Keely Smith - The Essential Capitol Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:29
Size: 177.4 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. All The Things You Are
[2:03] 2. It's Been A Long, Long Time
[2:54] 3. That Old Black Magic
[3:09] 4. Stormy Weather
[2:34] 5. You Go To My Head
[2:39] 6. S'posin'
[2:55] 7. Fools Rush In
[3:11] 8. The Song Is You
[2:25] 9. How Are Ya' Fixed For Love
[2:47] 10. Be Mine (Little Baby)
[2:33] 11. I Wish You Love
[2:59] 12. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:15] 13. The Man I Love
[2:50] 14. Don't Let A Memory
[1:51] 15. What Is This Thing Called Love
[2:59] 16. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[2:13] 17. (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby
[3:26] 18. I Can't Get Started
[2:23] 19. There Will Never Be Another You
[3:29] 20. Imagination
[2:48] 21. The Whipporwill
[2:30] 22. Nothing In Common
[3:11] 23. When Your Lover Has Gone
[3:04] 24. All The Way
[2:52] 25. Stardust
[3:04] 26. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[3:49] 27. When Day Is Done

Keely Smith possesses a fantastic ability to sing so well that she could capture your attention at once and you would never want to stop listening to her. She could sing you the phone book; and when she was finished you would be applauding and begging for more. This excellent retrospective album gives us quite a bit of the best of Keely Smith. It has twenty eight wonderful tracks and at 78 minutes the CD is as jam packed with hits as any CD is ever going to be.

"All The Things You Are" opens the CD; Keely sings this perfectly without a superfluous note. Her voice is warm, rich and vibrant in a way that just couldn't be better. The strings and horns help the musical arrangement along although Keely's vocals remain squarely in the foreground. "It's Been A Long, Long Time" sports that big band flavor and Keely makes this number more energetic than I've ever heard it. Keely swings brightly and the musical arrangement lacks nothing, either. "That Old Black Magic" is a duet Keely does with husband Louis Prima; they got a Grammy for this song and one listen will prove to you that they deserved it. Keely's voice is truly an instrument of its own and she sings "That Old Black Magic" with panache. "I Wish You Love" begins with a great musical flourish and when Keely comes in this number takes flight! Keely's voice is particularly sweet on this number; and her voice conveys all the subtle romantic nuances to make "I Wish You Love" her very own masterpiece! "Autumn Leaves" gets a somewhat less melancholy flavor than usual when Keely sings it. Unfortunately, this is one number that I think was better left to Edith Piaf. "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" gets a big band, jazzy feel to it as Keely sings this triumphant, upbeat melody flawlessly. Keely seems to be the perfect female vocalist to sing "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." I predict that you will enjoy this number very much. "Imagination" features Keely singing wonderfully yet again; and "Stardust" gets the royal treatment from Keely as she delivers "Stardust" with great sensitivity. Great! The album ends with a live track of Keely performing "When Day Is Done." Louis Prima introduces her and Keely sings this every bit as well as if the number had been professional recorded in a studio! Her talent truly was special.

Overall, Keely Smith fans won't want to go without this album; although it's best suited for people who want a "best of" type of album. This album simply doesn't give you everything you need to fully appreciate just how great Keely Smith was when she was at her peak in the 1950s and 1960s although it's quite strong as a retrospective CD.. If you like this CD I would suggest you check out other albums by this fine artist. ~Matthew G. Sherwin

The Essential Capitol Collection

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Bill Perkins & Victor Feldman - Quietly There

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet And Flute Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:04
Size: 110,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Quietly There
(5:27)  2. Emily
(5:32)  3. Groover Wailin'
(5:24)  4. A Time For Love
(3:50)  5. Sure As You're Born
(5:37)  6. Just A Child
(3:55)  7. Keester Parade
(2:28)  8. The Shining Sea
(6:30)  9. Something Different
(4:53) 10. The Shadow of Your Smile

This set by multi-reedist Bill Perkins (who switches between tenor, baritone, bass clarinet and flute) has been reissued on CD with one extra selection. On what was one of the earliest tributes to film composer Johnny Mandel, Perkins was careful to not only perform ballads such as "Emily," "A Time for Love" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" but to add some variety by also playing a few of Mandel's more obscure medium-tempo numbers. Still the results are generally pretty relaxed and tasteful on a quintet set with pianist Victor Feldman (who also plays some cheesy-sounding organ and vibes), guitarist John Pisano, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Larry Bunker. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/quietly-there-mw0000268340

Personnel: Bill Perkins (flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); John Pisano (guitar, electric guitar, classical guitar); Victor Feldman (piano, organ, vibraphone); Larry Bunker (drums).

Quietly There

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Cristiana Polegri,Roberto Spadoni - It Had Better Be Henry Mancini

Styles: Vocal, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:18
Size: 156,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:04) 1. Days Of Wine And Roses
(6:41) 2. Slow Hot Wind (Lujon) (Feat. Giovanni Falzone)
(7:15) 3. A Cool Shade Of Blue (Feat. Giovanni Falzone & Maurizio Giammarco)
(5:58) 4. The Sweatheart Tree
(5:42) 5. It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera) (Feat. Elio, Giovanni Falzone & Maurizio Giammarco)
(6:49) 6. Peter Gunn (Feat. Giovanni Falzone & Maurizio Giammarco)
(6:40) 7. Two For The Road (Feat. Stefano Fresi & Maurizio Giammarco)
(4:39) 8. The Pink Panther Theme
(5:48) 9. Moon River
(6:50) 10. Loss Of Love
(6:48) 11. Baby Elephant Walk (Feat. Giovanni Falzone & Maurizio Giammarco)

"It Had Better Be Henri Mancini" is Cristiana Polegri and Roberto Spadoni's tribute to the great American composer and conductor famous for having composed some of the most beautiful and well-known soundtracks in the history of cinema, in a long career studded with accolades. Among these we can mention famous songs such as "Moon River", "Baby Elephant Walk", "Peter Gunn" and the theme of the Pink Panther.

The singer and saxophonist Cristiana Polegri and Roberto Spadoni, arranger of all the songs and musical director, reinterpret some of his best-known compositions in the album, arranged for a colorful ten-piece jazz ensemble. To embellish the album the participation of the singer Elio and the actor Stefano Fresi as well as the trumpeter Giovanni Falzone and the saxophonist Maurizio Giammarco.
https://www.dischivolanti.ch/it/article/music/M39554/

It Had Better Be Henry Mancini

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Monty Alexander - The Montreux Years

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 85:16
Size: 195,7 MB
Art: Front

( 5:43) 1. The Serpent
( 7:53) 2. Work Song
( 9:49) 3. Hurricane Come And Gone
( 8:14) 4. Night Mist Blues
( 8:35) 5. Linstead Market
( 7:45) 6. Crying
( 8:14) 7. No Woman No Cry / Get Up Stand Up (Medley)
( 9:47) 8. Renewal
( 7:13) 9. The Pawnbroker
(11:58) 10. A Nod To Bob

Monty Alexander: The Montreux Years is a showcase of jazz piano virtuoso Monty Alexander’s iconic Montreux Jazz Festival live performances, spanning three decades of his career from 1993 to 2016. The Grammy-nominated, pianist performed some of his finest shows in the Swiss town and this release captures him at his best, bringing his laid-back, Caribbean vibes to the shores of Lake Geneva.

In a career spanning six decades, Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. Monty has always been proud of his roots and effortlessly merges his iconic piano playing with other musical influences including that of his fellow countryman, Bob Marley, on the sublime “No Woman No Cry”, the live version of which appears on this release.

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Monty has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Barbara Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others.

By the time Monty first played Montreux (in 1976), he was already an incredibly accomplished performer but playing there nonetheless marked a similarly significant career step-up. “Montreux was like going to the Olympics. Up to then, I was going about my business as a jazz performer, playing in real down-home clubs all over the US. The people there weren’t too interested in what you might call intellectual content, they just wanted the music swinging. So, to go to Montreux, which was so auspicious, playing alongside all these incredible musicians in this beautiful place surrounded by mountains, and with such a smart, passionate audience...I was delighted. In fact, I had to keep my ego in check. It was a very long way from my upbringing in Kingston, Jamaica, which was another world altogether.”

The audio has been expertly restored and remastered in superlative HD audio; The Montreux Years is released on superior audiophile heavy weight vinyl, MQA quality CD and in HD digital. Brand new liner notes based on an interview with Monty will be available with this release, which also includes rare photos and memories from his Montreux shows.

Monty has also just released a brand new album Love Notes, his first album to feature his own vocals. Thoughtfully curated, the eleven tracks on “Love Notes” are some of Monty’s favourite songs crafted and arranged in a totally unique, romantic setting. With the exception of “These Love Notes” (Monty’s original composition with lyrics by Brian Jobson), all of the songs have a direct connection to his childhood the first songs he ever heard and loved and they bring back the scent and romanticism of the Jasmine flowers Monty used to smell as a child in Montego Bay. Guest artists on the album include George Benson, the Late Roy Hargrove, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Sample, Arturo Sandoval and More. https://www.pmamedia.org/en/home/monty-alexander-the-montreux-years

The Montreux Years

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Alex Sipiagin - Hindsight

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:07
Size: 167,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:08) 1. Very Early I
(10:11) 2. Hindsight
( 8:34) 3. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
( 8:49) 4. Linear Passage
(10:19) 5. Second Shot
( 5:22) 6. Light Blue
( 9:26) 7. Upstream
(10:14) 8. Ver Early II

Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin sticks with a quintet lineup on his second Criss Cross outing, but this time opts for guitar over piano. Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter remains in place from the first session; Adam Rogers, who is finally gaining wider exposure, ably fills the chair previously occupied by Dave Kikoski; and a new rhythm section appears, with Boris Kozlov on bass and Gene Jackson on drums. The music is magnificent, and thankfully the takes are nice and long, giving the soloists more than enough room to push the envelope.

In addition to four strong originals, Sipiagin offers an elevated reading of Mingus' "Reincarnation of a Lovebird," two equally stirring takes of Bill Evans' "Very Early," and a priceless flügelhorn/acoustic guitar duet on Monk's "Light Blue." Sipiagin's orchestrations are ceaselessly probing and imaginative; there are times, like on the out-blues title track, when the harmonized lines he plays with Potter sound like three horns. Combining the rigors of painstaking composition with the frenzied inspiration of the hottest blowing date, Sipiagin gives listeners some of the most potent and engaging mainstream jazz of the era. By David R. Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/hindsight-mw0000226313

Hindsight

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Ronnell Bright - Bright Flight

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:57
Size: 93,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. Randail's Island
(3:28)  2. Sallye
(4:21)  3. People Will Say
(2:46)  4. Liza
(2:34)  5. It Never Entered My Mind
(4:18)  6. For Pete's Sake
(5:58)  7. Toasted 'Ammond
(2:58)  8. It Could Happen To You
(4:45)  9. How Little We Know
(3:21) 10. Bohemia,U.S.A.
(3:09) 11. I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face

One of the few albums as a leader from pianist Ronnell Bright recorded with Joe Benjamin on bass and Bill Clark on drums  with compelling tunes that include "Randall's Island", "Bohemia USA", and "Toasted Ammond". (Red label pressing with deep groove. Cover has ring & edge wear, split seams held with clear tape, and some faded marker and correction fluid on front.)  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. 

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/770552?filterfield=veryrecent&sort_order=date_added

Personnel:  Ronnell Bright (p), Joe Benjamin (b), Bill Clark (ds)

Bright Flight

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Margaux Vranken - Songbook

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:36
Size: 86,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:41) 1. Ballade
(3:51) 2. Oneiro (Feat. Erini)
(3:45) 3. A Light Within (Feat. Lior Tzemach, Stacy Claire & Aneta Nayan)
(3:44) 4. Songbook (Feat. Stacy Claire & Aneta Nayan)
(5:06) 5. Back In Schaerbeek (Feat. Lior Tzemach, Stacy Claire & Aneta Nayan)
(3:30) 6. Untitled (Feat. Lior Tzemach)
(3:52) 7. Good To See You
(4:23) 8. Distance
(4:09) 9. Song For Tamara (Feat. Tamara Jokic)
(2:31) 10. Goodbye (Feat. Stacy Claire)

"Songbook" is a set of instrumental and/or vocal songs that reflect the full color palette of Margaux Vranken's compositional work.

This album is the result of several collaborations with artists whose work Margaux admires. Longtime musical companions, Fil Caporali (Brazil, bass), Daniel Jonkers (Netherlands, drums), Tom Bourgeois (France, saxophone) and Lior Tzemach (Israel, guitar) joined the “Songbook” project quite naturally and brought their musicality and their personality. Aneta Nayan (Poland, vocals), with whom Margaux has worked regularly for almost 10 years, wrote almost all of the lyrics for this project.

As usual, Margaux invited singers to come and put their voices on her compositions. On this opus, we discover Stacy Claire (France, vocals) (“Goodbye, “Songbook”), as well as Aneta Nayan (Poland, vocals) (“A Light Within”). "Songbook" is in line with the album "Purpose": a set of moods, emotions and musical surprises all in finesse and sophistication.

“Songbook” is the third collaboration between Belgian label Igloo Records and pianist-composer MargauxVranken.https://jazzinbelginbe.translate.goog/evenements/63003/river-jazz-margaux-vranken-songbook_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Songbook

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Barney Kessel - Whatever You Want

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:25
Size: 174,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:13) 1. By The Beautiful Sea
(6:31) 2. My Man's Gone Now
(2:26) 3. Sweet Georgia Brown
(5:59) 4. Flowersville
(2:14) 5. Summertime
(3:57) 6. The Gypsy's Hip
(4:58) 7. Free As A Bird
(3:07) 8. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
(2:56) 9. Don't Blame Me
(4:25) 10. Wall Street
(2:10) 11. Heartaches
(5:07) 12. Opus 711
(4:47) 13. My Funny Valentine
(2:43) 14. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(6:43) 15. Joy Spring
(3:46) 16. How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)
(2:33) 17. It Ain't Necessarily So
(4:00) 18. If You Dig Me
(3:41) 19. I Wanna Be Loved By You

One of the finest guitarists to emerge after the death of Charlie Christian, Barney Kessel was a reliable bop soloist throughout his career. He played with a big band fronted by Chico Marx (1943), was fortunate enough to appear in the classic jazz short Jammin' the Blues (1944), and then worked with the big bands of Charlie Barnet (1944-1945) and Artie Shaw (1945); he also recorded with Shaw's Gramercy Five. Kessel became a busy studio musician in Los Angeles, but was always in demand for jazz records. He toured with the Oscar Peterson Trio for one year (1952-1953) and then, starting in 1953, led an impressive series of records for Contemporary that lasted until 1961 (including several with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne in a trio accurately called the Poll Winners).

After touring Europe with George Wein's Newport All-Stars (1968), Kessel lived in London for a time (1969-1970). In 1973, he began touring and recording with the Great Guitars, a group also including Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd. A serious stroke in 1992 put Barney Kessel permanently out of action, but many of his records (which include dates for Onyx, Black Lion, Sonet, and Concord, in addition to many of the Contemporaries) are available, along with several video collections put out by Vestapol. Kessel was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2001, which eventually took his life in May of 2004. He was 80 years old.By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barney-kessel-mn0000784527/biography

Whatever You Want

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Ernestine Anderson - A Song for You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:02
Size: 103,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:52) 1. This Can't Be Love
(5:51) 2. A Song for You
(4:34) 3. Make Someone Happy
(7:09) 4. Skylark
(3:26) 5. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
(6:10) 6. Candy
(6:41) 7. Day by Day
(7:15) 8. For All We Know

There's no doubt that American Idol, that immensely popular TV vocal competition now in its eighth season as of this writing, has redefined the public's idea of what constitutes "great" singing. In many quarters, the old criteria of good pitch and time, pleasing tone and honest feeling are no longer sufficient, for why hold onto one long note when you can cram three octaves into every bar? Far too often, the meaning of a song is reduced to its melisma, as a singer's athletic ability to embellish a tone seems to trump any lyric attached to it.

So far the jazz world has been relatively immune from this virus, but the growing ease of technology is enabling every aspiring singer to make a CD just pick some artwork, hire a publicist, and poof: you're in the game. This has resulted in a great uncensored flood of music, much of which is best appreciated by the parents, spouses, and friends of the singer.

But into this noisy climate comes a reminder of what true class and swing are all about: A Song for You, from veteran vocalist Ernestine Anderson. Here, backed by a fine and un-fussy quartet, she proves that her six-decade career could not diminish her rich, flexible voice, or her ability to mine the emotional truth in every song; if anything, both are deeper today. Anderson is joined in her explorations by the legendary tenor player Houston Person, whose bluesy obligatos are so empathic that they're practically verbal. During his thirty-year partnership with the late, also-wonderful Etta Jones, Person perfected the art of the voice/horn dialogue: consistently enhancing a singer's meaning without ever getting in her way. His comments are by turns supportive, witty or ironic, and his solos remain unmatched for their expressiveness and soul.

Anderson makes her musical intentions clear from the buoyant opener, "This Can't Be Love": she's going to use her singular phrasing and time to freshen every overplayed standard in the set, including the enthusiastic "Make Someone Happy," the R&B-inflected "Lovely Way to Spend an Evening," and the celebratory "Day by Day.". The CD's four ballads include a surprisingly slow and sexy "Candy," as well as the relatively-recent title tune, where Anderson makes the words so personal that it sounds like she just made them up. A word about "Skylark," that timeless beauty by Hoagy Carmichael: the equally great Johnny Mercer said it took him a whole year to get those lyrics right, and Anderson honors them with a kind of whispering wonder that suits them very well.All told, A Song for You should be required listening for every singer, since Anderson provides such a rare and invaluable lesson: how to touch the listeners' hearts without having to fill up their ears.By Dr. Judith Schlesinger https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-song-for-you-ernestine-anderson-highnote-records-review-by-dr-judith-schlesinger

Personnel: Ernestine Anderson: vocals; Houston Person: tenor saxophone; Lafayette Harris, Jr.: piano; Chip Jackson: bass; Willie Jones III: drums.

A Song for You

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Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas (Expanded Edition)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 51:30

Size: 117.9 MB

Styles: Holiday, Jazz vocals

Year: 1960/2002

Art: Front

[2:22] 1. Jingle Bells

[2:17] 2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

[2:55] 3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

[3:31] 4. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

[2:55] 5. Sleigh Ride

[2:59] 6. The Christmas Song

[3:15] 7. Good Morning Blues

[2:41] 8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

[2:14] 9. Winter Wonderland

[2:51] 10. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

[2:11] 11. Frosty The Snowman

[3:00] 12. White Christmas

[2:45] 13. The Secret Of Christmas

[3:34] 14. Medley We Three Kings Of Orient Are O Little Town

[2:17] 15. Christmas Island

[3:40] 16. The Christmas Song

[3:44] 17. White Christmas

[2:11] 18. Frosty The Snowman

The first lady of jazz can make anything swing, and Christmas tunes are no exception. On this 1960 album, Ella's endlessly agile voice wraps itself around a batch of holiday standards, with a Frank De Vol-led big band providing brassy punctuation. When tackling chestnuts like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," she doesn't try to reinvent the melody, as some less-experienced jazz singer might; instead, she stamps her personality on every tune with subtle turns of phrasing and a masterful knack for toying with the time.

Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas       

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Mary Stallings - Live At The Village Standard

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:25
Size: 149.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2001/2013
Art: Front

[4:27] 1. I Love Being Here With You
[6:24] 2. You're Sensational
[4:52] 3. Street Of Dreams
[7:17] 4. A Sunday Kind Of Love
[5:24] 5. The Gypsy In My Soul
[4:23] 6. You're My Thrill
[5:30] 7. The Thrill Is Gone
[6:43] 8. All Night Long
[5:07] 9. Let's Face It/Everything I Love
[3:18] 10. Slow Hot Wind
[7:06] 11. Lullaby Of The Leaves
[4:49] 12. I Didn't Know About You

Recording Date; September 28-30, 2000. Mary Stallings: vocals; Eric Reed: piano; Ron Blake: tenor saxophone; Vicente Archer: bass; Carl Allen: drums.

Mary Stallings belongs to that lost generation of jazz singers whose careers imploded when the rock/folk/pop explosion of the mid-1960s sucked all of the oxygen out of jazz. From the early 1970s onward, Ms. Stallings generally confined her activities to the San Francisco Bay area so that she could raise her daughter. She returned to full-time singing at the end of the 1980s and finally came to the attention of the national jazz audience with the 1994 release of the aptly titled I Waited for You on Concord Jazz. Despite her three superb albums for the label, Concord Jazz foolishly allowed Ms. Stallings’s contract to lapse, and, for a while, it seemed that she would once again disappear into regional obscurity. Fortunately, real talent always finds a way to rise to the surface. Five years after her last album, Ms. Stallings has returned with a new CD on the MAXJAZZ label.

Beautifully recorded, Live at the Village Vanguard captures Mary Stallings in full flight. Her full-bodied, textured alto recalls Carmen McRae while her phrasing and intonation have clearly been influenced by Dinah Washington. Although she does have some of Ms. Washington’s bracing intensity, Ms. Stallings’s phrasing is more relaxed and agile. As befits a singer who spent four years (1969-1972) as the featured vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, Ms. Stallings swings hard. “I Love Being Here With You” and “Lullaby of the Leaves” are textbook examples of how a singer can push a rhythm section rather than the other way around. Ms. Stallings also displays an impressive command of dynamics. Her ballads, usually performed sotto voce, have a brooding, introspective quality. The restraint of her ballad singing is such that when she does unleash the full power of her voice the effect can be startling. Although she continually stretches and bends the tunes, Ms. Stallings respects the basic melodic structure of her material.

Mary Stallings sustains an enviable level of quality throughout this live CD although some of the material does prove resistant to her talents. It is probably difficult for a singer to find new things to do with “Street of Dreams” or “A Sunday Kind of Love.” Still, Ms. Stallings does manage to shake the dust off of “Gypsy in My Soul,” “Everything I Love,” and especially “The Thrill is Gone.” While there are no obscurities in her repertoire, there are some less frequently encountered tunes like Cole Porter’s “You’re Sensational,” Henry Mancini’s “Slow Hot Wind” and Curtis Lewis’s “All Night Long.” The arrangements are reasonably straightforward and the instrumentalists are uniformly good. Both pianist Eric Reed and tenor saxophonist Ron Blake take good advantage of their numerous opportunities to solo.

Live at the Village Vanguard marks the welcome return of Mary Stallings to the national jazz stage. Let’s hope that this time she’ll stay around for a good long while. ~Matthew Bahl

Live At The Village Standard

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Chris Standring - Silent Night

Styles: Guitar, Holiday
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:24
Size: 79,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:34) 1. Deck The Halls
(3:41) 2. The Christmas Song
(4:10) 3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
(2:36) 4. The First Noel
(3:45) 5. Silent Night
(3:50) 6. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
(3:53) 7. We Three Kings
(2:55) 8. Winter Wonderland
(2:47) 9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
(3:10) 10. White Christmas

Silent Night, Chris Standring's 2022 unique take on holiday classics sees the prolific composer and arranger digging creatively into new territory and offering some unexpected renditions of these very familiar songs. Capturing the warm, nostalgic and sentimental side of Christmases gone by, Silent Night draws from the classic stylings of Nelson Riddle and Vince Guaraldi all with Standring's very individual guitar voice at front and center throughout.

‘Silent Night’ will be released digitally October 14, 2022 on the Ultimate Vibe Recordings label and is quickly into the seasonal groove with an enchanting rendition of ‘Deck The Halls’. Elsewhere and just as good ‘O Little Town Of Bethlehem’ is a number that demonstrates Standring’s boundless creativity while a standout of the whole collection is his take on the instantly recognizable ‘Christmas Song’. Another instant favourite is the shimmering title cut that Standring presents simply but with an arrangement exuding warmth yet all things considered the Smooth Jazz Therapy top track is the beguiling ‘We Three Kings’. With Dave Karasony on drums and John Leftwich on upright bass it passes the litmus test, and then some, of Christmas music you would be happy listening to in July.

Bass player Kevin Axt completes Standring’s backing line-up and all are superb in jazz trio mode for a hip rendition of ‘Winter Wonderland’ and, although Standring uses ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman’ to conjure up images of (extremely jazzy) carol singers trudging through the snow, it is his reworking of ‘The First Noel’ that will send your mind spinning back to how you remember the best Christmas you ever had.

Talking of music that has stood the test of time the evocative ‘I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas’ checks just about every box imaginable so to say that Standring takes this memorable tune to a whole new level is testimony to the sensitivity with which he handles it. It provides a fitting end to a superb recording that is sure to be a huge seller, not only this year but for many more Christmases to come. https://www.chrisstandring.com/silent-night-album.html

Silent Night

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Mary Stallings - I Waited For You

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:46
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Where Or When
(6:16)  2. Love Dance
(5:27)  3. I Waited For You
(6:33)  4. Blues In My Heart
(5:58)  5. Dedicated To You
(2:58)  6. It's Crazy
(6:07)  7. Serenade In Blue
(6:42)  8. But Not For Me
(5:38)  9. I Wanna Be Loved
(6:38) 10. Only Trust Your Heart
(3:46) 11. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do

Mary Stallings joined Concord Jazz's roster with I Waited for You, an outstanding CD that posited the question, "Where has this fine singer been all this time?" Indeed, it was most regrettable that an artist of Stallings' caliber had done so little recording over the years when she should have been documented extensively. Carl Jefferson, the late founder of Concord, obviously felt that way, and he did right when he produced her Concord debut. Jefferson united Stallings with the quartet of pianist Gene Harris, whose earthy soul-jazz style complements Stallings' robust, Carmen McRae-influenced vocals beautifully on everything from the fast, exhilarating "It's Crazy" to the intimate ballad singing of "Serenade in Blue," "Dedicated to You," and Ivan Lins' "Love Dance." Harris described I Waited for You as Stallings' "coming-out party" it's too bad the party didn't take place until 1994. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-waited-for-you-mw0000119978

Personnel: Mary Stallings (vocals); Gene Harris (piano); Ron Eschete (guitar); Luther Hughes (bass); Paul Humphrey (drums).

I Waited For You

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Ron Carter Quartet & Vitoria Maldonado - Brasil L.I.K.E.

Styles: Vocal, Latin Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:18
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(2:50)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:26)  3. Night and Day
(3:26)  4. I Only Have Eyes for You
(2:33)  5. How High the Moon
(2:09)  6. Adoro O Teu Sorriso
(2:59)  7. All of Me
(3:34)  8. Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours (I Wish You Love)
(2:23)  9. Georgia on My Mind
(3:04) 10. Someone to Light up My Life
(4:15) 11. Lugar Comum
(2:07) 12. Because You Make Me Dream
(3:17) 13. Saudade

Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and  influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with many of music's greats: Tommy Flanagan, Gil Evans, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, the Kronos Quartet, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and Bobby Timmons. In the early 1960s he performed throughout the United States in concert halls and nightclubs with Jaki Byard and Eric Dolphy. He later toured Europe with Cannonball Adderley. From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the classic and acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat magazine, and Most Valuable Player by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1993 Ron Carter earned a Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Group, the Miles Davis Tribute Band and another Grammy in 1998 for Call 'Sheet Blues', an instrumental composition from the film 'Round Midnight.

In addition to scoring and arranging music for many films, including some projects for Public Broadcasting System, Carter has composed music for A Gathering of Old Men, starring Lou Gosset Jr., The Passion of Beatrice directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and Blind Faith starring Courtney B. Vance. Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, among which are Building Jazz Bass Lines and The Music of Ron Carter; the latter contains 130 of his published and recorded compositions. Carter earned a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School in Rochester and a master's degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He has also received four honorary doctorates, from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and was the 2002 recipient of the prestigious Hutchinson Award from the Eastman School at the University of Rochester. Most recently he was honored by the French Minister of Culture with France's premier cultural award--the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, given to those who have distinguished themselves in the domain of artistic or literary creation and for their contribution to the spread of arts and letters in France and the world. Carter has lectured, conducted, and performed at clinics and master classes, instructing jazz ensembles and teaching the business of music at numerous universities. He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus although, as a performer, he remains as active as ever. http://roncarter.net/JazzMaster/about-jazz-bass-master-ron-carter/

Personnel:  Vitoria Maldonado (vocal); Ron Carter: baixo acústico (bass); Renee Rosnes: piano; Rolando Morales-Matos: percussão (percussion); Payton Crossley: bateria (drums) with special guests:  Roberto Menescal (guitar); Marcos Mincov (English horn); Toninho Ferragutti (accordion); Omar Izar (harmonica); Randy Brecker (flugelhorn); Proveta (alto sax)  – with Ruria Duprat’s ‘Brasilian Orchestra’

Brasil L.I.K.E.

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Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte - We Two Kings

Styles: Guitar, Holiday
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:17
Size: 90,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:01) 1. Joy To The World
(3:14) 2. Deck The Halls
(2:46) 3. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
(2:59) 4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
(3:22) 5. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Feat. Curtis Fowlkes)
(3:54) 6. We Three Kings
(4:10) 7. The First Noel (Feat. Curtis Fowlkes)
(2:58) 8. Good King Wenceslas
(3:40) 9. Angels We Have Heard On High
(2:46) 10. Jingle Bells
(3:06) 11. Oh Come All Ye Faithful (Feat. Curtis Fowlkes)
(3:13) 12. Silent Night

A Christmas record from two master musicians that will shake, rattle, and roll your holiday.

Beautifully arranged, brilliantly played, and unlike any other version of these great songs, We Two Kings re-imagines the classic carols as surf, country, metal, jazz, and beyond. With the exception of guest trombone player Curtis Fowlkes, Previte and Hunter play all the instruments guitars, basses, drums, pianos, organs, and all manner of percussion. A stunning tour-de-force that takes you on a wild, fun and sometimes hilarious musical journey of joy, We Two Kings is a record that you will never want to be without during the holiday season. Hear these classics like you have never heard them before on We Two Kings. https://bobbyprevite.bandcamp.com/album/we-two-kings

Personnel: Charlie Hunter - guitars, basses, keyboards, percussion; Bobby Previte - drums, percussion, keyboards, sampling; Curtis Fowlkes- trombone

We Two Kings

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Woong San - Who Stole the Skies

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:22
Size: 124,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:22) 1. All In A Dream
(6:09) 2. Rain Bird
(5:13) 3. I'm Not A Butterfly
(5:58) 4. Canadian Blues
(5:16) 5. Who Stole The Skies
(5:18) 6. Today
(5:30) 7. Spread Your Wings
(4:13) 8. Four Weeks
(5:21) 9. Song For A Clown
(5:57) 10. Sonnima

Asian jazz diva Woongsan releases 10th full album! A masterpiece that shows artistic achievement as much as the weight of the number '10'! Ungsan 10th [Who Stole the Skies]

Jazz diva Woongsan is releasing a monumental 10th album. As a singer-songwriter, this album, which I put more effort into than ever before, is a masterpiece that not only wrote/composed almost all of the songs, but also showed the side of my career as a vocalist. In this album, especially in the fusion of ours (Korean traditional music, folk songs) and jazz, we present original and high-quality music.

In 'It's a Dream', a reinterpretation of a Namdo folk song, 'The Clown' written by Ungsan, 'Ganadara Blues', 'Guests', and the remake number 'Four Four Weeks', Woongsan is a jazz vocalist who perfects the traditional skills of pansori. Not only does he digest it well, he also shows excellent emotional acting. While there are modern psychedelic rock numbers like 'I'm Not a Butterfly (Written/Composed by Woongsan)', 'Who Stole The Skies' is a fusion jazz number with a modern sensibility that shows another texture.

Like the monumental 10th album, the best musicians paid tribute to their brilliant performances. Korea's leading saxophonist Lee Jeong-sik, blues guitarists Charlie Jung and Choi Woo-jun (SAZA), unrivaled organist Sung Ki-moon, bassist Shin Dong-ha, pianist Kang Jae-hoon, and drummer Lim Ju-chan's fantastic performances, composer and producer Jamie Soul, and keyboards active in New York and Boston The sound idea provided by the performer, Sang-Hyun Park, KTG, makes you feel the joy of appreciation on all tracks.
https://www.kpopalbums.com/products/woong-san-who-stole-the-skies-10th-album

Who Stole the Skies

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Rosemary Clooney - Everything's Rosie!

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:20
Size: 90,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:49) 1. Everything's Coming Up Roses
(1:26) 2. This Can't Be Love
(2:55) 3. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(3:12) 4. My Old Flame
(2:49) 5. I Get A Kick Out Of You
(2:54) 6. Goodbye Blues
(2:18) 7. Mountain Greenery
(2:50) 8. But Not For Me
(2:09) 9. Our Love Affair
(1:34) 10. If This Isn't Love
(2:10) 11. It's All Right With Me
(1:29) 12. Shine
(3:04) 13. Manhattan
(3:02) 14. Harbor Lights
(2:54) 15. You Make Me Feel So Young
(2:37) 16. Witchcraft

This sixteen-song collection of rare Rosemary Clooney songs features nine unreleased tracks.

Seven are with Buddy Cole, with whom Clooney recorded the 1959 album "Swing Around Rosie." Since these tracks also date from 1959, they're probably session outtakes although the liner notes don't say.

The other two unreleased tracks were recorded in 1952 with the Earl Shelton Orchestra.

That leaves nine other songs on here. They'd already been released on the 1986 album "The Uncollected Rosemary Clooney," but since that collection isn't well-known, these songs will be new to most people.

The CD contains a lot of highlights. One of the best is Clooney's version of the Rodgers & Hart standard "Manhattan," where she adds just the right amount of earnestness to this ironic (and iconic) song.

Her take on "Witchcraft" contains some lyrics not features in the more famous version by Frank Sinatra. And even though most people are already very familiar with "Mountain Greenery," "But Not For Me," and "I Get A Kick Out Of You," it's definitely a kick to hear Clooney wrap her voice around these melodies.

The natural sound quality of this disc is also impressive. This CD was manufactured before producers starting pushing the "loudness" factor to the limit, so there is no "over-compression" or distorted sound. Because of that, Clooney is able to shine in all her vocal glory.

Thank You "Days of the Broken Arrows"for your contribution to the Blog!!

Everything's Rosie!

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New York Blue Note Quintet - A Weekend At Le Vauban Feat. Joe Magnarelli

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:14
Size: 168,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:23) 1. 81 Points
( 9:31) 2. Crystalline
( 8:44) 3. Turquoise Twice
( 7:41) 4. Ballad from Leadership Suite
( 7:03) 5. Minority
( 7:21) 6. The Last Time I Saw Paris
( 8:43) 7. All God's Children Got Rhythm
(11:40) 8. Star Eyes
( 1:04) 9. Cherokee

In February and March 2020, just before the pandemic, we did the second European tour with this quintet, for me truly a dream-team on and off the bandstand, bringing together five musicians from different parts of the world who share the same love: classic swinging “New York Blue Note Jazz.” New York has been the world capital of jazz since decades, I still remember the last days of August 2007 when I first got there and had the chance to listen to my idols such as Cedar Walton, Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, and many more. One of them was Joe Magnarelli who I first heard with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra on a Monday night, back then I never thought that I would play music with him more than 10 years later.

Joe Magnarelli has been one of the world’s leading trumpeters for three decades. He moved to New York in 1986 and has worked since then with the Lionel Hampton Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Buddy Rich Band, Maria Schneider, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and many more. Born in St. Petersburg, Dmitry Baevsky moved to New York in 1996 to study at the famous New School and has since become an integral part of the New York jazz scene. Jeb Patton is one of the outstanding pianists of the younger generation. He studied with Sir Roland Hanna and Jimmy Heath and is a permanent member of the “Heath Brothers” and the “Jimmy Heath Generations Quintet” since then. Further, he worked with Etta Jones, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Steve Nelson, Jimmy Cobb, Jackie McLean, Frank Wess, James Moody... His personal, swinging style, presents the entire history of jazz piano from Art Tatum through Phineas Newborn to Cedar Walton. I met Fabien Marcoz when I moved to Paris in 2012, he is one of the finest bassists in Europe and has accompanied many international jazz soloists including true giants such as Harold Mabern.

In the middle of our 2020-tour we got the real gift of doing a recording like in the old days. Jacques Person, organizer of the “Jazz at Le Vauban”-concerts, invited us to stay in Brest for two days to do a studio/live-album under the direction of our mutual friend Jordi Pujol, producer and owner of the internationally well-known jazz label “Fresh Sound Records” in Barcelona. The circumstances were perfect, we spent a wonderful weekend at “Le Vauban”; the concert venue was in the basement, the restaurant/bar on the ground floor and the hotel rooms just upstairs. Besides, Jacques Person took us to great restaurants in the area, so we could really enjoy, relax, have a good time and then focus on the music. We took a very early flight from Copenhagen to arrive in Brest on Saturday by noon, in the afternoon we already recorded a whole set of music under studio conditions without audience. On Sunday evening we did the sold-out concert for a wonderful and warm public, a memorable experience for all of us! What you hear on this release is the result of this “Weekend At Le Vauban”, our selection of two Saturday-no audience and seven Sunday-live tracks from these two days in Brest!

The repertoire of the band follows the timeless “Blue Note” recordings, including a nice variety of classics by masters such as Cedar Walton and Jimmy Heath, well-known standards and standard-arrangements (Minority, arranged by Jeb Patton) and two originals by Joe Magnarelli (81 Points, dedicated to Kobe Bryant) and Jeb Patton (Crystalline). All compositions require strong section playing on the melodies by Joe and Dmitry, supported by an active rhythm-section, and provide the perfect ground for extensive soloing for all the band members.

It was a great pleasure to be part of this, thanks to Jacques and Jordi for making it happen and to Mags, Dmitry, Jeb and Fabien for great playing and wonderful moments on the road! Very much looking forward to seeing you all again, having a glass of wine and of course playing music together!!! By Bernd Reiter https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/new-york-blue-note-quintet-albums/53681-a-weekend-at-le-vauban.html

The New York Blue Note Quintet are: Joe Magnarelli (trumpet), Dmitry Baevsky (alto sax), Jeb Patton (piano), Fabien Marcoz (bass), Bernd Reiter (drums).

A Weekend At Le Vauban Feat. Joe Magnarelli

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Jimmy Raney Quintet - Complete Recordings 1954-1956

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 62:53
Size: 144.0 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:10] 1. Stella By Starlight
[4:13] 2. Five
[4:38] 3. Joanne
[5:53] 4. Back And Blow
[2:51] 5. Spring Is Here
[3:46] 6. One More For The Mode
[2:42] 7. What's New
[3:25] 8. Tomorrow, Fairly Cloudy
[4:03] 9. A Foggy Day
[3:10] 10. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:51] 11. Cross Your Heart
[3:38] 12. You Don't Know What Love Is
[3:44] 13. Two Dreams Of Soma
[3:52] 14. Scholar's Mate
[3:24] 15. Gone With The Wind
[4:24] 16. Yesterdays

These recordings established Jimmy Raney (1927-1995) as a leading modern jazz guitarist, and introduced two potentially major young jazz talents: trumpeter John Wilson, and altoist Phil Woods.

Raney was both a maturely thoughtful and emotionally honest mind. As a result, he avoids effects as an end in themselves, and whatever he played in a jazz session, he felt. Thereby he communicated directly to the listener whether his communicative materials were complex or simple. He was a man of calmly exciting conception.

Tracks #1-4: John Wilson (tp), Phil Woods (as), Jimmy Raney (g), Bill Crow (b), Joe Morello (d). Recorded in Hackensack, NJ, on August 11, 1954 Tracks #5-16: John Wilson (tp), J. Raney (g), Hal Overton (p), Teddy Kotick (b), Nick Stabulas (d). Recorded in Hackensack, NJ, on February 18, 1955, March 8, 1955, May 4, 1956

Complete Recordings 1954-1956

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Scott Hamilton - Talk to Me, Baby

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:00
Size: 115,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:34) 1. Talk To Me, Baby
(5:32) 2. All My Tomorrows
(6:37) 3. Along Came Betty
(6:27) 4. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(7:01) 5. Someone to Light Up My Life
(5:14) 6. The Underdog
(9:04) 7. I Remember you
(3:27) 8. Alfie

Back in 1977 when Scott Hamilton first burst upon the jazz scene, small group swing was in danger of becoming extinct. Swing was associated with World War II. big band nostalgia and most young jazz-oriented musicians were more interested in playing fusion, avant-garde explorations, or soul jazz. Hamilton’s appearance on the scene as a tenor-saxophonist in his early twenties with a large personal tone, a swinging melodic style, a love for vintage standards, and impeccable musicianship inspired generations of up-and-coming players to explore the songs and styles of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Even after 45 years, Scott Hamilton has never strayed far from his original goal of playing good tunes with compatible rhythm sections. His tone and ideas are as fresh as ever and his playing remains very much in its prime.

Hamilton had previously recorded no less than five albums with the rhythm section of pianist Dena DeRose, bassist Ignasi González, and drummer Jo Krause for the Blau label: La Rosita, The Shadow Of Your Smile (both from Dec. 7, 2015), Moon Mist (Oct. 12, 2017), Street Of Dreams (Mar. 23, 2019), and Two For The Road (July 5, 2021). Dena DeRose, who is also an excellent singer, displays her own fresh chord voicings on the piano and is masterful at creating her musical message during concise solos. Ignasi Gonzalez has been a regular on the Blau label since 2010 (recording with saxophonists Toni Sola and Dmitry Baevsky, trumpeter Valery Ponomarev and pianist-singer Champian Fulton) while Jo Krause also recorded for Blau with Benny Golson. One can understand why Hamilton enjoys playing with this trio for the musicians are supportive, swinging, and tastefully inventive.

During the relaxed set, Hamilton explores and uplifts eight superior standards. In-depth analysis is certainly not needed to enjoy these performances. Just to mention a few highlights, two obscurities (Johnny Mercer’s “Talk To Me Baby” which Frank Sinatra recorded, and Al Cohn’s “The Underdog”) get welcome revivals, there are definitive versions of the quietly emotional ballads “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” and “All My Tomorrows,” “Someone To Light My Life” is joyous, and “I Remember You” receives a lengthy and relatively heated exploration. Suffice it to say, throughout Talk To Me Baby, Scott Hamilton plays as beautifully as ever.(Scott Yanow, jazz critic/historian, and author of 12 books including Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist) https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/94323/scott-hamilton/talk-to-me-baby

Personnel: Scott Hamilton - (sax); Dena DeRose - (piano); Ignasi Gonzalez (bass); Jo Krause - (drums)

Talk to Me, Baby

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