour of love headed up by veteran clarinettist, flautist and saxophonist Eddie Daniels, whose pure, liquid tone cascades through every track. It should be said that lovers of cutting edge jazz are not the target audience for Night Kisses: there’s no dissonance, no tension it’s all melody, sweetened yet further by the Harlem Quartet string ensemble, who not only provide a soothing pad for Daniels and the rhythm section, but also sometimes offer a pseudo-classical introduction to the arrangements, as on A Noite. Piano duties are shared between Josh Nelson, Kuno Schmid, Dave Grusin and Bob James, each of whom has also arranged at least two of the tunes. Kevin Axt is the bass player, and Mauricio Zottarelli is on drums.

Personal favourites here include the opener A Voz Do Povo (The People’s Voice), which alternates between bossa and swing, and features great soloing from Daniels on flute and Nelson on piano. Of course, in any collection there will be absences: surprisingly there’s no sign here of Love Dance or Começar de Novo better known as The Island and it would have been nice to hear a Daniels version of Antes Que Seja Tarde (Before We Lose Tomorrow). But we do get Velas Içadas (Hoisted Sails) and Lembra. Curiously, the comprehensive and detailed sleeve notes, written by Daniels, Lins and label boss George Klabin, make much of Vitor Martins’ lyrics to the original compositions, and the danger he and Lins faced in writing songs which were seen at the time as subversive. “We used to have censors following us all the time and cutting our lyrics,” writes Lins. The two were forced to use a lot of metaphor to avoid expressing themselves too openly. “One trick was, write more lyric than you need because the censor needed to cut something. If they cut, they were happy.” The booklet even devotes many pages to the English translations of Martins’ lyrics. But although the songs were written to be sung, the album itself is entirely instrumental, and combined with its super-smooth arrangements, it’s all a little too rich and sugary, and rather lacking in the emotional punch that the human voice can provide.~Peter Jones https://londonjazznews.com/2020/10/22/eddie-daniels-night-kisses-a-tribute-to-ivan-lins/

Personnel: Eddie Daniels, clarinet, flute, tenor saxophone; Kuno Schmid, Bob James (10, 13), Dave Grusin (3, 11, 13), Josh Nelson (1, 8, 12), keyboards; Harlem Quartet, strings; Kevin Axt, bass; Mauricio Zottarelli, drums.

Night Kisses: A Tribute To Ivan Lins

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