Claire Martin - Too Darn Hot!

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:44
Size: 133,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Something's Coming
(3:51)  2. Love At Last
(4:14)  3. The Gentleman Is A Dope
(4:10)  4. These Foolish Things
(5:29)  5. It's Raining In My Heart
(3:52)  6. Too Darn Hot
(5:26)  7. Black Coffee
(4:13)  8. Noir
(4:40)  9. Love Is A Necessary Evil
(4:41) 10. When I Fall In Love
(3:43) 11. I Can Let Go Now
(5:28) 12. Four Walls
(1:58) 13. Blue Motel Room

Talented and hip beyond her years the most exciting jazz star to soar to my attention in a decade. By Rex Reed The New York Observer

Too Darn Hot! (Linn Records AKD 198) is Claire Martin’s ninth album for Linn Records. Claire makes a welcome return to her jazz roots with a "dream-team" line-up of UK jazz musicians. Visit http://www.linnrecords.com/ to download soundclips and find out more. This album features many songs from the Great American Song Book: Rogers and Hammerstein's The Gentleman is a Dope, Leonard Bernstein’s Something’s Coming from West Side Story, a superb arrangement of Cole Porter’s Too Darn Hot!, as well as luscious readings of When I Fall in Love and Black Coffee. These tracks are alongside new material by Joel Siegel (Noir) and Geoffrey Keezer (Four Walls) whilst Claire once again pays homage to one of her key influences Joni Mitchell with the final track Blue Motel Room, an a cappella duet with Ian Shaw. Collaborating with producer Richard Cottle, Too Darn Hot! features the cream of British talent and features Nigel Hitchcock, Gareth Williams, Laurence Cottle, Ian Thomas, Clark Tracey and Phil Robson. Special guest artists include the much-acclaimed pianist Geoff Keezer who is featured on his own composition Four Walls which was written for Claire.

The Tapestry String Quartet play on two arrangements by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, again written especially for Claire, It’s Raining in my Heart and When I Fall in Love. Sir Richard has been a champion of Claire's work since her debut album The Waiting Game (Linn Records AKD 018) for which he wrote the liner notes.

Introducing Claire Martin.....Claire Martin achieved instant recognition with her 1992 debut album, The Waiting Game, which was chosen as one of The Times (London)records of the year. Sir Richard Rodney Bennett concluded his liner notes for the album with the unabashed exclamation: 'This record knocks me out!' Tony Bennett was equally enthusiastic when he appeared on the same bill as Claire at the Glasgow Jazz Festival and has since had the pleasure of sketching Claire during a recent awards ceremony. Claire has a keen interest in all areas of popular music from jazz to pop. On her recordings, songs by Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin rub shoulders with Stevie Wonder, Phoebe Snow and Milton Nascimento, reflecting her eclectic roots. Claire counts Shirley Horn, Joni Mitchell, Betty Carter and Ella Fitzgerald among her stylistic influences. In January 1995 Claire made her American debut with four sell-out shows at The Nest in Washington DC to great acclaim from the Washington Post and The Village Voice. Later that year Claire won the Best British Vocalist category at the British Jazz Awards, and took her group to Ronnie Scott's to make her first live album, entitled Offbeat (Linn Records AKD 046), which includes an outstanding interpretation of Phoebe Snow's Something Real. New York Times contributor James Gavin, author of The History of New York Cabaret wrote: 'In an era when young jazz singers tend to sound far too much like their idols there's no mistaking the voice of Claire Martin who combines a cool, burnished tone with the ear of a born musician.' Following enthusiastic reviews for her appearances in the United States, Claire recorded Make This City Ours (Linn Records AKD 066) in New York, her fifth album for Linn and featuring an international line-up including American saxophonist Antonio Hart.

In March 1996 Claire appeared as guest vocalist on Years Apart (Linn Records AKD 058) with guitarist Martin Taylor recreating the 1934 Hot Club of France. Claire recorded Undecided, originally sung by Beryl Davis.

Claire also provided the lyrics for the title track and had the pleasure of recording in Paris alongside the legendary violinist Stephane Grappelli, who described her as ‘a wonderful artist, who swings and has such warmth to her voice.' The sixth album to be released was Take My Heart (Linn Records AKD 093). This was a change of direction for Claire she started to explore other genres including soul, R&B, folk, and rock. For example, Claire was joined by Noel Gallagher (Oasis) on the track Help and she also covered a Nick Drake track, Riverman. Following on from these explorations Claire released her seventh album Perfect Alibi (Linn Records AKD 122), in April 2000, this time with an appearance by guest artist John Martyn. Every Now and Then the Very Best of Claire Martin (Linn Records AKD 177) is a collection of the best tracks from the first seven albums. Too Darn Hot! is a welcome return to jazz for Claire Martin. It also heralds her first new material for 2 years.  Claire has performed throughout Europe and North America at festivals in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Canada and the United Kingdom including the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Harrogate International Festivals and with many of the world's great orchestras including the BBC Big Band and the RIAS Big Band in Berlin. In 2001 Claire toured the Far East, Europe, and Australia. In addition to her busy concert schedule Claire Martin presents 'Jazz Line-up' on BBC Radio 3. Claire will be performing songs from Too Darn Hot at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club, London, November 4th 9th 2002. http://www.jazzreview.com/jazz-news/news-story/vocalist-claire-martin-is-too-darn-hot.html


Personnel: Claire Martin (vocals); Ian Shaw (vocals); Phil Robson (guitar); Tapestry Quartet (strings); Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone); Geoffrey Keezer (piano, electric piano); Gareth Williams (piano); Richard Cottle (organ, keyboards); Geoff Gascoyne (double bass); Laurence Cottle (bass guitar); Clark Tracey, Ian Thomas (drums); Miles Bould (percussion).

Too Darn Hot!

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Vince Mendoza, London Symphony Orchestra – Epiphany

Styles: Post Bop
Year: 2002
Time: 62:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:16) 1. Impromptu
(10:20) 2. Wheaten Sky
( 8:12) 3. Esperanza
( 6:03) 4. Ambivalence
( 9:06) 5. Sanctus
( 8:56) 6. Epiphany
( 7:44) 7. Barcelona
( 4:39) 8. Deep Song

In and out of print since its initial release in '99, composer/arranger Vince Mendoza's Epiphany represents one of the finest examples of orchestration in a jazz setting. While there have been other fine examples of large-scale blending, they have often simply retrofitted existing material, as was the case with last year's Promises Kept, where pianist Steve Kuhn's compositions were lushly interpreted by arranger Carlos Franzetti.

Mendoza is a composer in his own right who may not be known to a broader audience, but has been a favourite source for artists including Gary Burton, John Abercrombie and Charlie Haden since he emerged on the scene in the mid-'80s. He's also a well-respected arranger, having worn that mantle for artists as diverse as Joe Zawinul, Joni Mitchell and Bjork. So it's a good thing that Michael Watts Productions has seen fit to reissue this significant disc so that it can be revisited by a fresh audience.

Unlike some jazz ensemble-with-orchestra collaborations where clumsy transitions between the two do nothing more than highlight their stylistic disparities, this effort reflects Mendoza's views that all the instruments available to him are part of a larger palette. Consequently the entire affair feels completely organic and unforced. There are times when the focus is on the orchestra, other times where the ensemble is in the forefront, and still other occasions where the two meet on common ground. The integration is so seamless that one is often unaware of the remarkable way in which Mendoza shifts the emphasis.

Mendoza has used sequencers as part of the writing process in the past, something that remains evident even on his more recent compositions, where repetition of complex passages act as a backdrop for themes that are occasionally convoluted yet always memorable. But with the broader textures available from the orchestra, he is able to construct subtle rubato passages. On the title track, where the strings gently introduce the piece, drummer Peter Erskine finally and delicately establishes time as the ensemble gradually inserts itself and pianist John Taylor takes a well-constructed solo that seems to intuitively ebb and flow with the support of the orchestra.

And yet as complex as Mendoza's charts can clearly be, even when the meter is irregular, they feature nothing jarring or angular. The overall ambience is lush without being saccharine, tender without being overly sentimental, easy on the ears without losing the challenge that bears new experiences on repeated listens. A broader dramatic arc imbues the entire cycle; one might listen to individual tracks, but taken as a whole Epiphany yields an altogether richer experience. With only six albums to his name, Epiphany is an all-too-rare opportunity to hear Mendoza in his own element, focusing on his own compositions with the broadest possible range of available textures and an all-star cast of improvisers. A classic. By John Kelman
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/epiphany-vince-mendoza-michael-watts-production-review-by-john-kelman

Personnel: Vince Mendoza (composer, arranger, conductor), London Symphony Orchestra, John Abercrombie (guitar), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone), Peter Erskine (drums), Marc Johnson (bass), Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone), John Taylor (piano), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, flugelhorn)

Epiphany

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Joe Venuti, Lino Patruno - Joe Venuti in Milan with Lino Patruno & His Friends

Styles: Big Band
Year: 2017
Time: 69:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 158,8 MB
Art: Front

(69:22) 1. Full Album

Joe Venuti in Milan with Lino Patruno & His Friends

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Tommy Dorsey and His Clambake Seven - The Music Goes Round And Round

Styles: Swing
Year: 2007
Time: 54:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

(54:17) 1. Full Album

The Music Goes Round And Round

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Melissa Errico - Sondheim In The City

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 54:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 126,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. Dawn
(3:23) 2. Another Hundred People
(3:52) 3. Opening Doors / What More Do I Need?
(3:26) 4. Take Me To The World
(3:30) 5. Can That Boy Foxtrot!
(5:02) 6. Anyone Can Whistle
(2:47) 7. Everybody Says Don't
(4:10) 8. Good Thing Going
(3:27) 9. Broadway Baby
(4:15) 10. Uptown, Downtown
(3:53) 11. It Wasn't Meant To Happen
(2:57) 12. Little Things You Do Together
(4:55) 13. Sorry-Grateful
(4:26) 14. Being Alive

Tony-nominated Broadway favorite Melissa Errico has recorded another album of Sondheim songs. Sondheim in the City releases via Concord Theatricals Recordings February 16.

The album is her second dedicated to the late composer-lyricist, following 2018's Sondheim Sublime. The new release focuses on Sondheim's songs about New York City and its myriad of characters, with songs including "Another Hundred People," "What More Do I Need?," "Everybody Says Don't," "Broadway Baby," and more.

“Sondheim is my New York, and his is the city of my dreams,” says Errico in a statement. “I used all these songs to make a Sondheim musical for myself partly my life, partly his mind. He is one of the enduring poets of this complex city, and I walked into one poem after another.”

Errico is also in the midst of a 10-performance residency at Birdland Jazz that began February 14. Shows on February 16 and 17 will celebrate the release of Sondheim in the City.

The album is produced by Rob Mathes and features arranger Tedd Firth on piano, David Finck on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, and Matt Munisteri on guitar. Alex Venguer handled recording, editing, and mixing, while mastering is by Scott Hull.
https://playbill.com/article/melissa-erricos-new-album-sondheim-in-the-city-releases-february-16

Sondheim In The City

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Ken Peplowski - At Mezzrow

Styles: Clarinet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 60:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 138,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:21) 1. Vignette
(4:39) 2. Prisoner Of Love
(9:26) 3. Beautiful Love
(6:23) 4. All The Things You Are
(8:12) 5. Like Young
(3:54) 6. The Shadow Of Your Smile
(5:21) 7. Cabin In The Sky
(5:01) 8. Bright Mississippi
(4:18) 9. Here's To Life
(5:26) 10. Who Knows

Ken Peplowski is an extraordinary jazzman with over 70 personal recordings to his name and prestigious collaborations with a wide range of artists, including Charlie Byrd, Mel Tormé, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Woody Allen, Benny Goodman, and Madonna. Needless to say, this album, modestly titled Live at Mezzrow, is a true gem that your ears will quickly embrace, as Ken Peplowski’s melodic sense and saxophone playing are so commanding. On this recording, the band leader is accompanied by Ted Rosenthal on piano, Martin Wind on double bass, and Willie Jones III on drums, offering a captivating performance captured during two one-hour sets. We particularly appreciate the simplicity of this setup, which guarantees a very “club” sound, with Ken Peplowski’s playing alone bringing a form of modernity through his propositions. So, we sit down quietly, a glass in hand, and listen, captivated by the beauty of the moment.

In his own words, Peplowski shares the journey behind the album: “Like most musicians, when the dreaded Covid, along with the accompanying lockdown, struck in 2020, it was the end of work. As a sort of very dark cosmic joke, not only did I have a severe case of Covid in March 2020, but my beloved dog Honeypie had to be euthanized in April 2021. In June of that year, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.”

So, this is a very special album with a unique story. Indeed, SmallsLIVE owner and pianist Spike Wilner proposed the idea of this live album to Peplowski, who immediately accepted. The acclaimed multi-instrumentalist said, “This is my favorite way to record I like to work on musical material for a year or two, find interesting pieces that are less often played, revive a few pieces that I haven’t played in years, and simply go into the studio with friends and record like a band on stage, playing the music, with its imperfections, and that’s exactly what we did.”

We crave more of such imperfections because a ten-track live album seems a bit short once we’ve immersed ourselves in this ambiance. Ken Peplowski Live at Mezzrow includes unique interpretations of jazz classics as well as lesser-known gems, all delivered with an authority and nuance that only Peplowski and his colleagues can achieve. Each selection tells a story of Peplowski’s fruitful musical adventures with the architects of this art. The live performance is a true masterclass in interaction, with Peplowski’s melodic refrains soaring above Rosenthal’s harmonic reflections, supported by the rhythmic section of Willie Jones III and Martin Wind, themselves talented melodic musicians.

Needless to say, this album can quickly go on repeat, creating an honest and warm ambiance. Although they are covers, they are arranged with such talent that they can be considered recompositions, and this is probably why this album slips surreptitiously into our “Essentials”. By Thierry De Clemensat https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/ken-peplowski-live-at-mezzrow-eng-review/

Personnel: Ken Peplowski - Clarinet & Tenor Saxophone; Ted Rosenthal - Piano; Martin Wind - Bass; Willie Jones III - Drums

At Mezzrow

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Ben Haugland - A Million Dreams

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
Time: 52:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 119,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:51) 1. When Day Met Night
(6:19) 2. Birds Of a Feather
(8:20) 3. Here's That Rainy Day
(6:52) 4. Dreamscape
(5:32) 5. Second Sight
(5:20) 6. A Weaver Of Dreams
(7:17) 7. Dedicated To You
(4:27) 8. Big Foot

During the course of A Million Dreams, pianist Ben Haugland's second date as a leader, most of the trappings of a typical mainstream jazz record are present and easy to identify. Not unlike a lot of young leaders who are fusing their own creative aspirations with an allegiance to the tradition, Haugland penned four of the disc's eight tracks, and chose three American Standards and a Charlie Parker tune to round out the program. Another recognizable element is the presence of a propulsive, flexible, sensitive rhythm section comprised of Haugland, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Chris Smith. Haugland, tenor saxophonist Stephen Jones, and trumpeter Scott Wendholt are capable soloists with stimulating things to say, excellent organizational skills, and ample technique.

While all of these things are significant in themselves, the factors that make A Million Dreams qualitatively different than a slew other recent recordings with a similar conception and instrumentation aren't quite as easy to delineate. A careless listener might contend that the disc is, stylistically and spiritually, just another knockoff of any number of Blue Note, Prestige, or perhaps, Contemporary sides from the 50s or 60s. However, a hasty, facile verdict doesn't come close to telling the whole tale. Though the disc can be listened to casually and enjoyed as such, only repeat visits, close attention, and a willingness to focus on the work from different perspectives reveals the full extent of the band's virtues, as well as delivering some very large rewards.

The overall sound of Haugland's group surpasses the individual contributions. These guys play the leader's genuinely original compositions and the rest of the material with absolute conviction, as well as a great deal of skill and precision. No one sounds anxious to rush through the heads in order to seize an opportunity to blow. For example, the band navigates the twists and turns of Haugland's lively, extended "When Day Met Night," with élan. In lesser hands the composition might not sound nearly as convincing. The same can be said for his lovely, pensive "Dreamscape," in which the group underscores the composition's lyrical quality, and delivers just the right degree of assertiveness.

Haugland, Anderson, and Smith find a number of ways to spur the band while sharing the same sonic space. The pianist's bright, poetic comping during the heads and amidst the soloists is rhythmically incisive as well as utterly sympathetic to each of the songs. He brings so much to the table without overstepping boundaries or clashing with his cohort. For instance, the chords and single notes during Jones' melody statement and the solos on "Here's That Rainy Day" add another dimension to the track, while often ringing out joyously like bells.

Anderson and Smith are a prime example of a bass and drums team who function effectively and add spice to a largely straight-ahead context. Regardless of the tempo, rhythmic feel, and their willingness to shake things up in the spur of the moment, the center always holds and the music maintains an unwavering certainty. Check out Anderson's firm placement of the beat and the inspired note choices of his walking line on Jones' first two choruses of "Big Foot." Or, his ingenious, utterly assured broken line throughout "Dreamscape."

Smith is ready to take his place in the crowded, intensely competitive field of New York City trapsters. On up tempo tracks such as "When Day Met Night" he often plays straight, relatively unadorned time for long stretches before executing stealth buzz strokes, or leaves the ride cymbal to play expertly timed phrases of different lengths on various combinations of drums. The head of "Big Foot" exemplifies Smith's ability to tailor a number of snare drum strokes to key points of Charlie Parker's composition. He seasons the conclusion of "Dreamscape" with a few soft, spread out, rolls to the tom toms and the snare drum with the snares off. Generally speaking, regardless of how busy or inventive he gets, Smith is never assertive to a fault and, in conjunction with Anderson, the pulse always remains firm and true.

Haugland is a mature, substantive improviser who, on a track-by-track basis, offers ample helpings of different aspects of his artistry. He always gives the impression that his mindset and creative impulses encompass the song and the goings on of the bass and drums. The pianist's turn on "Dreamscape" germinates from the head, carefully filling in Anderson's and Smith's nuanced, barebones accompaniment, and evincing a patient, balanced vibe even as the lines become more fleet and complex.

"Second Sight" constitutes one long, thrill ride, in part because of his firm, incisive touch. Exhibiting fervor and calculation in equal measure, Haugland pits punchy, unrelenting, Tyner-like chords against hard, biting single note lines and, uncharacteristically, grabs ahold of the bass and drums and yanks them into his orbit. He achieves a purity of expression while playing less than a couple of dozen notes in the first eight bars of a haunting and deeply satisfying "A Weaver Of Dreams" solo. Each note is carefully paced and bears a precise amount of weight in relation to the middling tempo swing of Anderson and Smith.

Apart from their invaluable contributions to Haugland's compositions and arrangements, Jones' and Wendholt's solos are another essential component of the recording. Haugland lays out for the first two choruses of Jones' turn on "When Day Met Night," making it easy to savor the tenor man's medium weight tone, and the manner in which his phrases playfully dart in and around Anderson's and Smith's firm foundation. Taken in its entirety, the solo entails the accumulation of telling details, a persistence that never sounds hectic or unwieldy, and the occasional sustained note that serves as a soulful transition between ideas. Wendholt's single chorus on "A Weaver Of Dreams" begins on an even keel. His rounded tone and smart, melodically rich phrases gradually, almost imperceptibly, build momentum before he unleashes weighty, bravado phrases in the last eight bars.

A Million Dreams is a confluence of excellent original compositions, empathetic ensemble playing and group interplay, as well as memorable solo statements.Highly recommended.
By David A. Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-million-dreams-by-david-a-orthmann

Personnel: Ben Haugland: piano; Scott Wendholt: trumpet; Stephen Jones: tenor saxophone; ; Jay Anderson: bass; Chris Smith: drums.

A Million Dreams

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Lou Donaldson - Rough House Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:01
Size: 77.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1964/2010
Art: Front

[5:22] 1. Tippin' In
[3:12] 2. L.D. Blues
[4:24] 3. Days Of Wine And Roses
[4:57] 4. Ignant Oil
[6:33] 5. Rough House Blues
[4:00] 6. Back Talk
[5:30] 7. Huffin' 'n' Puffin'

Lou Donaldson - alto saxophone; Dave Burns, Ernie Royal - trumpet; Phil Woods - alto saxophone; Bob Ashton - tenor saxophone; Danny Bank - baritone saxophone; Lloyd Mayers Jr. - organ; Richard Davis - bass; Grady Tate - drums; Oliver Nelson - conductor, arranger.

Lou Donaldson has long been an excellent bop altoist influenced by Charlie Parker, but with a more blues-based style of his own. His distinctive tone has been heard in a variety of small-group settings, and he has recorded dozens of worthy and spirited (if somewhat predictable) sets throughout the years.

Donaldson started playing clarinet when he was 15, soon switching to the alto. He attended college and performed in a Navy band while in the military. Donaldson first gained attention when he moved to New York and in 1952 started recording for Blue Note as a leader. At the age of 25, his style was fully formed, and although it would continue growing in depth through the years, Donaldson had already found his sound. In 1954, he participated in a notable gig with Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, and Tommy Potter that was extensively documented by Blue Note and that directly predated the Jazz Messengers. However, Donaldson was never a member of the Messengers, and although he recorded as a sideman in the '50s and occasionally afterwards with Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, and Jimmy Smith, among others, he has been a bandleader from the mid-'50s up until the present.

Donaldson's early Blue Note recordings were pure bop. In 1958, he began often utilizing a conga player, and starting in 1961, his bands often had an organist rather than a pianist. His bluesy style was easily transferable to soul-jazz, and he sounded most original in that context. His association with Blue Note (1952-1963) was succeeded by some excellent (if now-scarce) sets for Cadet and Argo (1963-1966). The altoist returned to Blue Note in 1967 and soon became caught up in the increasingly commercial leanings of the label. For a time, he utilized an electronic Varitone sax, which completely watered down his sound. The success of "Alligator Boogaloo" in 1967 led to a series of less interesting funk recordings that were instantly dated and not worthy of his talent.

Rough House Blues

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Ray Charles & Milt Jackson - Soul Brothers, Soul Meeting Disc 1 And Disc 2

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:50 (Disc 1)
Size: 111,6 MB (Disc 1)
Time: 46:10 (Disc 2)
Size: 107,8 MB (Disc 2)
Art: Front

Disc 1

(9:15)  1. How Long Blues
(5:23)  2. Cosmic Ray
(5:25)  3. The Genius After Hours
(4:57)  4. Charlesville
(8:50)  5. Bags Of Blues
(5:51)  6. Deed I Do
(8:05)  7. Blue Funk

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Disc 2

(9:34)  1. Soul Brothers
(6:27)  2. Bag's Guitar Blues
(6:04)  3. Soul Meeting
(5:29)  4. Hallelujah I Love Her So
(6:40)  5. Blue Genius
(8:11)  6. X-Ray Blues
(3:42)  7. Love on my Mind

This brings together all of the extant takes recorded for two albums that Milt Jackson made with Ray Charles for Atlantic in 1957 and 1958. With Oscar Pettiford, Connie Kay, and Kenny Burrell in the various lineups, this is bluesy jazz in a laid-back manner; it surprised many hardcore R&B fans when these albums were originally issued. Jackson moves from vibes to piano, and even guitar (on "Bag's Guitar Blues"), while Ray jumps between piano and alto sax on these sessions. A rare glimpse of Charles' jazz soul coming up for air.      ~ Cub Koda   http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-brothers-soul-meeting-mw0000653204.

Personnel: Skeeter Best, Kenny Burrell (guitar); Ray Charles (alto saxophone, acoustic & electric pianos); Billy Mitchell (tenor saxophone); Milt Jackson (piano, vibraphone); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Connie Kay (drums)

Soul Brothers, Soul Meeting Disc 1, Disc 2

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Helen Merrill - Great Women Of Song: Helen Merrill

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 43:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 100,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:07) 1. Anything Goes
(4:19) 2. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(3:21) 3. When I Fall In Love
(3:25) 4. By Myself
(3:20) 5. Blue Gardenia
(3:54) 6. Falling In Love With Love
(3:01) 7. Comes Love
(2:46) 8. Where Flamingos Fly
(3:30) 9. You've Got A Date With The Blues
(5:11) 10. Don't Explain
(3:15) 11. 'S Wonderful
(4:24) 12. Lilac Wine

With her cool, expressive singing style and carefully crafted song selection, Helen Merrill has secured a special place in the hearts of fans and other musicians. From intimate ballads to full-band swingers, this collection, drawn from her 1950s recordings, provides solid evidence of the unparalleled artistry of one of the must-hear voices in jazz.By Editorial Reviews
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Women-Song-Helen-Merrill/dp/B0D2DT8Z7W

Great Women Of Song: Helen Merrill

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The Syd Lawrence Orchestra - Remember Glenn Miller

Styles: Big Band
Year: 1989
Time: 65:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 152,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:00) 1. Moonlight Serenade
(3:03) 2. Little Brown Jug
(3:19) 3. String Of Pearls
(4:25) 4. At Last
(4:14) 5. I Ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo
(3:39) 6. American Patrol
(3:34) 7. Perfidia
(2:53) 8. Elmer S Tune
(3:59) 9. St. Louis Blues
(3:34) 10. In The Mood
(3:42) 11. Stardust
(4:50) 12. Serenade In Blues
(2:50) 13. Pennsylvania -65000
(2:40) 14. Caribbean Clipper
(4:26) 15. Tuxedo Juntion
(3:43) 16. Chattanooga Choo Choo
(3:42) 17. Frenesi
(3:13) 18. Adios

In 1967 Syd Lawrence, an established trumpet player with the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra realised that he was not alone amongst his colleagues in being disillusioned with having to play uninteresting arrangements of hit songs from the sixties pop scene. Syd had served his musical apprenticeship working with such bands leaders as Geraldo, Teddy Foster, Nat Temple, Sidney Lipton and Cyril Stapleton and had come to believe that audiences were being denied the live sound of the music they loved and had grown up with. He also believed that the music and songs of the swing era would become, in time, the classic music of the 20th century and continue to appeal to people of all ages.

Keen to revive the music that had inspired him and others of his generation he took it upon himself to establish a rehearsal band of like minded musicians to get together once a week for their own pleasure and play the kind of music they really enjoyed – Big Band Swing!


This gathering began in an upstairs room of the Wellington Hotel in Didsbury Manchester, where after a few short weeks the numbers attending the rehearsal sessions had swollen from just the musicians to the wives, families, friends and locals. So great was the support that the band had to move to larger premises three times in eighteen months. In 1969, Syd decided to take the music to which he was so dedicated to a wider audience. He severed his connections with the BBC and took the Syd Lawrence Orchestra on the road.

The first public concert in Sheffield was a sell out and was closely followed by appearances on Granada and Yorkshire T.V. This in turn led to the first recording session for Philips at Strawberry Studios from which an album of Miller classics was produced which quickly hit the 100,000 sales mark. In January 1970 they released “More Miller and Other Big Band Magic”. Soon after these albums were released, Alan Dell, the BBC’s own ‘Mr Big Band’, played the “American Patrol” track on national radio and demand for the Syd Lawrence Orchestra to perform in every major venue across the kingdom hit fever pitch. Within months the orchestra had visited every corner of the U.K. and performed in all London’s major venues, The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and a Royal command performance at The London Palladium

In 1996 Syd retired, having spent 30 years continually touring with his band, and handed the responsibility of leading the orchestra over to his former lead trombonist Chris Dean.

Syd passed away on 5th May 1998, but in the music library he created for the Syd Lawrence Orchestra he left behind a legacy which continues to benefit future generations of young musicians and music lovers alike.https://syd-lawrence-orchestra.com/syd-lawrence/

Remember Glenn Miller

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Alyssa Allgood - Lady Bird

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 26:03
Size: 60,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. Yardbird Suite
(4:51)  2. If You Never Come To Me
(3:52)  3. Jaded
(5:49)  4. If I Should Lose You
(6:42)  5. Lady Bird

After two very promising vocalese offerings: Dorian Devin's The Procrastinator (Self Produced, 2013) and Angelica Matveeva's Vocalese (Self Produced, 2015), yet another traditional vocalese presents itself as an extended-play recording of what may be the most refined offering in the genre yet. Allgood's approach is superbly considered and delivered. Her command of the material has no peer.

Allgood's choice of an organ trio + tenor accompaniment is sheer genius. With this format, the singer's innate vocalese talent swings this a momentum not seen since Eddie Henderson's Letter From Home (Riverside, 1960). Her delivery of Charlie Parker's and Bob Dorough's "Yardbird Suite" salts the ground behind it. Allgood's articulation is perfect and unhurried, something that is an accomplishment when compared to past attempts.

He paces herself and her band to the most effective delivery point. Her original, "Jaded" melds perfectly with Jobim's "If You Never Come to Me" and Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird," the latter which is sheer perfection. Bravo, girl-next-door Alyssa Allgood. Produce that full-recording offering.By C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lady-bird-alyssa-allgood-self-produced-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Alyssa Allgood: vocals; Don Chase: organ; Tim Fitzgerald: guitar; Alex Beltran: saxophone; Matt Plaskota: drums.

Lady Bird

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Larry Goldings, Kaveh Rastegar, Abe Rounds - Better

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 42:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 98,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Better
(4:00) 2. Yeah Yeah Yeah
(4:51) 3. Stockwell
(4:56) 4. Mary Lou
(5:30) 5. But Wait, There's Les
(4:19) 6. Bob James
(6:02) 7. Temple Bar
(3:37) 8. Reprise
(3:53) 9. I Want To Be Happy

I'm going to back to my roots for today's tip, so say hello to Larry Goldings, Kaveh Rastegar & Abe Rounds the funkiest trio that Daptone never signed, as they manage to put their own jazz juiced, soul soaked twist on those classic 20th grooves, ranging from sunny West coast smoothies, steamy organ menage a trois', reggae riddims & cinematic exotica for Ropeadope.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/11snksp/larry_goldings_kaveh_rastegar_abe_rounds_better/

Personnel: Larry Goldings: Piano, Organ, Clavinet, Arp 2600, Arp String Ensemble, Prophet, Pocket Piano; Kaveh Rastegar: Fender Precision Bass, Fender Musicmaster Bass, Guitar on “Temple Bar”; Abe Rounds: Drums, Percussion, Oberheim RD-8 and Vermona DM-1 Drum Machines, Guitar on “Yeah Yeah Yeah” and “Les”, Arp 2600 on “Mary Lou”

Additional Musician: Bob Magnuson: Woodwinds on “Reprise” with parts arranged by John Sneider; Special thanks to Pete Min, John Sneider, Christine Kim, Sara Shirazi and Kirra Bennett.

Better

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Janis Siegel/Yaron Gershovsky - The Colors Of My Life

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 50:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 116,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:08) 1. I've Got Your Number
(5:00) 2. With Every Breath I Take
(4:27) 3. Playboy's Theme
(4:29) 4. Witchcraft
(5:09) 5. That's My Style
(5:33) 6. Being Without You
(4:34) 7. The Best is Yet to Come
(5:36) 8. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life
(4:50) 9. Why Try To Change Me Now
(5:29) 10. The Colors of My Life

CLUB44 RECORDS' The Colors of My Life: A Cy Coleman Songbook - the new album from ten-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Janis Siegel and internationally recognized pianist, arranger, and composer Yaron Gershovsky will be released on CD and streaming and digital formats on Friday, June 7. This intensely personal and fresh musical homage delves deeply into the composer's jazz sensibilities and the work of his wonderful lyric partners.
https://www.amazon.ca/Colors-My-Life-Janis-Siegel/dp/B0D1N8NZBF

The Colors Of My Life

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New York Swing - The Music Of Jerome Kern

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:20
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:15)  1. The Song Is You
(2:52)  2. Why Was I Born?
(4:20)  3. I'm Old Fashioned
(3:19)  4. All The Things You Are
(4:51)  5. Remind Me
(3:33)  6. Nobody Else But Me
(2:55)  7. I Dream Too Much
(4:04)  8. Why Do I Love You
(3:06)  9. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(4:35) 10. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
(4:11) 11. Sure Thing
(3:24) 12. Pick Yourself Up
(4:40) 13. Bill
(4:10) 14. Yesterdays

New York Swing consists of pianist John Bunch, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and bassist Jay Leonhart, while the group worked with more than one drummer during their existence. On this 1993 session, Dennis Mackrel rounds out the group. The music is drawn exclusively from the Jerome Kern songbook, starting with a breezy, playful arrangement of "The Song Is You." But while the group plays a number of time-tested standards, including "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Pick Yourself Up," "All the Things You Are," and "Yesterdays," all with a freshness that belies the vintage of these songs and the numerous times they have been recorded by jazz musicians, it is some of the less familiar tunes that especially stand out. The leisurely waltz "I Dream Too Much" and the shimmering ballad "Remind Me" are worthy of greater exploration, too. Pizzarelli's guitar is prominent throughout the date, though Bunch and Leonhart are capable soloists as well, with the veteran Mackrel focusing primarily on keeping time. This is one of the better releases in producer Sonny Lester's series of budget releases that have appeared on various labels.By Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/plays-the-music-of-jerome-kern-mw0000234669

New York Swing: John Bunch (piano); Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Jay Leonhart (bass); Dennis Mackrel (drums).

The Music Of Jerome Kern

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The Las Vegas Boneheads - Sixty and Still Cookin'

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2022
Time: 55:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 127,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:09) 1. Al Cohn Tune
(5:25) 2. Ceora
(6:10) 3. Samba Deez Bones
(6:59) 4. Home Again
(4:11) 5. Carl
(6:05) 6. Skylark
(4:47) 7. The Nervous Nellie
(6:33) 8. I Thought About You
(4:22) 9. Cherokee
(6:35) 10. Giant Steps

There aren't many albums a listener might care to revisit again immediately after an initial spin. This is one of them. The Las Vegas Boneheads, a trombone-and-rhythm nonet formed by Abe Nole in 1962, marked their sixtieth(!) anniversary by recording Sixty and Still Cookin', an album that more than lives up to its name while presenting a master class in how contemporary jazz trombone should be played, individually and collectively.

There's never a dull or wasted moment here, thanks to an impressive inventory of standard and original tunes and superlative blowing by all hands including special guest Andy Martin who is eloquent and persuasive as always on Gordon Goodwin's "Home Again," Curt Miller's "The Nervous Nellie" and Ray Noble's "Cherokee." He's far from alone, however, as Miller and his frontline mates Nathan Tanouye, Nate Kimball, Andrew Boostrom and Ilai Macaggi are given ample room to stretch and make the most of every opportunity.

They are supported on most numbers by bass trombonists Sonny Hernandez and Ralph Pressler and an exemplary rhythm section comprised of pianist Uli Geissendorfer (also a splendid soloist), bassist Steve Flora and drummer Larry Aberman who are replaced for reasons unknown on the last tune, John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," by Dave Richardson , Rochon Westmoreland and Johnny Friday. Besides "Nervous Nellie," Miller who joined the ensemble in 1978 shortly after graduating from college wrote the charming, light-hearted "Samba Deez Bones," while Billy Rogers penned the incendiary opener, "Al Cohn Tune," Bill Holman the irrepressible "Carl," presumably to honor one of the ensemble's several renowned alumni, the late great Carl Fontana.

Rounding out the seductive program are Lee Morgan's gently swaying "Ceora," Hoagy Carmichael's enchanting "Skylark" and Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Mercer's tender-hearted "I Thought About You." The Boneheads are brilliant on every one, leaping to the head of the class thanks for the most part to their high-grade intensity, blowing with the sort of stamina and enhusiasm that belies their newly-earned senior status. As noted, there's never a tedious moment, and the Las Vegas Boneheads are definitely still cookin' even at their advanced age. Let us hope that another sixty years don't pass before we hear more from this well-knit team of masterful musicians.By Jack Bowers
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sixty-and-still-cookin-the-las-vegas-boneheads-cellar-records

Personnel: Trombone – Andy Martin (tracks: 4, 6, 9); Bass – Rochon Westmoreland (tracks: 10), Steve Flora (tracks: 1 to 9); Bass Trombone – Ralph Pressler; Drums – Johnny Friday (tracks: 10), Larry Aberman (tracks: 1 to 9); Ensemble – The Las Vegas Boneheads; Piano – Dave Richardson (15) (tracks: 10), Uli Geissendoerfer (tracks: 1 to 9); Trombone – Andrew Boostrom (tracks: 1 to 4, 7 to 10), Curt Miller, Hai Macaggi (tracks: 5, 6), Nate Kimball, Nathan Tanouye

Sixty and Still Cookin'

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Karin Krog - Karin Krog (Live)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 50:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 116,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:33) 1. All I Want
(5:52) 2. Once Upon a Summertime/Watch What Happens
(4:01) 3. I'm Shadowing You
(5:20) 4. Who Knows
(4:10) 5. My Romance
(2:54) 6. On a Clear Day
(4:44) 7. Don't Get Scared
(4:10) 8. It Could be Hip
(3:10) 9. Sweet Talker
(8:34) 10. Canto Mai
(3:12) 11. Everytime We Say Goodbye

Karin Krog is perhaps Norway’s leading jazz singer and certainly its most idiomatic. She is a unique song artist with a great international reputation, possessing her own distinctive style and voice. Her constantly creative approach towards contemporary jazz has never been bound by tradition, even though her music bears a deep respect for its forms. Karin is equally at home with jazz standards, blues or electronic experimental techniques and has continued to explore all of these avenues throughout her long career.

In addition to Karin’s work as a vocalist she has been active in improving the working conditions for musicians, and contributing towards a vital jazz milieu in Norway. In 2014 she celebrated 50 years since her first LP as a solo artist was released.

Karin Krog was born in Oslo, Norway, on the 15th of May 1937, and started to sing during her teenage years together with various local musicians. She attracted attention during jam sessions at the Penguin club in Oslo, and in 1955 was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in his sextet. Her broadcasting debut on Norwegian radio happened during the following year. By 1957 Karin was singing at the Humlen Restaurant in Oslo in company with some of the best Norwegian jazz musicians of that time, among others tenor saxophonist Mikkel Flagstad and pianist Einar Iversen and going on to participate in several Norwegian jazz concerts towards the end of the decade.

Karin was a natural choice on the bill when the very first Molde International Jazz Festival was formed, appearing there with Kjell Karlsen’s quartet. From 1962 she fronted her own groups as well as singing with trombonist Frode Thingnæs’ Quintet and pianist Egil Kapstad’s trio. During the period from 1962 to 1969 Karin studied with the American singer Anne Brown (the first Bess in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”).

Karin’s recording debut, in 1963, was on the LP “Metropol Jazz”. She made her own solo album “By Myself” in 1964, and performed the same year at the Antibes festival, the Gyllene Circeln in Stockholm, and the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway. In 1965 Karin received the Buddy award, the most coveted mark of honour from the Norwegian Jazz Federation. That same year Krog and several of her colleagues formed the Norwegian Jazz Forum, where she became its first chairman. The Forum was instrumental in getting jazz out of the night-clubs and into concert settings, thus securing a place for live jazz performance and providing a platform for jazz musicians to perform and to receive inspiration....More.. https://karinkrog.no/biography/

Karin Krog (Live)

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Peter Bernstein - Messengers in Jazz with Peter Bernstein at Termansens

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 71:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 167,4 MB
Art: Front

( 9:30) 1. Simple as That
(11:03) 2. One Step Ahead
( 9:00) 3. Blood Moon Wolf Blues
( 7:16) 4. Headin' Home
( 8:57) 5. This I Dig of You
(11:33) 6. Dragonfly
(13:38) 7. Old Devil Moon

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein was born September 3, 1967, in New York City. He got his first break while attending the New School when he met Jim Hall, who recruited him for a concert of guitarists as part of the 1990 JVC Jazz Festival in New York. The show was recorded by MusicMasters and issued as Live at Town Hall, Vol. 2. Bernstein quickly began playing with other jazz musicians, notably appearing on albums by Lou Donaldson, Michael Hashim, Larry Goldings, Mel Rhyne, Jesse Davis, and Geoff Keezer. He recorded his first album as a leader, Somethin's Burnin', for Criss Cross in December, 1992, as part of quartet with pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist John Webber, and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

After working with such artists as Patti Page, Walt Weiskopf, Brian Lynch, Laverne Butler, Eric Alexander, and Hendrik Meurkens in 1993-1994, Bernstein returned to his solo work with Signs of Life. Issued in May of 1995, the album once again found the guitarist backed by pianist Mehldau, along with bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Further work as a sideman with Ghetto Philharmonic, Trudy Desmond, Teodross Avery, Joshua Redman, Kevin Mahogany, Grant Stewart, and Mike LeDonne preceded the release of his third album, Brain Dance, in June 1997. This time, he led a quintet also containing organist Goldings, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trombonist Steve Davis, and drummer Billy Drummond. Prior to his fourth album, Earth Tones, Bernstein recorded with Ralph Lalama and Eric Comstock, among others. Earth Tones, issued in August, 1998, found him fronting a trio with Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart.

Five years elapsed before the release of Heart's Content, Bernstein's fifth album as a leader, and he occupied the time working with a wide variety of musicians including Tom Aalfs, Group 15, Jimmy Cobb's Mob, David Bubba Brooks, Doug Lawrence, Sam Yahel, David Morgan, Jon Gordon, Michael Karn, Spike Wilner, Anna Lauvergnac, Harry Allen, Paula West, Nicholas Payton, Etta Jones, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, Lee Konitz, Klaus Doldinger, and Ralph Bowen. Heart's Content, which was released in May 2003, was credited to "Peter Bernstein + 3," and the three were Mehldau, Bill Stewart, and bassist Larry Grenadier. The same year the album appeared, Bernstein could be heard on albums by Ryan Kisor, Wycliffe Gordon, Janis Siegel, and Martin Sasse, among others.

Stranger in Paradise, Bernstein's sixth album, was released in June 2004 by the Japanese Tokuma label, and employed the same lineup as that on Heart's Content. In addition to musicians with whom he had recorded before, Bernstein appeared on albums by Jim Rotondi and Dr. Lonnie Smith in 2004 and Kathy Kosins in 2005. On August 23, 2005, Mel Bay released the DVD Peter Bernstein Trio Live at Smoke, taped at a jazz club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Among his many sideman sessions in the mid-2000s, Bernstein added dates with Joe Magnarelli, Alvin Queen, Planet Jazz, Anton Schwartz, John Pisano, David "Fathead" Newman, Don Friedman, Cory Weeds, and Andrew Suvalsky to the list of his credits, along with repeat appearances with others. In January 2009, the newly reactivated Xanadu label released Bernstein's seventh album, Monk, a tribute to Thelonious Monk featuring bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Bill Stewart.

In 2013, he paired with guitarist Joachim Schoenecker for the duo album Dialogues. A year later, he joined longtime associates Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart on Ramshackle Serenade. He then made his Smoke Sessions debut with 2016's Let Loose, a lively quartet date featuring pianist Gerald Clayton. Also that year, he collaborated with fellow guitarists Rale Micic, John Abercrombie, and Lage Lund on Inspired. For the guitarist's second Smoke Sessions date, Signs Live!, he reunited the band that had recorded his 1995 album Signs of Life, including pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Released in 2017, Signs Live! was the first time Bernstein and the members of the quartet had all played together in over 20 years. By William Ruhlmann https://www.amazon.com/Simple-as-That/dp/B0CVRWDYB2

Messengers in Jazz with Peter Bernstein at Termansens

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Sergio Mendes - Primitivo

Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2023
Time: 29:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 68,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:54) 1. Amor em Paz
(2:20) 2. Nana
(4:07) 3. Corcovado
(3:18) 4. Desafinado
(2:44) 5. Coisa NO. 2
(2:24) 6. Ela é Carioca
(2:19) 7. Noa Noa
(2:21) 8. Neurótico
(3:14) 9. Garota de Ipanema
(3:56) 10. Primitivo

One of the biggest crossover Brazilian pop artists of his generation, Sergio Mendes helped define the sound of Latin pop and dance music in the 20th century. For most of the second half of the '60s, Mendes was the top-selling Brazilian artist in the United States, charting huge hit singles like "Mas Que Nada" and LPs like Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 that regularly made the Top Five. His records with his group Brasil '66 regularly straddled the domestic pop and international markets in America, getting played heavily on AM radio stations, both rock and easy listening, and he gave his label, A&M, something to offer light jazz listeners beyond the work of the company's co-founder, Herb Alpert. During this period, he also became an international music star and one of the most popular musicians in South America. Ever evolving, Mendes has continued to develop his sound, including re-exploring Bahian rhythms on 1993's Grammy-winning Brasileiro, and even embracing new sounds including electronic dance music and hip-hop, as he did on 2008's will.i.am-produced Encanto and 2014's Magic.

Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, Brazil, Mendes began studying music at the local conservatory while still a boy, with the intention of becoming a classical pianist. He was living in Rio de Janeiro as the bossa nova craze hit in the mid- to late '50s, and at age 15, he abandoned classical music in favor of bossa nova. Mendes began spending time with other young Brazilian musicians in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing the musical ferment around him in the company of such figures as Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their company was augmented by the periodic visits of American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, Paul Winter, Roy Eldridge, and Herbie Mann. Mendes became the leader of his own group, the Sexteto Bossa Rio, and was heard with them by many visiting musicians. He made his first recording, Dance Moderno, in 1961 on the Philips Records label. By 1962, Mendes and his band were playing at Birdland in New York in an impromptu performance with Cannonball Adderley (who was officially on the bill). Mendes and Adderley cut an album together for Capitol that was released later that year.

His early music, represented on albums like Bossa Nova York and Girl from Ipanema, was heavily influenced by Antonio Carlos Jobim, on whose recordings Mendes worked. Mendes liked what he saw on his visit to New York, and in 1964 he moved to the United States, initially playing on albums with Jobim and Art Farmer, and forming Brasil '65 the following year. The group recorded for Capitol without attracting too much notice at first. In 1966, however, Mendes and his band renamed Brasil '66 were signed to A&M Records and something seemed to click between the group and its audience.

Brasil '66, consisting in its first A&M incarnation of Mendes on keyboards, Bob Matthews on bass, João Palma on drums, Jose Soares as percussionist, Lani Hall (A&M's co-founder) on vocals, and Janis Hansen on vocals, was successful upon the release of its first album for the label, with its mix of light jazz, a bossa nova beat, and contemporary soft pop melodies. Their self-titled debut LP rose to number six nationally, propelled by the presence of the single "Mas Que Nada." Their second album, Equinox, yielded a trio of minor hits, "Night and Day," "Constant Rain (Chove Chuva)," and "For Me," but their third, Look Around, rose to number five behind a number three single of the group's cover of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" and an accompanying hit with "Scarborough Fair," based on the Simon & Garfunkel version of the folk song. Crystal Illusions, from 1969, featured a version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and the hit single "Pretty World." Depending upon one's sensibilities, these covers especially "Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair" were either legitimate, internationalized pop versions of the originals, or they were "elevator music."

During this period, Mendes also made several recordings for Atlantic, principally aimed at a light jazz audience, and several of them in association with Jobim. Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Hubert Laws, and Claire Fisher were among the jazz figures who appeared on these records, which never remotely attracted the same level of interest or sales as his records with Brasil '66. Mendes successfully walked a fine line between international and domestic audiences for most of the late '60s until the end of the decade. Ye-Me-Le was notably less successful than its predecessors, and its single, "Wichita Lineman," was only a minor hit. Mendes seemed to lose his commercial edge with the turn of the decade, and his next two A&M albums Stillness, a folk-based collection that contained covers of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth" and Primal Roots, an album of traditional Brazilian music failed to make any impression on the charts whatsoever.

The group moved to the much smaller Bell Records label in 1973, and then Mendes jumped to Elektra for his first official solo album, Sergio Mendes. He relaunched his recording career two years later with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 to little avail, and then, after a five-year layoff from the public eye, Mendes returned to A&M in 1982. His 1983 comeback album, Sergio Mendes, was his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade-and-a-half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go," which hit number four. Since then, Mendes has had limited chart success with the single "Alibis" and the LP Confetti. He remained a popular figure internationally, even when his record sales slumped in America, as evidenced by the fact that his entire A&M catalog (and much of his Atlantic work) from the '60s has been reissued on CD in Japan. Indeed, his popularity in the rest of the world, versus America, was even the basis for a comic vignette in one episode of the television series Seinfeld.

Well into his fourth decade as a performer, Mendes continued to work at a steady pace, assembling groups like Brasil '99 and Brasil 2000, and integrating the sounds of Bahian hip-hop into his music. In 1997, A&M's British division released a remastered double-CD set of the best of Mendes' music from his first seven years on the label. Most of Mendes' back catalog was reissued as the 21st century dawned, and in 2006, Concord Records released Timeless, his first album of newly recorded material in eight years. A mere two years later, Encanto appeared, including co-productions from will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas. A third album on Concord, Bom Tempo, was released in 2010.

After appearances at numerous festivals and a global tour, Mendes took a short break before beginning to record again. He signed to Sony's revived OKeh imprint and cut a completely new set of songs in Los Angeles, Salvador, and Bahia, with a host of special guests and old friends, including John Legend, will.i.am., and Brazilian artists such as Carlinhos Brown, with whom he cut the first single, "One Nation," issued on One Love, One Rhythm: The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album. Magic was released that September. In 2019, he issued the studio album In the Key of Joy, which was released in conjunction with a documentary film about his life. Included on the album were guest appearances by Common, Hermeto Pascoal, João Donato, and others. It proved to the last LP he releases in his lifetime Sérgio Mendes died on September 6, 2024 at the age of 83 due to complications from the COVID-19 virus. By Bruce Eder
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sergio-mendes-mn0000002330#biography

R.I.P.

Born: Niterói (Brazil), 11 de fevereiro de 1941

Died: Los Angeles, 6 de setembro de 2024

Primitivo

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The Big 18 - Live Echoes Of The Swinging Bands (2-Disc Set)

Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers, Rex Stewart, Billy Butterfield (tp), Lawrence Brown, Lou McGarity, Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson (tb), Peanuts Hucko (cl), Sam Donahue, Ernie Caceres (saxes), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Milt Hinton (b), Jimmy Crawford (d). Tracks from CD 1, from the 12" album "Live Echoes of the Swinging Bands" (RCA Victor LSP-1921). Tracks from CD 2, from the 12" album "More Live Echoes of the Swinging Bands" (RCA Victor LSP-1983).

The Big 18 was an all star big band that pays tribute to the swinging big bands of the thirties. The original idea came from Fred Reynolds, musical director of RCA Victor at the end of the fifties. He called his library to select numbers that would be characteristic of the orchestras of the swing era. He then commissioned arranger Charles Shirley to listen to the original recordings and transcribe them, keeping as much as possible of the flavor of the original band, leaving space in the arrangements for much longer solos than the original short recordings allowed for. Some of the greatest musicians in each band selected the tunes that were chosen to produce these wonderful sessions. It resulted in some very fine solos and an exciting ensemble sound, plus a superb recording that faithfully captured their spirit.

Album: Live Echoes Of The Swinging Bands (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:41
Size: 95.4 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2011

[4:00] 1. Swingtime In The Rockies
[5:12] 2. Easy Does It
[5:46] 3. Five O'clock Drag
[5:35] 4. Feet Draggin' Blues
[4:19] 5. Summit Ridge Drive
[4:33] 6. Tuxedo Junction
[4:46] 7. Blues On Parade
[3:37] 8. Okay For Baby
[3:48] 9. March Of The Toys

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Album: Live Echoes Of The Swinging Bands (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:09
Size: 91.9 MB
Styles: Swing, Big band
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:39] 1. Skyliner
[3:50] 2. Parade Of The Milk Bottle Caps
[4:10] 3. Celery Stalks At Midnight
[2:56] 4. I'm Prayin' Humble
[4:42] 5. Hors D'oeuvre
[3:30] 6. Liza
[3:48] 7. The Cambells Are Swinging
[4:32] 8. Organ Grinder's Swing
[5:30] 9. Ton O'rock Bump
[2:27] 10. Quaker City Blues

Live Echoes Of The Swinging Bands (Disc 1)(Disc 2)

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