Buddy Rich, Harry 'Sweets' Edison - Buddy And Sweets

Styles: Swing, Bop
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:54
Size: 90,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:35) 1. Yellow Rose Of Brooklyn
(8:20) 2. Easy Does It
(2:13) 3. All Sweets
(4:07) 4. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(9:43) 5. Barney's Bugle
(4:43) 6. Now's The Time
(5:10) 7. You're Getting To Be A Habbit With Me

The powerhouse drums of Buddy Rich together with the understated trumpet of Harry "Sweets" Edison? Seems like an odd pairing, but they really clicked on this 1955 quintet session-this is small-group swing at its liveliest and most captivating: Yellow Rose of Brooklyn; Easy Does It; Now's the Time; Nice Work if You Can Get It , and more!~Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Buddy-Sweets-Rich-Harry-Edison/dp/B0000ACAJJ

Personnel: Harry Sweets Edison – trumpet; Buddy Rich – drums; Jimmy Rowles – piano; Barney Kessel – guitar; John Simmons – bass

Buddy And Sweets

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Jan Lundgren - Lonely One

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:25
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:02) 1. Will You Still Be Mine
(4:12) 2. The Lonely One
(5:11) 3. Jitterburg Waltz
(5:01) 4. When Sunny Gets Blue
(6:54) 5. Blues For Jesper
(5:47) 6. Trubbel
(4:54) 7. Caravan
(5:13) 8. A New Town Is A Blue Town
(4:35) 9. Falling In Love With Love
(4:50) 10. One For My Baby
(5:41) 11. Who I Can I Turn To

A fine bop-based pianist, Jan Lundgren has visited the United States several times since the mid-'90s and been gradually gaining a very strong reputation. Even while undergoing extensive classical piano training, Lundgren was playing jazz locally and by the time he was 20, he had begun working with Arne Domnérus and Putte Wickman. Lundgren has picked up valuable experience accompanying many visiting Americans (including Herb Geller, Johnny Griffin, and Mark Murphy). In 1994, he recorded his debut as a leader for the Four Leaf Clover label. Since then, Lundgren has recorded separate sets with Herb Geller and Bill Perkins for Fresh Sound and led further albums for Alfa and Four Leaf Clover. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Jesper Lundgaard (bass); Alex Riel (drums)

Lonely One

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Roger Kellaway - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 11

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:24
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(0:12) 1. Introductory Announcement
(9:04) 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
(6:03) 3. I'm Still In Love With You
(4:47) 4. Love Of My Life
(7:23) 5. Close Your Eyes
(9:44) 6. New Orleans
(9:12) 7. My One And Only Love
(7:58) 8. Creole Love Call
(6:58) 9. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

Leave it to Roger Kellaway to come up with one of the most strikingly individual editions of the exhaustive Live at Maybeck series. Overall, the disc captures a more reflective side of Kellaway in a typical Maybeck program of mostly standards mixed with a pair of originals. Yet Kellaway's stride-grounded manner still veers off unpredictably and delightfully into the ozone, sometimes invoking Debussy-like whole-tone scales and skirting the lower orbits of bitonality and atonality before neatly extricating himself. His own shuffling stride tune, "I'm Still in Love With You," is a match for any of the standards, and he's not afraid to take it outside with flashes of bitonal color. He also gives "Creole Love Call" a similar treatment which fits the rhythm of the tune with a rumbling, murky intro deep in the bass. Though this is not one of his more endearingly off-the-wall recordings, it is one of the best listeners have that is still widely available.~Richard S. Ginellhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-maybeck-recital-hall-vol-11-mw0000675314

Personnel: Roger Kellaway – piano

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall,Vol. 11

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Monica Mancini - The Dreams Of Johnny Mercer

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:20
Size: 101.5 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz, Standards
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
[3:21] 2. Something Tells Me
[2:26] 3. Skylark
[3:24] 4. The Weekend Of A Private Secretary
[3:55] 5. With My Lover Beside Me
[5:32] 6. When October Goes
[4:39] 7. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe
[4:27] 8. When The Meadow Was Bloomin'
[3:18] 9. It Had Better Be Tonight
[2:27] 10. Love Is Where You Find It
[2:55] 11. At Last
[4:14] 12. Just Remember

Vocalist Monica Mancini follows up her chart-topping self-titled debut with an outstanding collection of 12 songs written by one of America's greatest songwriters, Johnny Mercer. The Dreams of Johnny Mercer features the stunning vocalist performing seven songs with previously unpublished lyrics written by Mercer with great new music by Barry Manilow. Great American Songbook standards like an Italian version of "It Had Better Be Tonight," one of many Mercer and Henry Mancini collaborations, and the guest appearance of Alvin Chea, the bass singer of Take 6, on an excellent a cappella arrangement of "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" adds to the beauty of this insightful and intimate collection of songs. The lush orchestral arrangements by Patrick Williams, Randy Waldman, and David Torres on "Just Remember," "At Last," and "Love Is Where You Find It" unfold to provide a layer of musical precision that expand the lovely, warm, and supple vocals of Mancini. Her voice is irresistible and her mastery of these melodies is a sure sign that she feels what she is singing. The Dreams of Johnny Mercer are sung with tender passion in a voice that tells their innermost stories. ~Paula Edelstein

The Dreams Of Johnny Mercer

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Elia Bastida - The Magic Sound Of The Violin

Styles: Violin, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:23
Size: 199,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:35) 1. Someone to Watch Over Me
(3:08) 2. Ella y Yo
(4:42) 3. How High the Moon
(3:49) 4. Reflections
(2:02) 5. Uma Estrela
(4:14) 6. Out of Nowhere
(4:43) 7. Sweet Adeline
(1:16) 8. Ao Lado Teu
(4:23) 9. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
(5:47) 10. Jitterbug Waltz
(4:19) 11. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
(5:04) 12. You Are Too Beautiful
(2:43) 13. Beriwaltz
(5:11) 14. Round Midnight
(3:45) 15. J'Attendrai
(6:34) 16. Alfonsina y el Mar
(4:10) 17. Day Dream
(3:07) 18. How About You
(2:40) 19. Rabo de Nube

Two years after the CD “Joan Chamorro presents Èlia Bastida”, in which she appeared in her different facets as a performer (violinist as main instrument, vocalist and tenor sax), we give birth to this “The magic sound of the violin”. Èlia, during the 8 years that she has been part of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, a project that I have directed for almost 14 years, has had an interest, a dedication, such a passionate dedication to music and specifically to jazz, that she has made May her evolution lead her to be, today, a great soloist, especially with the violin. The violin is an instrument that, in my opinion, still has a lot to contribute to jazz. There have been and are great violinists (Grappelli, Venuti, Ponty, Lockwood, to name just a few). Without neglecting the musicality, strength, intensity of Grappelli as the first reference, and adding everything contributed by bebop, hardbop and other music, Èlia's search for a discourse that collects all the aspects that she incorporates, the finally, they walk along their own musical path, rich in nuances, open and free of labels, but, above all, passionate, with which they manage to extract all the wonderful possibilities that “the magical sound of the violin” has. The Magic Sound of the Violin Èlia Bastida joins the universe of jazz violinists. Our next appointment is “Èlia Bastida meets Scott Hamilton”, of which we have already recorded 5 songs and which will recall the meeting that the great saxophonist had with Joe Venuti back in the eighties. Joan Chamorro

Two years after the CD "Joan Chamorro presents Èlia Bastida", in which she appeared in her different facets as a performer (violinist as main instrument, vocalist and tenor saxophone), we give birth to this "The magic sound of the violin". Èlia, during the 8 years that she has been part of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, a project that I have directed for almost 14 years, has had an interest, a dedication, such a passionate dedication to music and specifically to jazz, that her evolution has made her become, nowadays, a great soloist, especially with the violin. The violin is an instrument that, in my opinion, still has a lot to contribute to jazz. There have been and are great violinists (Grappelli, Venuti, Ponty, Lockwood, to name just a few). Without leaving aside the musicality, the strength, the intensity of Grappelli as the first reference, and adding all the contributions of bebop, hardbop and other music, Èlia's search for a discourse that gathers all the aspects she incorporates, finally make her walk along her own musical path, rich in nuances, open and free of labels, but, above all, passionate, with which she manages to extract all the wonderful possibilities that "THE MAGIC SOUND OF THE VIOLIN" has. Èlia Bastida joins the world of jazz violinists. Our next appointment is "Èlia Bastida meets Scott Hamilton", of which we have already recorded 5 tracks and which will recall the encounter the great saxophonist had with Joe Venuti back in the eighties.~Translate By Google https://santandreujazzband.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-sound-of-the-violin

Personnel: Èlia Bastida, violin, tenor sax; Joan Chamorro, bass & baritone sax; Carla Motis, guitar; Josep Traver, guitar; Guillermo Soler, drums; David Xirgu, drums; Scott Hamilton, tenor sax

The Magic Sound Of The Violin

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Frank Foster Loud Minority Big Band - We Do It Diff'rent

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:56
Size: 156,1 MB
Art: Front

( 4:35) 1. G'on an' Git It Y'all
( 7:39) 2. Stella by Starlight
( 7:03) 3. WLD Women Don't Worry
( 4:46) 4. Fos' Alarm
( 6:43) 5. Lover
(11:30) 6. Shiny Stockings
( 4:12) 7. Where or When
( 9:40) 8. Cecilia Is Love
( 6:27) 9. You Go to My Head
( 5:16) 10. Skull-Doug-Ery

Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band is more limber than loud although it doesn’t shrink from shouting whenever that’s appropriate on this persuasive in-concert album recorded in June ‘02 at NYC’s Jazz Standard, when the seventy-three-year-old Foster was recovering from a stroke that immobilized his left arm and left leg and limited his role to that of emcee. As one would expect from an old hand who joined the Count Basie Orchestra half a century ago and fronted the band for nine years (1986-95), Foster salutes the Count’s buoyant spirit in almost every way save repeating well-traveled numbers from the Basie book (with one exception, his classic “Shiny Stockings,” handsomely renovated for the occasion). Foster’s other originals (“G’on an’ Git It Y’all,” “Fos’ Alarm,” “Cecilia Is Love,” “Skull-Doug-Ery”) were written especially for the seven-year-old Loud Minority ensemble. Completing the program are four standards (“Stella by Starlight,” “Lover,” “You Go to My Head,” “Where or When”) and one blues, “Wild Women Don’t Worry,” the last three featuring the seductive baritone of special guest and ex-Basie vocalist Dennis Rowland.

Foster’s other guest, trumpeter Jon Faddis, shakes the rafters on “Wild Women” and “Cecilia,” and trumpeters Jeremy Pelt and Cecil Bridgewater glisten and glow on “Stella” and “Stockings,” respectively. Baritone saxophonist James Stewart is showcased on “Fos’ Alarm,” tenor Bill Saxton and drummer Sylvia Cuenca (a last-minute replacement whose forceful timekeeping earned her a permanent gig with band) on “Lover,” tenor Keith Loftis on “Skull-Doug-Ery,” while pianist Daniel Mixon has a number of engaging ideas to impart on “G’on an’ Git It,” “Cecilia,” “Skull-Doug-Ery” and (uncredited) “Shiny Stockings.” There are some other minor errors on the playlist, with trombonist Clark Gaton listed as trumpet soloist on “G’on an’ Git It,” trumpeter Derrick Gardner as trombonist on “You Go to My Head,” Rowland as vocalist (he’s not) on “Shiny Stockings.” Echoing Basie’s philosophy, Foster writes that “you can’t keep a band of brilliant players together and burning without challenging them with a constant stream of fresh new music.” Let’s hope that Foster keeps challenging the Loud Minority for years to come.~ Jack Bowershttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/we-do-it-diffrent-frank-foster-mapleshade-recordings-review-by-jack-bowers

Personnel: Frank Foster, leader, arranger; Bruce Williams, Joe Ford, alto sax; Bill Saxton, Keith Loftis, tenor sax; James Stewart, baritone sax; Frank Greene, Derrick Gardner, Kenyatta Beasley, Jeremy Pelt, Cecil Bridgewater, trumpet; Vincent Gardner, Clark Gaton, Stafford Hunter, trombone; Bill Lowe, bass trombone, tuba; Daniel Mixon, piano; Earl May, bass; Sylvia Cuenca, drums.

We Do It Diff'rent

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Monica Mancini - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 105.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:53] 1. Moment To Moment
[4:48] 2. Two For The Road
[3:42] 3. Dreamsville
[2:59] 4. Crazy World
[2:17] 5. Anywhere The Heart Goes (Meggie's Theme)
[3:10] 6. Loss Of Love
[4:30] 7. Whistling Away The Dark
[2:57] 8. Charade
[4:25] 9. The Days Of Wine And Roses
[3:40] 10. Slow Hot Wind
[2:45] 11. Dear Heart
[3:32] 12. Moon River
[3:07] 13. Music On The Way

Henry Mancini's daughter takes a daring debut step as a vocalist right into her father's shadow. On an album covering her father's songs, she makes her mark with a sweet, smooth voice and a nice sense of phrasing. Her gamble pays off with lushly orchestrated versions of "Two for the Road," "Moon River," "Moment to Moment," and others. ~Tim Sheridan

Monica Mancini

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Emily Remler - Retrospective, Volume Two "Compositions"

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:53
Size: 139,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:30) 1. Mocha Space
(5:02) 2. Nunca Mais
(6:39) 3. Waltz For My Grandfather
(7:24) 4. Catwalk
(6:28) 5. Blues For Herb
(8:03) 6. Transitions
(4:10) 7. The Firefly
(6:17) 8. East To Wes
(4:30) 9. Antonio
(7:46) 10. Mozambique

Emily Remler (September 18, 1957 – May 4, 1990) was an American jazz guitarist who rose to prominence in the 1980s. She recorded seven albums of hard bop, jazz standards and fusion guitar.

Born in New York City, Remler began to play the guitar at the age of ten. Initially inspired by rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter as well as other popular styles of music, she experienced a musical epiphany during her studies from 1974 to 1976 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She began to listen to such legendary jazz greats as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Martino, Charlie Christian, Miles Davis and John Coltrane and took up jazz with a ferocious intensity, practicing almost constantly and never looked back. After graduating Berklee at age 18 she started her professional career touring around the USA.

Remler's first significant and formative step as a fledgling professional musician was to settle in New Orleans where she played in blues and jazz clubs working with bands such as FourPlay and Little Queenie and the Percolators before beginning her recording career in 1981. She was championed by guitar great Herb Ellis, who referred to her as "the new superstar of guitar". Ellis introduced her to the world at the Concord, CA Jazz Festival in 1978. In an interview with People magazine, she once said of herself: "I may look like a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey, but inside I’m a 50-year-old, heavyset black man with a big thumb, like Wes Montgomery." ~People Mag. 1982~ Recorded for the famous Concord label, Remler's albums showcase the diverse influences of a fast-developing artist who quickly attained a distinctive jazz style on the guitar through her interpretations of jazz standards and her own compositions.

Her first album as a band leader, Firefly, won immediate acclaim and her bop guitar on the follow-up, Take Two, was equally well received. Transitions and Catwalk traced the emergence of a more individual voice, with many striking original tunes, while her love of Wes Montgomery shone through on the stylish East to Wes. When the rhythm section is floating, I'll float too, and I'll get a wonderful feeling in my stomach. If the rhythm section is really swinging, it's such a great feeling, you just want to laugh Emily Remler In addition to her recording career as a band leader and composer, Remler played with artists as diverse as Larry Coryell, with whom she recorded an album entitled Together, and the singer Rosemary Clooney. She played on Broadway for the Los Angeles version of the show 'Sophisticated Ladies' from 1981 to 1982 and produced two popular guitar instruction videos. She also toured for several years in the early eighties as guitarist for Astrud Gilberto.

In 1985, she won the ‘Guitarist Of The Year’ award in Down Beat magazine’s international poll. In 1988, she was 'Artist in Residence' at Duquesne University and, in 1989, received Berklee's Distinguished Alumni award. She married Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander in 1981, the marriage ending in 1984. Her first guitar was her elder brother's Gibson ES-330, and she played a Borys B120 hollow body electric towards the end of the 1980s. Her acoustic guitars included a 1984 Collectors Series Ovation and a nylon string Korocusci classical guitar that she used for playing bossa nova. When asked how she wanted to be remembered she remarked: "Good compositions, memorable guitar playing and my contributions as a woman in music…. but the music is everything, and it has nothing to do with politics or the women’s liberation movement." She appealed to all audiences with her wide understanding of all forms of jazz. She gained respect from fellow musicians and critics because of her dedication, enthusiasm and remarkable skill. Remler, who was a heroin addict, died of heart failure at the age of 32 at the Connells Point home of musician Ed Gaston, while on tour in Australia. Two tribute albums were recorded after her death, Just Friends volume one and two, featuring contributions from Herb Ellis, David Benoit, Bill O'Connell and David Bromberg among many others. In 2006 the Skip Heller Quartet recorded a song called "Emily Remler" in her memory. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/emily-remler

Personnel: Guitar – Emily Remler; Bass – Bob Maize, Buster Williams, Don Thompson, Eddie Gomez; Drums – Jake Hanna, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Terry Clarke; Drums, Percussion – Bob Moses; Piano – Hank Jones, James Williams ; Trumpet – John D'Earth

Retrospective, Volume Two "Compositions"

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Roger Kellaway - Cello Quartet

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:03
Size: 96,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:01) 1. Saturnia
(7:49) 2. Sunrise
(5:39) 3. Morning Song
(8:24) 4. Jorjana 2
(2:45) 5. Esque
(5:07) 6. On Your Mark Get Set Blues
(2:57) 7. Invasion Of The Forest
(6:18) 8. Jorjana 8

Roger Kellaway launched his reputation as a consummate iconoclastic musician with this album, which was considered an elegant breakthrough in its time. He assembled a novel quartet featuring his piano, the late Edgar Lustgarten's classical cello (Kellaway's favorite instrument), Chuck Domanico on bass, and Emil Richards on marimba and percussion, writing pieces using chord symbols and notes without stems to allow for improvisation. The resulting album falls ever so neatly between the cracks of classical music and jazz, sometimes leaning in the latter direction (e.g., the Latinized groove of "Jorjana #2"), but mostly occupying a never-never land of Kellaway's own invention. Lustgarten's lush, dark tone establishes a haunting classical ambience, which creates weird stylistic juxtapositions in pieces like the boogie-based "Esque"; on a few tracks, there is some truly quirky writing for a full studio symphony orchestra conducted by Kellaway. The most memorable composition of the lot is the instantly winning, deceptively simple "Morning Song" (later published in a version for tuba and piano!), where Kellaway throws in more than a hint of barrelhouse piano. This album became a cult favorite, in and out of print on LP and CD, but never too difficult to locate.~ Richard S. Ginellhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/roger-kellaway-cello-quartet-mw0000696916

Personnel: Piano – Roger Kellaway; Acoustic Bass – Chuck Domanico; Cello – Edgar Lustgarten; Guitar – Joe Pass ; Percussion – Emil Richards; Violin – Erno Neufeld

Cello Quartet

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Lesley Gore - I'll Cry If I Want To

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:00
Size: 68,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:22) 1. It's My Party
(2:15) 2. Cry Me a River
(2:07) 3. Cry
(2:15) 4. Just Let Me Cry
(2:01) 5. Cry and You Cry Alone
(2:23) 6. No More Tears
(2:11) 7. Judy's Turn to Cry
(1:53) 8. I Understand
(2:24) 9. I Would
(2:19) 10. Misty
(1:46) 11. What Kind of Fool Am I
(2:00) 12. The Party's Over

Lesley Gore's debut album was rushed out on the heels of her debut smash, "It's My Party," and suffered from being made into a contrived concept album of sorts. Most of the songs were about -- as the title indicated crying, since the key hook of "It's My Party" had Gore boasting that she could cry if she wanted to. The effect, if only temporarily, was to make her out to be something of a novelty artist, even if one of the songs other than "It's My Party" (its inferior follow-up, "Judy's Turn to Cry") turned out be a big hit as well. Aside from the limited lyrical themes, a bigger problem was that the material, other than the two big hits, largely veered between tame treatments of pop standards ("Misty," "Cry Me a River," "What Kind of Fool Am I") and unmemorable soppy pop ballads by contemporary writers that tapped into the weaker aspects of doo wop-influenced girl group music.

this point, Gore seemed to be as interested in being an adult torch singer as a teen rocker, but her teenaged pipes were simply far more suited toward girl group-style songs than trying to be another Julie London. The big flaw is one that seems obvious in retrospect, but probably wasn't even seen by many who were helping to direct her career at the time: Aside from the hits, nothing here rocked respectably, or swung as Quincy Jones' arrangements were capable of doing, though "Cry Me a River" wasn't too bad. Gore would, perhaps to the surprise of many, go on to establish a respectable career with a series of hits that didn't always milk the self-pity bucket, though this first effort gave all the indication of her being a one-hit wonder.~ Richie Unterberg https://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-cry-if-i-want-to-mw0000845050

I'll Cry If I Want To

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Bette Midler - Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook

Size: 73,1 MB
Time: 30:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. You'll Never Know (1:44)
02. This Ole House (3:02)
03. On A Slow Boat To China (Duet With Barry Manilow) (2:31)
04. Hey There (3:30)
05. Tenderly (3:11)
06. Come On-A My House (1:50)
07. Mambo Italiano (2:50)
08. Sisters (Duet With Linda Ronstadt) (2:53)
09. Memories Of You (3:20)
10. In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (2:44)
11. White Christmas (3:16)

Cabaret icon Bette Midler reunites with her old piano partner Barry Manilow for the first time in over 30 years to toast one of their mutual idols on Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. Clooney was one of the top jazz/pop vocalists of the '50s whose clear, bright tone, impeccable melodicism, and smiling, girl-next-door image came together to make classics out of tunes like "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" and "Hey There" -- both covered here. In that tradition, Midler's plucky blonde persona and genre-crossing style and Manilow's modern day blend of Mercer and Porter make this album work -- most of the time. Mostly what you get is the Divine Miss M and "Mister Manila," as Midler affectionately refers to Manilow, returning to their '70s New York roots on "On a Slow Boat to China," a solid and classy version of "Sisters" with Linda Ronstadt taking the Betty Clooney role, and a very Dixie Chicks-esque contemporary bluegrass reworking of "This Ole House." Least of all, you get limp, hip-hop-lite arrangements of "Come On-A My House" and "Mambo Italiano," which only serve to drain the songs of any swing and makes the twee-period lyrics all the more cloying. Nonetheless, Midler -- who can carry a tune on personality alone -- sounds elegant and alive here and Manilow's classy orchestral arrangements frame the proceedings with the urbane glow of nostalgia for a time -- be it the '50s or the '70s -- when a big band, a great song, and blonde with a nice voice were all you needed for a good time. ~by Matt Collar

Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook

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Dan Nimmer Trio - Horizons

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:17
Size: 146,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:25) 1. Lisa
(6:34) 2. Rain
(5:01) 3. Teef
(3:52) 4. Horizons
(5:40) 5. On Green Dolphin Street
(4:29) 6. South Seas
(3:31) 7. Theme From M.A.S.H.
(5:01) 8. Open Sesami
(5:43) 9. Flamenco Sketches
(4:43) 10. Mr. Lucky
(5:53) 11. Old Forks
(3:26) 12. The Fall Of Love
(4:53) 13. Untitles #5

An old soul in a young body, Dan Nimmer plays with the spirit, the passion and the soul of someone who has been on the planet much longer. With prodigious technique and an innate sense of swing, his playing often recalls that of his own heroes, specifically Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Erroll Garner and Art Tatum. As a young man, Mr. Nimmer's family inherited a piano and he started playing by ear; he was, if you will, "called" by the instrument. He studied classical piano and eventually became interested in jazz.

In 2005, Mr. Nimmer became a member of Wynton Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, both in which he has been a member ever since. In addition to Wynton Marsalis, Mr. Nimmer has performed and or recorded with Jimmy Cobb, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon,Chick Corea, George Benson, Houston Person, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Jon Faddis, Benny Golson, Brian Lynch, Lewis Nash, Peter Washington,Fareed Haque and many more.https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/143117/Dan_Nimmer_Trio-Horizons-Single_Layer_Stereo_SACD

Personnel: Dan Nimmer - piano; David Wong - bass; Pete Van Nostrand - drums

Horizons

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Aga Zaryan - Looking Walking Being

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 143,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:42) 1. Cherry Tree Avenue
(4:48) 2. Looking Walking Being
(5:02) 3. Let Me
(4:02) 4. For The New Year, 1981
(5:06) 5. The Stars Are As Lonely As Us
(7:42) 6. Seeking My Love
(4:04) 7. February Evening In New York
(5:53) 8. My Name
(6:32) 9. Temptation Game
(5:23) 10. Waiting The Moon
(4:40) 11. What Is This Thing Called Happiness
(6:36) 12. The Thread

Aga Zaryan (born Agnieszka Skrzypek January 17, 1976) is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist of the new generation. She is known for her distinctive style, class and intimate approach to singing, with a characteristic lightness of phrasing and warm, slightly matte-toned voice. Aga Zaryan has been successful in integrating ambitious artistic goals with popular appeal, recording four albums to date, all of which have earned gold, platinum or multi-platinum status in Poland. Aga was also named Jazz Vocalist of The Year in the European Jazz Forum Magazine's yearly Jazz Top readers' poll in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She has appeared in clubs and at festivals in Poland, England, the USA, Germany, Israel, France, Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal, Russia and Iceland. https://www.last.fm/music/Aga+Zaryan/+wiki

Personnel: Aga Zaryan (Vocal); David Doruzka (Guitar); Michal Baranski (Bass); Lukasz Zyta (Drums); Munyungo Jackson (Percussion)

Looking Walking Being

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Harry Connick, Jr. - Harry For The Holidays

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:37
Size: 145.6 MB
Styles: Holiday
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:31] 1. Frosty The Snowman
[3:20] 2. Blue Christmas
[3:15] 3. The Christmas Waltz
[3:04] 4. I Wonder As I Wander
[3:55] 5. Silver Bells
[5:08] 6. Mary's Little Boy Child
[3:53] 7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
[3:39] 8. The Happy Elf
[5:55] 9. I'll Be Home For Christmas
[4:39] 10. I Come With Love
[3:46] 11. Nature Boy
[3:20] 12. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
[3:25] 13. I'm Gonna Be The First One
[3:43] 14. This Christmas
[4:04] 15. Nothin' New For New Year
[4:51] 16. Silent Night

Ten years after his first holiday-themed album, When My Heart Finds Christmas, pianist/vocalist Harry Connick, Jr. found the spirit again with Harry for the Holidays. Still centered on Connick's vocals, this foray into "tinsel tunes" is more jazz oriented than his 1993 release and allows for his growth as a performer, arranger, and conductor. Like a Brooks Brothers' suit worn at Mardi Gras, Connick's writing for his big band and full orchestra mixes New Orleans rhythms with crisp, swinging arrangements that call to mind '60s Michel Legrand and Quincy Jones. Nothing Connick has done before can quite prepare you for the screaming trumpets and rollicking second-line-style swing of his leadoff take on "Frosty the Snowman." In fact, most of the classic standards here, including "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Silver Bells," get highly unexpected treatments as on "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town," which is worked up into a funky, brass-band "go-go" dance number. Similarly tasty is "I'll Be Home for Christmas," which not only features some of the best crooning the Will and Grace star has ever done, but also a beautifully modest Count Basie-inspired piano solo. There is also an appealing balance to Harry for the Holidays between songs of Christmas nostalgia and heartfelt ruminations on what the season means in a deeper sense. Throw in four original compositions that touch on Scott Walker-esque orchestrated pop, Tin Pan Alley songcraft, and country -- yes, that is the George Jones dueting with Connick on "Nothin' New for the New Year" -- and not only do you have one of the best holiday albums in years, but easily the best album of Connick's career. [Harry for the Holidays was reissued in 2005 as a dual disc CD/DVD with additional audio tracks, video clips and an interview on the DVD side.] ~Matt Collar

Harry For The Holidays

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Diane Schuur - Midnight

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:30
Size: 111,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Meet Me, Midnight
(4:49)  2. When October Goes
(3:49)  3. Stay Away From Bill
(4:18)  4. I'll Be There
(4:12)  5. Consider The Point From Both Ends
(3:31)  6. What Is Love?
(4:06)  7. He Loved Me
(2:39)  8. Southwind
(3:31)  9. Our Love Will Always Be There
(3:32) 10. No Heartache Tonight
(3:58) 11. Good-bye My Love
(4:02) 12. Life Is Good
(2:59) 13. Anytime

Diane Schuur has been singing for an adoring public since the age of nine. Those who have praised and supported her talent include Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Stan Getz and Leonard Feather. She has been nominated five times for Grammy Awards and has received two, for Timeless in 1986 and Diane Schuur with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1987.  Midnight is a video-enhanced CD, Schuur’s third release for Concord Records and her first under the tutelage of Barry Manilow and his co-producer, co-writer and arranger, Eddie Arkin. Over the course of a year, Manilow, Arkin and their lyricists Marty Panzer, Bruce Sussman and Adrienne Anderson composed thirteen songs for Schuur; two of the selections feature lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

The attempt to create and maintain a smoky, after-hours ambience is generally successful, with good variety, order and pacing; Dan Higgins’ alto sax solos are especially poignant and communicative. The chemistry between Manilow and Schuur seems felicitous; the CD is produced and polished to a slick sheen, with big-name jazz and soul soloists, well-harmonized arrangements, and an orchestra of glistening strings conducted by Jorge Calandrelli. Schuur’s vocal instrument is in its usual fine form, with good rhythmic and harmonic sensibilities, three-plus octave range, and impeccable intonation (although her emotional intensity sometimes causes her to over-sing and her vibrato to become tremulous). The guest appearances by Allyson, McKnight and Manilow each fit their respective selections and arrangements to a tee. Those who like their music lush, polished, dramatic and emotional are apt to find this CD to their liking. Those who like an edge to their jazz, a spirit of adventure and unpredictability, would probably do well to look elsewhere. ~ J.Robert Bragonier  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/midnight-diane-schuur-concord-music-group-review-by-j-robert-bragonier.php

Personnel: Diane Schuur (vocals, piano); Phillip Ingram, Yvonne Williams (vocals, background vocals); Karrin Allyson, Barry Manilow, Brian McKnight (vocals); Eddie Arkin, Oscar Castro-Neves, Anthony Wilson (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Dan Higgins (flute, alto saxophone); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Bill Liston (clarinet, saxophone, tenor saxophone); Warren Luening (trumpet, flugelhorn); Andy Martin (trombone); Alan Broadbent, Randy Kerber (piano); Alan Estes (vibraphone, percussion); Harvey Mason, Sr. , Peter Erskine (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

Midnight

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Art Blakey - Roots & Herbs

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:14
Size: 142,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:06)  1. Ping Pong
(6:05)  2. Roots And Herbs
(7:51)  3. The Back Sliders
(7:30)  4. United
(6:45)  5. Look At The Birdie
(6:55)  6. Master Mind
(7:12)  7. The Back Sliders (alt take)
(5:58)  8. Ping Pong (alt version)
(6:48)  9. United (alt version)

Originally recorded in 1961, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers' Roots & Herbs was first released in 1970 and then reissued on CD in 1999. Like many titles in the Blue Note catalog, this fine Blakey outing was initially shelved by Alfred Lion for unknown reasons; thankfully, considering Blakey's large array of available Blue Note albums, this wasn't necessarily a crisis. But now that it's out once again with a 24-bit digital makeover, Roots & Herbs is definitely a welcome addition to the drum master's CD catalog. Having already been a magnet for such talented hard bop players and writers as Hank Mobley, Benny Golson, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver (who helped form the original group), and Kenny Dorham, the Messengers' lineup of 1961 featured one of Blakey's best rosters: In addition to trumpeter Lee Morgan, who would alternate in the early '60s with Freddie Hubbard, the band featured tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianists Walter Davis, Jr. and Bobby Timmons, and bassist Jymie Merritt. Feeding off six early compositions by Shorter (the CD also includes three alternate takes), all the players reel off topnotch solos atop Blakey's fluidly galvanizing swing beat. Highlights include "Ping Pong," "Look at Birdie," and "Master Mind," compositions that, in their fetchingly askew way, nicely foreshadow the wealth of ideas to come from Shorter's pen throughout the '60s. ~ Stephen Cook  http://www.allmusic.com/album/roots-herbs-mw0000254919

Roots & Herbs

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James Clay - I Let a Song to Out of My Heart

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@192K/s
Time: 68:09
Size: 97,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:46) 1. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
(8:24) 2. My Foolish Heart
(6:31) 3. Rain Check
(6:14) 4. The Very Thought of You
(6:58) 5. I Mean You
(5:07) 6. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
(7:20) 7. Just in Time
(7:12) 8. I Can't Get Started
(7:07) 9. John Paul Jones A.K.A. Trane's Blues
(7:25) 10. Body and Soul

James Clay, a thick-toned tenor saxophonist who knew Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry in the 1950s, recorded a bit near the end of the decade, spent ten years touring with Ray Charles, and then in the late '60s moved back to his native Texas. He was not heard from for quite some time, until he worked a bit with Don Cherry in 1988. In 1989 he led his first record date in 29 years and it is excellent, a fine straight-ahead quartet outing with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist David Williams, and drummer Billy Higgins. Although not flawless (there are occasional reed squeaks and a few brief wandering moments), this is one of James Clay's finest recordings. He is well featured on ten jazz standards including "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," "Raincheck," "I Mean You," and "Trane's Blues." Recommended.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/i-let-a-song-go-out-of-my-heart-mw0000320510

I Let a Song to Out of My Heart

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Ron Carter, Jim Hall - Telephone

Styles: Jazz, Chamber Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:38
Size: 104,8 MB
Art: Front

( 5:33) 1. Telephone
( 5:54) 2. Indian Summer
( 4:16) 3. Candlelight
( 6:57) 4. Chorale and Dance
(10:30) 5. Alone Together
( 7:45) 6. Stardust
( 4:39) 7. Two s Blues

The epitome of class and elegance, though not stuffy, Ron Carter has been a world class bassist and cellist since the '60s. He's among the greatest accompanists of all time, but has also done many albums exhibiting his prodigious technique. He's a brilliant rhythmic and melodic player, who uses everything in the bass and cello arsenal; walking lines, thick, full, prominent notes and tones, drones and strumming effects, and melody snippets. His bowed solos are almost as impressive as those done with his fingers. Carter has been featured in clothing, instrument, and pipe advertisements; he's close to being the bass equivalent of a Duke Ellington in his mix of musical and extra-musical interests. Carter's nearly as accomplished in classical music as jazz, and has performed with symphony orchestras all over the world. He's almost exclusively an acoustic player; he did play electric for a short time in the late '60s and early '70s, but hasn't used it in many, many years.

Carter began playing cello at ten. But when his family moved from Ferndale, MI, to Detroit, Carter ran into problems with racial stereotypes regarding the cello and switched to bass. He played in the Eastman School's Philharmonic Orchestra, and gained his degree in 1959. He moved to New York and played in Chico Hamilton's quintet with Eric Dolphy, while also enrolling at the Manhattan School of Music. Carter earned his master's degree in 1961. After Hamilton returned to the West Coast in 1960, Carter stayed in New York and played with Dolphy and Don Ellis, cutting his first records with them. He worked with Randy Weston and Thelonious Monk, while playing and recording with Jaki Byard in the early '60s. Carter also toured and recorded with Bobby Timmons' trio, and played with Cannonball Adderley. He joined Art Farmer's group for a short time in 1963, before he was tapped to become a member of Miles Davis' band.

Carter remained with Davis until 1968, appearing on every crucial mid-'60s recording and teaming with Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to craft a new, freer rhythm section sound. The high-profile job led to the reputation that's seen Carter become possibly the most recorded bassist in jazz history. He's been heard on an unprecedented number of recordings; some sources claim 500, others have estimated it to be as many as 1,000. The list of people he's played with is simply too great to be accurately and completely cited. Carter's been a member of New York Jazz Sextet and New York Jazz Quartet, V.S.O.P. Tour, and Milestone Jazzstars, and was in one of the groups featured in the film Round Midnight in 1986.

He's led his own bands at various intervals since 1972, using a second bassist to keep time and establish harmony so he's free to provide solos. Carter even invented his own instrument, a piccolo bass. Carter's also contributed many arrangements and compositions to both his groups and other bands. He's done duo recordings with either Cedar Walton or Jim Hall. Carter's recorded for Embryo/Atlantic, CTI, Milestone, Timeless, EmArcy, Galaxy, Elektra, and Concord, eventually landing at Blue Note for LPs including 1997's The Bass and I, 1998's So What, and 1999's Orfeu. When Skies Are Grey surfaced in early 2001, followed a year later by Stardust, Carter's tribute to the late bassist Oscar Pettiford. In 2006 another tribute album was released, Dear Miles, dedicated to Miles Davis, also on Blue Note. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/ron-carter

Personnel: Ron Carter - bass; Jim Hall – guitar

Telephone

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Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 103:05
Size: 240,7 MB
Art: Front

(22:34) 1. Now's The Time
(13:32) 2. Moanin'
(11:44) 3. Blues March
( 0:32) 4. The Theme
(12:13) 5. Dat Dere
(13:28) 6. 'Round About Midnight
(17:15) 7. Now's The Time
(11:12) 8. A Night In Tunisia
( 0:30) 9. The Theme

There is a saying in the opera world which, though innocuous on the face of it, damns a work before the overture has begun let alone after the fat lady sings. The saying, beloved of breathless publicists deaf to its implication, is that such and such an opera is "rarely performed." The reason it is rarely performed, of course, is because nine times out of ten it is a dud. When it comes to jazz albums the parallel saying is "previously unreleased." Unless the recording has only recently been discovered to exist, five gets you ten that it, too, is a dud and the longer it has lain unreleased the greater that probability. First Flight To Tokyo is, Blue Note tells us, a "thrilling previously unreleased" live recording. Its subtitle, The Lost 1961 Recordings, suggests the tapes have not until recently been known to exist and that, as with the Dead Sea Scrolls, only decades of dedicated archaeological excavation have unearthed them. In fact, the tapes and their whereabouts have been known about for sixty years. One is minded, therefore, to arrange the following words into a well known phrase or saying: barrel, bottom, scrape.

Actually, First Flight To Tokyo is not that bad. It is certainly not a dud. But nor is it the masterpiece it will doubtless be dubbed by gullible reviewers who are perhaps unfamiliar with the genuinely great live albums in the Jazz Messengers' discography. It is, in fact, a solid album from one of the hardest working bands of its era and not without interest. But A Night At Birdland (Blue Note, 1954) or At The Café Bohemia (Blue Note, 1956) it is not. The alternate takes of Charlie Parker's "Now's The Time," one lasting 22:34, the other 17:15, suggest the band played two sets at Tokyo's Hibiya Public Hall on January 14, 1961. The tune had been in the band book since 1954 and is part of the aforementioned A Night At Birdland, along with Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night In Tunisia," which is also heard here. The Messengers' front line was then trumpeter Clifford Brown and alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, not First Flight To Tokyo's trumpeter Lee Morgan and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The other Tokyo tunes pianist Bobby Timmons' "Moanin'" and "Dat Dere" and ex-Messenger tenor saxophonist Benny Golson's "Blues March" were more recent additions to the book. Nothing from Shorter, who is one of the two most interesting composers in the history of the Jazz Messengers (the other being Golson).

All these tunes get expansive going on raucous performances. The opening track is the longer of the two versions of "Now's The Time," and it is the most compelling performance on the 2xCD set, opening and closing with five minute solos from Blakey, sandwiching others by Shorter, Morgan and Timmons. Just shy of three years away from his defining hit, "The Sidewinder," Morgan is already post bop and across gospel infused hard bop. Shorter is still some distance from his nuanced mature style and attempts, on this track and the others, to follow Blakey's wish that every chorus should sound like the grand finale of the set. Throughout the album, Timmons is his own deeply funky self. The only track which does not quite convince is Thelonious Monk's "'Round About Midnight." Morgan is superb, but Blakey and the Messengers were better at belters than ballads, notwithstanding their gorgeous reading of Golson's "Whisper Not" on 1958 Paris Olympia (Blue Note).

Bottom line: First Flight To Tokyo is one for hardcore Jazz Messengers' aficionados, who will already know that this particular Messengers lineup is arguably heard at its best on two Blue Note studio albums also recorded in 1961, A Night In Tunisia and Roots And Herbs.~ Chris Mayhttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/first-flight-to-tokyo-the-lost-1961-recordings-art-blakey-and-the-jazz-messengers-blue-note-records__30509

Personnel: Art Blakey: drums; Wayne Shorter: saxophone; Lee Morgan: trumpet; Bobby Timmons: piano; Jymie Merritt: bass.

First Flight To Tokyo: The Lost 1961 Recordings

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The Count Basie Orchestra - Live At El Morocco

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:43
Size: 158,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:49) 1. Gone An' Git It Y'all
(5:43) 2. A Night At El Morocco
(5:04) 3. Right On, Right On
(5:11) 4. That's The Kind Of Love I'm Talking About
(5:18) 5. Corner Pocket
(4:06) 6. Little Chicago Fire
(5:21) 7. Shiny Stockings
(5:27) 8. Angel Eyes
(6:41) 9. Major Butts
(4:40) 10. Ditty
(5:00) 11. Vignola Express
(4:48) 12. Basie
(5:29) 13. One O'Clock Jump

Even without its original leader, the Count Basie Orchestra is today one of the finest jazz big bands in existence. Frank Foster has kept the instantly recognizable sound while welcoming younger soloists and infusing the band's repertoire with new charts. This strong live program is typical of the Basie band in the '90s, performing older tunes (such as "Corner Pocket" and "Shiny Stockings") that alternate with newer and no less swinging originals, all of which leaves room for the orchestra's many promising soloists.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-el-morocco-mw0000087296

Personnel: Alto Saxophone [Lead], Piccolo Flute – Danny Turner; Alto Saxophone, Flute – Manny Boyd; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – John Williams ; Bass – Cleveland Eaton; Bass Trombone – Bill Hughes; Drums – David Gibson ; Guitar – Charlton Johnson; Piano – George Caldwell ; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Doug Miller, Kenny Hing; Trombone – Clarence Banks, Robert Trowers; Trombone [Lead] – Mel Wanzo; Trumpet – Bob Ojeda, Derrick Gardner, Melton Mustafa; Trumpet [Lead] – Mike Williams

Live At El Morocco

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