Alan Barnes - The Sherlock Holmes Suite Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: The Sherlock Holmes Suite Disc 1
Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 151,8 MB
Art: Front

( 0:43) 1. 221b Play On
( 2:28) 2. Narration, Pt. 1
( 5:58) 3. The Game Is Afoot
( 2:40) 4. Narration, Pt. 2
( 7:14) 5. Watson
( 1:04) 6. Narration, Pt. 3
(11:29) 7. The Tiger Of San Pedro
( 2:22) 8. Narration, Pt. 4
(10:28) 9. The Napoleon Of Crime
( 0:48) 10. Narration, Pt. 5
( 7:24) 11. The Dancing Men
( 1:42) 12. Narration, Pt. 6
( 2:46) 13. Grimpen Mire
( 8:16) 14. The Hound Of The Baskervilles

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Album: The Sherlock Holmes Suite Disc 2
Time: 56:00
Size: 130,1 MB

(0:55) 1. Narration, Pt. 7
(4:21) 2. The Baker Street Irregulars
(3:26) 3. Narration, Pt. 8
(4:41) 4. Quite A Three Pipe Problem
(1:10) 5. Narration, Pt. 9
(5:46) 6. The 7% Solution
(2:15) 7. Narration, Pt. 10
(7:30) 8. Lestrade Of The Yard
(2:41) 9. Narration, Pt. 11
(8:23) 10. Watson's Women
(0:44) 11. Narration, Pt. 12
(7:07) 12. The Sussex Vampire
(1:38) 13. Narration, Pt. 13
(5:19) 14. 221b (Full Version)

Now this is something really different. It turns out that Alan Barnes has been a raving fan of Conan Doyle's writing, and more specifically, his greatest creation, Sherlock Holmes, since the age of eleven. This double album consists of 95 minutes of original music interspersed with narration relative to the plot and well put over by actor Alan Mitchell. Not only did Alan Barnes compose the music, he wrote the script, and jolly good it is as well.

This is all great fun, but more importantly, the music is outstanding, and the playing by this starry cast of musicians, is superb. Barnes chose his men very carefully, including some of his colleagues from groups in the past, and they all come up trumps, including their very talented leader.

The writing for the octet is clever as it leaves plenty of scope for each of them to show their improvisational skills, and they more than justify their selection. In his own liner notes, Alan states that he tried to write in a way that would bring out the unique qualities and strengths of his fellow musicians, and acknowledges that if that method was good enough for Duke, who is he to quarrel.

There are so many good things in these CDs; it is difficult to know what to pick out. Both Stan Sulzmann and Robert Fowler have their share of good moments, and Bruce Adams brings power and invention to the ensemble and to his solos. Mark Nightingale is just terrific in his spots, and especially in Grimpen Mire and The Hound of the Baskervilles. The rhythm section do a fine job throughout, with splashes of inspiration all over the place from David Newton, who swings hard in The Tiger of San Pedro, and then shows his reflective wistful side in The Napoleon of Crime. It doesn't matter a hoot whether you are familiar with the stories or not. The narration gives you the general idea, and the music is excellent. Alan Barnes has delivered an outstanding opus in this CD, great fun, fine production; I'd give it ten out of ten. Strongly recommended. http://www.woodvillerecords.com/Sherlock%20Holmes%20Suite.htm

Personnel: Alan Barnes - saxophones, clarinet; Bruce Adams - trumpet; Mark Nightingale - trombone; Robert Fowler - saxophones & clarinet; Karen Sharp - saxophones & clarinet; David Newton - piano; Simon Thorpe - bass; Clark Tracey - drums

The Sherlock Holmes Suite Disc 1, Disc 2

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Alice Spencer - Sing It Way Down Low

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2022
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 48:44
Size: 49,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:03) 1. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street
(4:21) 2. I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby
(3:05) 3. Believe It, Beloved
(5:08) 4. I Hate To Leave You Now
(2:48) 5. Blue River
(3:37) 6. Baby, Oh Where Can You Be?
(3:59) 7. Sunday
(4:18) 8. How Can I (With You In My Heart)?
(2:22) 9. Sing It Way Down Low
(3:36) 10. The Object Of My Affection
(2:39) 11. I'm Having My Fun
(3:58) 12. Say It Simple
(4:17) 13. Draggin' My Heart Around
(2:28) 14. I Would Do Anything For You

I remember very clearly the first time I heard Alice Spencer (on disc: I haven’t had the pleasure of encountering her in person). My reaction was loud pleased astonishment, and the expurgated version would read: “Who in the sacred name of Jack Kapp is she?” “Jazz singers” proliferate these days, but some seem to have given more thought to their hair stylist or their cover photograph than to the music. Alice’s love for this music and this period bubbles up on every track.

For me the great singer-virtues are a deep understanding of the emotional content of the lyrics without jokes on one hand or melodrama on the other. An unforced swing, a willingness to improvise without undermining melody or lyrics, plain-spoken diction, and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to convey joy. We gravitate to music that doesn’t hurt our feelings, or our ears. Alice understands that as well as embodying it.

This disc reminds me, perhaps at an unusual angle, of the miracles Basie and friends created, imbuing the saddest song (hear DRAGGIN’ MY HEART AROUND) with a wink at the listener (“Isn’t it fun to swing along so gloomily?”) or reminding us that there is a touch of melancholy in any elation.

I’d direct you first to I HATE TO LEAVE YOU NOW, one of the gorgeous Thirties songs (linked to Fats and Louis, one of the ideal combinations of Western civilization) that are the gems in the constellation of this disc. What I hear, and I hope you do also, is a rare combination of emotional intelligence Alice knows how to feel, how to tell a story in song and light-heartedness.

Her art is both delicate and sincere. She doesn’t have to take off her shoe and hit us over the head, but we know the tale of hope, longing, and ardor the song, and she, convey. And the subtly memorable variations on the theme between her first and second choruses are a Jazz Studies program in themselves. No, better.

It’s also clear that although this might not be Alice’s conventional repertoire (the wonderful program is inspired by the deep listening of Hal Smith, scholar and swing percussionist) that she is being herself on every performance. Yes, I hear echoes of young Ella and of Helen Humes and Connee, but Alice has not spent her evenings mimicking them. What Louis called TONATION and PHRASING are all hers, and they touch our hearts in each phrase.

Hear her “I need you!” in BABY, WHERE CAN YOU BE? The way she handles the verse to SUNDAY, rising to pure pleasure at the end. Wow is what I say. The wistful tenderness of THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION and HOW CAN I? The “It’s my birthday today!” delight of I’M HAVING MY FUN. To paraphrase Whitney Balliett, Alice is a great actress who doesn’t need a script.

The same mastery comes through in the instrumentalists who join Alice on her musical journeys. No one needs multiple choruses to tell their tale. Perhaps you’ll hear echoes of the great Holiday-Wilson sessions, of Bing, Jack, Louis: I could call the names of the Heroic Ancestors who have informed the music of honored individualists Marc, Kris, James, and Hal, but I’ll leave that to you what Barbara Lea called “Sounding Like.” A lifetime research project with a lifetime of rewards.

If these notes go on too long, I might get in the way of your absorbing the delights captured here, not once but many times. In an extended California sojourn, I learned about “sound healing,” how the right vibrations could put a psychically lopsided being into happy balance. I think that Doctor Spencer and her practitioners have just the remedy for what ails us, and I hope the prescription is renewable for many more sessions.
https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2022/10/09/alice-spencer-sings-and-we-are-glad-with-hal-smith-kris-tokarski-james-singleton-marc-caparone/#comments

Sing It Way Down Low

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Andrea Motis - Loopholes

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:59
Size: 90,4 MB
Art: Front

(0:35) 1. Overture
(2:19) 2. El Pescador
(2:49) 3. Deixa't Anar
(3:36) 4. I Had to Write a Song for You
(3:51) 5. Babies
(5:12) 6. Loopholes
(3:38) 7. Jungla
(5:43) 8. Espera
(2:24) 9. Heat
(3:14) 10. Calima
(1:54) 11. Light After Dark
(3:40) 12. Adeu

Andrea Motis is back with her latest solo project, Loopholes. Motis is a central part of the Spanish jazz scene, and on this new album, she embarks on a search for a completely new, unconventional style with her own compositions and those of her comrade-in-arms Christoph Mallinger. The compositions borrow from electric jazz, funk, and neo-soul. The twelve tracks feature Motis singing in Catalan, her mother tongue, as well as in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and German, and comments on her vocal expression alternately trained on both instruments with trumpet or saxophone.
https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/91408/andrea-motis/loop-holes

Personnel: Andrea Motis (vocals, trumpet); Christoph Mallinger (guitar, mandoline, violin); Magalí Datzira (bass); Adrià González (keyboard); Juan Berbín (drums)

Loopholes

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Lee Morgan - Sonic Boom

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:18
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Sneaky Pete
(7:11)  2. The Mercenary
(6:18)  3. Sonic Boom
(5:27)  4. Fathead
(7:16)  5. I'll Never Be The Same
(5:28)  6. Mumbo Jumbo
(4:50)  7. Free Flow
(5:42)  8. Stormy Weather
(6:09)  9. Mr. Johnson
(5:47) 10. The Stroker
(5:33) 11. Uncle Rough
(3:07) 12. Claw-Til-Da
(5:38) 13. Untitled Boogaloo

A quick inspection of the Lee Morgan discography unearths an obscure album sandwiched between 1966's The Rajah and 1967's The Procrastinator. The album, Sonic Boom, was recorded in 1967 yet remained silent in the Blue Note vaults for twelve years, resurfacing only twice, as an LP in 1979 and eleven years later as a CD. Both times, exposure to the public was brief, making Sonic Boom nearly irrelevant in the trumpeter's overall anthology. Yet the music here is nothing short of vintage Morgan, as evidenced on the latest reissue, a limited edition 24-bit remastered set. Serving his usual heady brew of jazz, blues and funk, the emphasis here is strictly hard-boppin' fun. Accompanying the leader are a stimulating crew that includes Cedar Walton on piano, David "Fathead" Newman on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Tracks like "Sneaky Pete," "The Mercenary," and "Fathead" provide plenty of straight ahead muscle from the whole band, with Newman's gruff tenor work, in particular, pairing remarkably well with Morgan's horn. The true highlights, though, are in the searing title track and in the exceptionally sweet and sincere interpretation of the ballad "I'll Never Be The Same." While Morgan may best be celebrated for his charged, upbeat solos, his delicate touch on ballads merits equal praise, and, indeed, confirms that Morgan was something else.This latest reissue of Sonic Boom includes an additional seven tracks taken from a 1969 session, originally released on 1978's double LP version of The Procrastinator. 

Employing an entirely different set of musicians, the cast includes Julian Priester on trombone, George Coleman on tenor sax, Harold Mabern on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums. Though thematically similar, the bonus tracks are more progressive and funkier than the album's first half, with exceptional compositions by Coleman on "Free Flow," Priester on "The Stroker," and Mabern on the jive dance of "Uncle Rough." In comparing the two halves of the album, it is interesting to hear the changes upon the hard-bop idiom over the late 1960s. By 1969, funk and its inherent bass and drumbeats are more prevalent than before. Integrated into jazz, as heard here, the results are joyous. In the final analysis, Sonic Boom is an underrated gem. As such, fans of the trumpeter and of hard bop are advised to check out the album while it's still here. By Germein Linares https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sonic-boom-lee-morgan-blue-note-records-review-by-germein-linares.php

Personnel: Lee Morgan- trumpet; David "Fathead" Newman, George Coleman- tenor sax; Cedar Walton, Harold Mabern- piano; Ron Carter, Walter Booker- bass; Billy Higgins, Mickey Rokerdrums; Julian Priester- trombone

Sonic Boom

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Julia Hülsmann Quartet - The Next Door

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:34
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:55) 1. Empty Hands
(6:12) 2. Made Of Wood
(4:07) 3. Polychrome
(8:05) 4. Wasp At The Window
(1:46) 5. Jetzt Noch Nicht
(3:59) 6. Lightcap
(3:59) 7. Sometimes It Snows In April
(4:32) 8. Open Up
(4:16) 9. Jetzt Noch Nicht (Var.)
(5:43) 10. Post Post Post
(6:22) 11. Fluid
(4:33) 12. Valdemossa

I have friends who no longer follow the releases of ECM, believing the Munich label’s best years were in the past, when such innovative recordings as John Abercrombie’s Timeless, Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert, Terje Rypdal’s To Be Continued, Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life, and the catalog of Paul Motian achieved sonic bliss and improvisational brilliance. But to my ears, ECM has never stopped recording great jazz musicians. Though its roster may be more insular, it remains fiercely independent and resourceful.

Pianist Julia Hülsmann’s second ECM release makes the case, brightly. The compositions that she shares with the rest of her road-hardened quartet Uli Kempendorff (tenor saxophone), Marc Muellbauer (double bass), and Heinrich Köbberling (drums) are given buoyancy and expression in small shifts of varying pressure that create demonstrable actions and emotions. The quartet creates a dense, liquid sound that bathes the listener in a sense of comfort, and intense adventure.

The Next Door’s 12 entries include quietly raging “Wasp at the Window” (driven by Kempendorff’s rich squalls and Köbberling’s shifting cymbal patter), the curious elevations of “Jetzt Noch Nicht,” the playfully cubist yet swinging “Lightcap,” and “Sometimes It Snows in April,” fueled by Hülsmann’s stately piano, guiding a bittersweet melody performed by Kempendorff.

While some assert that ECM’s current releases can sound glacial and abstract, The Next Door is anything but. It’s a rich, swinging, at times modal journey, with all the intricacy, texture, and warmth of a symphony orchestra gathered round a campfire.
By Ken Micallef https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/julia-hulsmann-quartet-the-next-door-ecm/

The Next Door

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Alan Barnes Octet - Copperfield: A Dickensian Jazz Suite

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:31
Size: 173,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:29) 1. Copperfield Theme
(6:42) 2. Mr Peggotty's Boat House
(3:46) 3. Barkis is Willin'
(4:27) 4. Creakle and Tungay
(3:49) 5. Tommy Traddles' Skeletons
(4:54) 6. Mudstone and Grinby's
(5:56) 7. Mr. Dick Flies his Kite
(6:25) 8. Mr Micawber
(6:21) 9. Little Em'ly
(6:29) 10. Steerforth
(5:46) 11. Uriah Heep
(2:14) 12. Dora and Jip
(7:44) 13. Agnes
(4:22) 14. A New Life

One day, cultural historians may study the link between lockdown and creativity. Meanwhile, with the same line-up and personnel as his 2019 visit here, Alan Barnes returned to a practically full house with his Suite from that time.

There’s a lot to digest in his writing for octet. All the pieces feature changes in tempo, and meter, alternation of unison and harmony, and varied voicing across brass and reeds. Each song is structured into several sections, with interludes of diverse length, and solos are backed in many different ways. Or… you can just sit back and enjoy.

‘Copperfield Theme’, the opening number, depicts David’s home life in three sections. A slow, pretty melody with clarinet lead, gives way to a punchy theme in triple time. Solos from brass and reeds follow, then unison, and harmonised ensemble, before a reprise of the first melody.

‘Mr. Peggotty’s Boathouse’: David is sent off to Yarmouth: an up-tempo piano intro, then a lively jazz waltz, lead on to a trumpet improvisation with skyscraper passages, next a contrasting very relaxed piano solo. Finally the waltz returns, and to end, soft riffs, and a quiet, muted trumpet.

‘Mr. Barkis’: a return home for DC, and a bass feature for Simon Thorpe. He starts with the theme statement, then walks with the orchestra. Some stop time, and trumpet solo, take us to a bass solo with piano and drums accompaniment, before the final ensemble.

‘Creackle and Tungay’: David’s school days, and portraits of teacher (Bruce Adams) and caretaker (Karen Sharp). A Latin intro from the rhythm section goes into a swing feel with fine baritone and trumpet solos. There’s a baritone /trumpet duet, before a final piano note, that slowly rings out to nothing.

‘Tommy Traddle’s Skeletons’: billed as a ‘danse macabre’ for David’s school friend who drew skeletons, the piece starts with the suitably ‘sparse’ sound of Robert Fowler’s clarinet accompanied by bass. Two high register clarinets play a later section, and, after a clarinet solo, complete the song.

‘Murdstone and Grimby’: David is sent to work in the bottling plant of the title: Mark Nightingale plays the first partner, Alan Barnes the second. There’s a virtuoso solo by the leader on alto, with a lot of double time over a ‘two’ feel. More solos follow, and an ensemble with baritone and bass in unison.

‘Mr. Dick Flies His Kite’: back on the coast, we meet a minor jazz waltz, realised by trumpet and trombone. A pretty, but sad melody, leads to, as Barnes explained, a “more uplifting” passage, before “coming down to earth”. Solos are spread across the band. A tinkling piano diminuendo describes the kite’s descent.

‘Mr. Micawber’: A jaunty jazz waltz represents the character who provides lodging for David. Rising and falling baritone lines may suggest Micawber’s mood swings, and solos from the leader on clarinet, and piano take us back to the theme.

‘Little Em’ly’: Barnes’ early career often found him playing Klezmer music: a plaintiff minor melody depicts David’s childhood sweetheart and the arrangement reflects that ethnic tradition. Bruce Adams on plunger-muted trumpet plays her seducer, Steerforth. Rob Fowler gives a most expressive tenor solo, as we move into a medium swing tempo, before a reprise of the mournful theme.

‘James Steerforth’: a stately melody depicts the public face of the character, before a passage on alto gives way to an up-tempo Latin section. Baritone and bass play a repeated unison figure. In turn a swing theme is introduced. Mark Nightingale delivers an agile double-time solo. Piano chords and bass accompaniment end the return of the original slow theme. ‘Uriah Heep’: Barnes’ bass clarinet portrays the oily character David meets, with a slippery, triplet-based theme. Clark Tracey sets up the number by an intriguing high-pitched meandering. A Duke-ish voicing of two clarinets, muted trumpet and trombone provide some background, before instrumental conversations, and bowed bass ending. ‘Dora and Jip’: tempo movements between triple time and 4/4 unfold after the staccatto-ish line begins. Solos on reeds and brass describe the changing fortunes of Dora and David, and her dog, Jip. A “canine cadenza” is cunningly voiced by Bruce Adams, tailing off in a sad whine…

‘Agnes’: a sweet ballad recalls the young Agnes’ devotion to David. A warm statement on tenor is accompanied by responses from the alto. The trumpet picks up the theme, and there are solos around the band. A quicker feel follows, over the same tempo, and moves to a piano solo. Punchy to start with, the solo moves into a locked-hands, Errol Garner-type feel.

‘A New Life’: a fast minor swing is the setting as the Micawbers and other characters emigrate to Australia. There’s a powerful unison passage voiced for the five frontline parts, on the standard 32 bar form, and a switch to Latin for the middle eight. An ensemble where the lead moves between reeds and brass is punctuated by drum fills, followed by a solo from Clark Tracey.

Many thanks to the Jazz in Reading, and Progress Theatre team, for, as Alan Barnes added, “keeping the performing arts alive” in these testing times. Review posted here by kind permission of Clive Downs https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/alan-barnes-octet-copperfield-a-dickensian-jazz-suite-progress-theatre-reading-berkshire-16-12-2022

Personnel: Alan Barnes- alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, composer, arranger; Robert Fowler - tenor saxophone, clarinet; Karen Sharp - baritone saxophone, clarinet; Bruce Adams - trumpet, flugelhorn; Mark Nightingale - trombone; Dave Newton - piano; Simon Thorpe - bass; Clark Tracey - drumsbr />

Copperfield: A Dickensian Jazz Suite

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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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