Sarah King & The Smoke Rings - ST

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
Time: 34:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:08) 1. It Don't Mean A Thing (Is It Ain't Got That Swing)
(3:07) 2. Tea For Two
(3:01) 3. Jersey Bounce
(2:19) 4. I Won't Dance
(3:38) 5. Smoke Rings
(5:30) 6. Caravan
(3:52) 7. Some Other Spring
(3:32) 8. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(2:46) 9. I Don't Know Why
(2:38) 10. Lazy River

What a fun and charming jump back to the Swing Era! Sarah King and the Smoke Rings have released a self-titled debut album with some of my absolute favorite songs from that glorious time and I enjoyed every second of the experience.

The Smoke Rings are Alex Levin on piano, Scott Ritchie on bass and Ben Cliness on drums and these cats swing hard. Fronting this exemplary group is Sarah King on vocals on ukulele. The guys play straight-up swing and Ms. King delivers an adorable approach to the lyrics. The song choices and track order are just what makes a swingster swoon.

The first song is the old Duke Ellington/Irving Mills chestnut It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). The prelude is a deep-voiced groove before Sarah King joins in with her soprano sass. The vocalization is light-hearted, as it should be, and the musicians roll with her. Alex Levin plays the cool cat piano as Scott Ritchie bumps along with the bass. Ben Cliness gets a brief drum interlude and the whole groups carries the song to completion.

Vincent Youmans’ Tea for Two is a great representation of what the band presents in their weekly residence at the Boom Boom Room atop the Standard Hotel in New York City. The first half represents the trio as they were before Alex Levin decided to add a vocalist. The second half of the piece shows just how smart he was to ask her to come aboard.

The story must be told of how she joined The Smoke Rings. Levin was wanting to add a female vocalist to the trio. One day, he was in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and saw a young woman walking by with a ukulele in hand. Levin asked her to play a number for him and, instead of hammering him over the head with the cherished instrument, she obliged him. He said that her voice sounded like an old record. And so it does…in a good way.

That quality is nowhere more evident that on the Tiny Bradshaw/Eddie Johnson/Bobby Plater number Jersey Bounce. She has a brilliantly charming enunciation that over-emphasizes her Rs and rounds the OU diphthong as it disappears into the N. Listen to the album and you’ll see what I mean. Cute as can be.

I Won’t Dance is the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II standard is given a new swing by Sarah King and Smoke Rings. Despite the title, the music compels exactly that. Scott Ritchie gets a smoking bass solo which he delivers with great swagger.

Gifford and Washington’s Smoke Rings follows. The piece is wistful and sweet and delivered wonderfully. I realized, as I listened to this track, that I had been smiling from the start of the album. It has not gone away.

What comes next is one of my favorite Jazz standards of all time. Duke Ellington’s famed Caravan co-written by Ellington, Juan Tizol and Irving Mills is perfect. Cliness opens the track with the throaty toms and brings the whole kit to bear as Ritchie swing s the bass alongside. Sarah King nails the vocal performance splendidly with a near-Ella Fitzgerald delivery. I was still thrilling to her over-hardened Rs.

Ritchie’s bass solo runs brightly and warmly andLevin’s piano is spot-on. Beautiful.

Some Other Spring by Arthur Herzog, Jr. is lovely and innocent and compelling. An andante swing casts the image of cool stroll as Levin’s piano creates the oh-so-right atmosphere Ms. King’s gorgeous vocals
.
Our Love is Here to Stay (George & Ira Gershwin) is introduced by Ms. King’s encouraging a cappella before kicking in gear with the trio. The Smoke Kings’ version pulls off a bigger swing and Cliness’ well-seated rim shots and snare rolls add a punch that is welcome indeed.

I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) by Roy Turk and Fred Ahlert is a sweet lament that King presents with anguish and languish but without losing that delightful charm.

The album concludes with Hoagy Carmichael’s Up a Lazy River. The piece opens with vocals, ukulele and piano. A warm and lucid image of just what the title suggests. Then the listener hears the countback and a whole ‘nother thing breaks loose a ripping yarn of fun and merriment. The instrumental passage is catchy and gives all the artists a spin in the spotlight. The smile has remained undimmed.

Some have suggested that Sarah King’s voice is the center of attention and the “star of the show.” While there can be little doubt that she has enhanced what went before, the trio delivers with integrity and aplomb and creates the foundation upon which Ms. King builds. All four artists are integral to the finished sound.

Sarah King and The Smoke Rings are a treasure. Here's to the lucky New Yorkers who get to enjoy them weekly.https://travisrogersjr.weebly.com/music-reviews/sarah-king-and-the-smoke-rings-bring-back-the-swingand-the-fun

Sarah King & The Smoke Rings

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Chris Ingham Quartet / Mark Crooks - Stan

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
Time: 59:20
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 56,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:27) 1. Ballad for Leo
(3:59) 2. Split Kick
(3:57) 3. When the World Was Young
(4:15) 4. Signal
(5:16) 5. Vivo Sonhando
(5:27) 6. Windows
(4:19) 7. Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most
(5:08) 8. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
(6:32) 9. The Dolphin
(7:41) 10. Detour Ahead
(4:19) 11. Voyage
(3:54) 12. The Peacocks

Enterprising pianist Chris Ingham’s latest project takes a look at the work of tenor sax legend Stan Getz through this excellent collection featuring the superb saxophone sound of Mark Crooks.

Chris Ingham clearly likes to grasp an idea and run with it. His previous sets have examined the work of Hoagy Carmichael and, less predictably, Dudley Moore. (If you have yet to hear it, listen to Ingham’s Dudley CD as a reminder of Dagenham Dud’s skill as a jazz composer, arranger and performer before his transformation into Hollywood hearththrob.) Unlike Ingham’s two previous subjects, Getz was not a composer and so this disc has a vast range of tunes recorded by the saxophonist over his 45 year career from which to choose.

Any mention of Stan Getz will immediately bring out words from aficionados about ‘rich tone’ and ‘Lester Young’, so the choice of horn player is critical. Mark Crooks proves an excellent choice for the role here. From roots at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and the Guildhall, Crooks has established himself as one of the go-to instrumentalists for the likes of the John Wilson Orchestra. His luscious sound and apparently effortless phrasing suit this repertoire very well, and the recording puts the saxophone front and centre in a most attractive way.

The opening Ballad For Leo opens the door to the set very nicely – starting out of tempo with piano flourishes, finding a mid-tempo groove which then doubles into a scurrying shuffle with Crooks riding along, always interesting but never rushed, dropping in the odd double density note in the manner of a footballer nutmegging his opponent to show how much he has in reserve. Horace Silver’s Split Kick shows the band in fine classic swinging form with Arnie Somogyi, surely one our finest bass players, holding down the beat in great form.

Getz was a particularly fine ballad player, and slower tunes are well represented here. When The World Was Young is a masterclass in the art of ultra-slow jazz with the band finding myriad ways to keep up the accompaniment without getting in the way of Crooks’ solo. Later in the album Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most is presented as a sax/piano duet which brought me up short, a startling and finely wrought display of emotional yet reserved music making, economical yet extremely expressive.

Many people first heard Stan Getz in his bossa nova collaborations with Astrid Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It’s only natural that this album should feature some bossa, and Ingham has chosen well. We don’t get the most well-known pieces, no Desafinado or Girl From Ipanema. Instead the featured tunes include Vivo Sonhando, a Jobim composition from 1962 first recorded by Os Cariocas and picked up for the classic Getz/Gilberto album of 1964. Luiz Eça’s The Dolphin also gets a welcome outing, with George Double’s fine and delicate drumwork offering a shimmering background. Double finally gets to step forward on Kenny Barron’s Voyage for some solo breaks, and Somogyi is similarly rewarded with solo space on Detour Ahead
.
Chris Ingham and his cohort are touring their Stan show this year, so look out for them at a jazz club near you (particularly if you live in Suffolk!). If you can’t see the performance, then this CD is both a fine reminder of the distinguished work of Stan Getz and yet another quality indicator of our fine home-grown talent.By Mark McKergow https://londonjazznews.com/2019/01/28/cd-review-chris-ingham-quartet-featuring-mark-crooks-stan/

Personnel: Chris Ingham: (piano); Mark Crooks: (saxofone tenor); Arnie Somogyi: (baixo); George Double: (bateria)

Stan

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George Evans - Bewitched

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2006
Time: 59:13
File: MP3 @320
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. You're Gonna Hear From Me
(4:59) 2. Don't Be That Way
(5:35) 3. Bewitched
(4:05) 4. To The Ends Of The Earth
(2:38) 5. Believe It, Beloved
(4:52) 6. Watch What Happens
(5:23) 7. Lazy Afternoon
(3:44) 8. You Leave Me Breathless
(4:09) 9. I'm Old Fashioned
(4:19) 10. La Belle Vie - The Good Life
(5:03) 11. In Love In Vain
(5:54) 12. All Too Soon
(5:08) 13. Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life

Singer George Evans has made a strong impression first in Canada and then in the US through his CDs and his live performances. Evans, who was born in the US, relocated to Montreal from New York in 1991. The pasture was greener in Canada and Evans made a mark in radio before he hit the live circuit. His growing reputation as a fine interpreter of songs was cemented with the release of his first album, Moodswing (M-Swing, 1997).Evans sits in a comfortable niche between jazz and cabaret. His vocal technique is carved to bring out the best of both, and he makes sure his CDs have a generous helping of the styles. Bewitched is no exception.The CD grew from three sessions. The main, comprising six of the tracks, was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for their radio program Jazz Beat, in 2004. Two of the songs come from 2002. They were to appear on a CD which was aborted following the death of drummer Jerry Fuller.

The remaining tunes were recorded while touring Canada. Evans opens appropriately with "You're Gonna hear From Me", swinging in briskly. His inflections and the way he shapes the words weave a spell that is extended by the band, particularly Michael Stuart. He brings an undeniable character to his playing, flowing freely as he does here, or hewing close to Evans as he scats on "Don't Be That Way.Another bright spark is lit on the lilting "You Leave Me Breathless". Evans dips into the marrow of the lyrics, swinging deliciously while Reg Schwager adds the depth. He is a loquacious guitarist who constantly weaves fascinating tapestries, on this track as on many others. Evans closes with a warm ballad, "Tonight May Have to Last me All My Life". He is at the top of his calling, his singing deeply impassioned, his voice wistful and awash with hurt.Evans and his outstanding band work in close harmony to bring songs from that Great American Songbook to life. And to leave the listener bewitched.

Personnel: George Evans: vocals; Nancy Walker: piano; Mark Eisenman: piano; Steve Wallace: bass; Neil Swainson: bass; Archie Alleyne: drums; Jerry Fuller: drums; Reg Schwager: guitar; Michael Stuart: tenor sax.

Bewitched

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Randy Sandke and the Buck Clayton Legacy - All The Cats Join In

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:36
Size: 179.9 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz
Year: 1994/2007
Art: Front

[6:46] 1. All The Cats Join In
[4:54] 2. Come Again
[6:07] 3. Buckin' The Blues
[7:14] 4. Lester Leaps In
[3:22] 5. Fiesta In Blue
[5:17] 6. Toot Sweet
[7:47] 7. Christopher Columbus
[4:34] 8. Blue And Sentimental
[6:22] 9. Professor Jazz
[7:02] 10. Jumpin' At The Woodside
[6:15] 11. Robbins Nest
[4:53] 12. Top Brass
[7:59] 13. Lean Baby

Randy Sandke - trumpet; Harry Allen - tenor sax; Danny Moss - tenor sax; Antti Sarpila - clarinet, saxes; Jerry Tilitz - trombone; Brian Dee - piano; Len Skeat - bass; Oliver Jackson - drums. Recorded on November 17 and 18, 1993 at Birdland Studio, Hamburg.

Since his emergence in the mid-'80s, Randy Sandke has been one of the top swing-oriented trumpeters in jazz. His older brother Jordan (himself a fine trumpeter) introduced Randy to the many styles of jazz. In 1968 he formed a rock band with Michael Brecker that featured a horn section and they played at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. However, Sandke had to turn down the opportunity to join Janis Joplin's band due to a hernia in his throat. Although an operation corrected the problem, Sandke's loss of confidence resulted in him deciding to take up the guitar and he worked in New York as a guitarist for the next decade. Finally, he was persuaded to take up the trumpet again and Sandke spent five years with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, worked regularly with Bob Wilber, and he was a part of Benny Goodman's last band during 1985-1986. Since that time Sandke has worked and recorded with Buck Clayton, Michael Brecker, the Newport All-Stars, Jon Hendricks, Ralph Sutton, Kenny Davern, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, the World's Greatest Jazz Band, Mel Tormé, and Joe Williams among many others, touring Europe over 20 times. In addition, he has recorded several impressive albums as a leader for Jazzology and Concord. ~bio by Scott Yanow

All The Cats Join In

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Reg Schwager - Senza Resa

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 72:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:26) 1. Another Happening
( 6:08) 2. Rushbrooke
( 5:18) 3. 4jt
( 6:24) 4. The Orient
( 5:36) 5. Tender Love
( 8:44) 6. Blues For Josie
( 7:31) 7. Black Horse
( 6:05) 8. Squagels
( 8:53) 9. Cat From Katmandu
(12:12) 10. Blues For Josie Rose (Live)

Even though Canada's admirable Schwager/Oliver Quintet carefully dots every "I" and crosses every "T" on Senza Resa, something else seems to be missing, and that something could be a clear sense of purpose. This is an album on which everyone plays well, the songs are by and large respectable, and yet the whole somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

That defect could be ascribed in part to the choice of material, nine original compositions (one of which is repeated) that are pleasant enough when uncoupled but leave the overall impression of a group of first-rate musicians who decided for reasons of their own and with no special purpose in mind to come together in a studio and record an album. That is not to say there is not a lot to like here; how could it be otherwise with musicians as savvy and talented as guitarist Reg Schwager and woodwind specialist Ryan Oliver presiding over a rhythm section comprised of keyboardist Nick Peck, bassist Rene Worst and drummer Ernesto Cervini.

Among the songs, Cervini's groovy, bop-flavored "Squagels" (on which Schwager offers one of his best solos) is perhaps the pick of the litter, with Peck's sunny "4JT" and Oliver's "Blues for Josie Rose" vying for runner-up honors. "Josie Rose" was recorded twice, in the studio and (two days before) for a live audience. Oliver (on tenor sax) is especially impressive on "Squagels," as is Peck on acoustic piano. Oliver plays flute on "Another Happening" and the ballad "Tender Love," soprano sax on "The Cat from Katmandu," tenor the rest of the way, while Peck plays organ on "Happening" and "Katmandu," electric piano on "Black Horse" and Schwager's attractive "Rushbrooke."

While Worst and Cervini don't solo often, they make the most of their few chances, with Cervini notably effective (with brushes and sticks) on "Squagels" and "Josie Rose." Meanwhile, Schwager and Oliver do their thing, which means soloing with alacrity and perception. As touched on earlier, there is a lot to admire and appreciate on Senza Resa an Italian phrase that translates as "no surrender"even though the finished product may seem to some ears a step or so removed from special.By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/senza-reza-reg-schwager-celler-live

Personnel: Reg Schwager - Guitars; Ryan Oliver - Tenor, Soprano saxophones & flute.; Nick Peck - Keyboards; Rene Worst - Upright and electric bass; Ernesto Cervini - Drums

Senza Resa

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Konstantin Klashtorni - Smoothing

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Year: 2008
Time: 52:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 120,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:44) 1. Stylish Walk
(5:12) 2. Smoothing
(4:34) 3. Autum's Edge
(4:20) 4. Walking Away
(4:37) 5. Chica Timida
(5:05) 6. Spinning Along
(4:58) 7. Silky Way
(4:57) 8. Words Of Love
(3:48) 9. Fresh Feeling
(4:49) 10. Drive Me Home
(5:29) 11. Let's Chill

The name of Konstantin Klashtorni has already received excellent reviews from critics in the smooth jazz genre. Both hisbut and his second album were a critically acclaimed by radio programmers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Kostantin is maturing very quickly as a producer and writer, while his already strong skills as a saxophone player are continuing to improve and diversify. "Smoothing" is an attractive collection of commercial smooth jazz, where all sides of this type of music are presented in the best possible way.

Keep an eye on Konstantin's music in the near future as well, since it is quickly becoming a standard to write and play by the smooth jazz format. Musicians: Konstantin - saxophones,flute,keys,programming Adir Kochavi - trumpet-flugel Yerman Aponte - bass guitar 'Gibi' Hubert Lourens - drums Alex Yarosh - guitars Arienne Groenewoud - expect backing vocals Ivo Stuivenberg - vocals - very previous reviews: I've been shot. You need to go no further than Konstantin's website to find out about the man and his music and buy this CD.

I've run out of superlatives to use about this album. I don't believe it - you won't believe it - you have to hear it. -Chris Mann - Smooth-Jazz.de- Listening to this CD (Downtown) still gives me goose bumps. I get such an awesome feeling listening to all the tracks. He's bound for greatness on this side of the Atlantic. By Mike James - Smoothjazzandmore.com

Smoothing

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Lara Louise - Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 39:58
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 40,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:53) 1. Speak Low
(3:43) 2. Fever
(3:51) 3. Blue Velvet
(3:08) 4. Mon amant de St. Jean
(2:37) 5. It Could Happen To You
(2:50) 6. You Better Go Now
(2:14) 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(2:50) 8. My Romance
(3:40) 9. The Very Thought Of You
(2:43) 10. J'ai le coeur aussi grand
(2:42) 11. But Beautiful
(2:44) 12. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)
(2:57) 13. Moonlight Becomes You

Lara Louise’s sultry voice has been heard all over the world, her recordings having been streamed over twenty-five million times on Spotify and Youtube. Growing up in the Netherlands, Lara started out as a folk musician before making the transition to jazz and bossa nova. She sings mostly in English and French, with an emphasis on the classic American songbook from the 30s to the 60s.

Together with producer and multi-instrumentalist Gawain Mathews, she is working on her next album of jazz standards. Lara plays regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and is available for private events. https://lara-louise.com/bio

Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

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Cannonball Adderley Quartet - Cannonball Takes Charge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:53
Size: 122,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. If This Isn't Love
(5:34)  2. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(4:16)  3. Serenata
(3:39)  4. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
(7:03)  5. Barefoot Sunday Blues
(5:10)  6. Poor Butterfly
(6:55)  7. I Remember You
(7:48)  8. Barefoot Sunday Blues - Alternate Take
(6:52)  9. I Remember You - Alternate Take

The recording of Cannonball Takes Charge was sandwiched in between two events that would help earn Cannonball Adderley a permanent place in jazz lore. Just the day before the album’s first session, he participated in the completion of Miles Davis’s seminal Kind of Blue. Five months after Cannonball Takes Charge was finished, he had Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews record his newly formed quintet at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco which helped launch his career as one of the leading proponents of “soul jazz.” But what about the album made in between these two momentous occasions? Cannonball Takes Charge ’s concept was a common one: the altoist is the lone horn in a quartet performing a program made up primarily of standards. The results are anything but routine though, and show that 1959 was a very good year for Cannonball Adderley.  The opening tune, “If This Isn’t Love,” kicks off the proceedings on an ebullient note with Adderley playing an infectious solo that can brighten even the gloomiest day.

Things reach a more melancholic note only on “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry” which features a fine ballad performance by the alto saxophonist. “Barefoot Sunday Blues,” the lone original composition, points to the gospel and soul-inflected jazz that would become Adderley’s calling card. The final selection, “I Remember You,” produces his finest performance on the album. Adderley is able to coax a five-chorus improvisation out of the standard’s changes that is always interesting and full of romantic lyricism. On the piano bench is Wynton Kelly who plays with the utmost of taste throughout. He makes his best impression when he dips in to a more earthy vibe on his last solo chorus of “Barefoot Sunday Blues” and in his work on “Poor Butterfly.” Joining Adderley and Kelly are Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb on four tracks, and Percy and Albert Heath on the rest. As an added bonus, this 2002 CD reissue adds alternate takes of “Barefoot Sunday Blues” and “I Remember You” that are well worth listening to. Adderley would rarely revisit the territory he covered in Cannonball Takes Charge in the years to come. His subsequent work on Riverside increasingly began to follow a formula: albums recorded live with the altoist’s working band. In 1961 though, Adderley would record another quartet album, Know What I Mean? , in which he managed to surpass the lofty heights achieved on Cannonball Takes Charge. ~ Robert Gilbert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cannonball-takes-charge-julian-cannonball-adderley-capitol-records-review-by-robert-gilbert.php

Personnel: Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone; Wynton Kelly - piano; Paul Chambers, Percy Heath - bass; Jimmy Cobb, Albert Heath - drums

Cannonball Takes Charge

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Steve Miller - Born 2B Blue

Styles: Jazz Rock
Year: 1988
Time: 42:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:11) 1. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
(3:35) 2. Ya Ya
(4:58) 3. God Bless The Child
(2:48) 4. Filthy McNasty
(5:23) 5. Born To Be Blue
(4:48) 6. Mary Ann
(4:02) 7. Just A Little Bit
(4:35) 8. When Sunny Gets Blue
(5:11) 9. Willow Weep For Me
(2:31) 10. Red Top

Born 2B Blue

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Babbba - Groovy Things

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2024
Time: 39:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:14) 1. Show me your skills
(5:05) 2. Soft groove
(7:50) 3. Do it for me
(4:02) 4. Simple thoughts
(3:39) 5. Summer rain
(5:34) 6. This train won't stop
(3:15) 7. Timiditate
(3:15) 8. Bar is closing
(4:00) 9. Unstoppable

Groovy Things

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Joe Williams, Count Basie - Greatest! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:46
Size: 80,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:18)  1. Thou Swell
(2:49)  2. There Will Never Be Another You
(3:37)  3. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(2:35)  4. 'S Wonderful
(2:24)  5. My Baby Just Cares for Me
(3:54)  6. Nevertheless
(2:25)  7. Singin' in the Rain
(3:05)  8. I'm Beginning to See the Light
(2:27)  9. A Fine Romance
(3:58) 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(2:37) 11. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
(2:32) 12. This Can't Be Love

When it comes to accompanying a singer, there is probably no better jazz orchestra than the Count Basie Band. They swing so hard, that no matter who is singing with them, they seem to find a way to prop up even the best of jazz stylists. Such is the case with Joe Williams, a singer who should need no formal introduction to jazz fans. Williams' deep and rich tone is immediately recognizable and is, indeed, one of the great voices the idiom has produced. On THE GREATEST!!, Buddy Bregman's arrangements can often be angular and edgy. Other times, especially on the ballads, his arrangements are soft, mellow and lush. For example, on "My Baby Just Cares For Me," the brass shoots razor-sharp notes against a canvas of swingin' reeds. 

In contrast, on "Nevertheless," the music is serene and romantic, wistful and sentimental. Highlights on this album include the diverse and familiar "Singin' In the Rain," "A Fine Romance," and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me."
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1177317&style=music&fulldesc=T

Personnel: Count Basie (piano, organ); Joe Williams (vocals); Buddy Bregman (arranger); Marshall Royal (alto saxophone, clarinet); Bill Graham (alto saxophone); Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Thad Jones, Reunald Jones, Wendell Culley (trumpet); Henry Coker, Bill Hughes, Ben Powell (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums).

Greatest! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards

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Yoichi Murata, Ivan Lins - Janeiro

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 128.7 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Setembro
[6:25] 2. Closer
[3:56] 3. Desesperar Jamais
[5:12] 4. Cross The Rubicon
[6:25] 5. Rei Do Carnaval
[4:16] 6. Rio De Maio
[5:42] 7. Janeiro
[3:12] 8. Sentimental Friends
[6:12] 9. Decisão Serena
[6:12] 10. Pontos Cardeais
[5:10] 11. Cadeira No Parque

Renowned as a carioca songwriter, vocalist, and pianist, Ivan Lins recorded several albums for EMI Brasil and Reprise, as well as writing Brazilian standards. Born in 1945, Lins came to fame in Brazil in 1970 when Elis Regina recorded his song "Magdalena" for a hit. His worldwide debut, A Noite, appeared in 1979. Lins' most famous composition, "Love Dance" ("Lembrança"), has been recorded by dozens of jazz artists, including Kenny Burrell, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, Mark Murphy, George Benson, Diane Schuur, and James Blood Ulmer. Other noted songs by Lins ("The Island," "Comecar de Novo," "Dona Palmeira," "Nocturna") have been recorded by artists including Airto Moreira, Herbie Mann, and Terence Blanchard. ~ John Bush

Janeiro

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Gene Bertoncini & Jack Wilkins - Just The Two Of Us

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2000
Time: 72:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 164,8 MB
Art: Front

(9:16) 1. Lover Man
(9:37) 2. How Deep Is The Ocean
(8:39) 3. Cry Me A River
(6:40) 4. Gone With The Wind
(3:35) 5. Spring Is Here
(8:11) 6. Manha De Carnival
(7:24) 7. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(5:51) 8. Here's That Rainy Day
(6:33) 9. Embraceable You
(6:10) 10. The Shadow Of Your Smile

Chiaroscuro Records continues please jazz fans by recording and releasing live performances from the annual Floating Jazz Festival. This session brings together two of the more accomplished contemporary jazz guitar players. Gene Bertoncini is comfortable in the duo setting having made several well-known recordings with long time associate bassist Michael Moore. Jack Wilkins who may not be as well known, is no stranger to the duo guitar arrangement, having worked with Jimmy Bruno in a twosome guitar setting.

The program is made up of familiar, romantic standards. But the major role these tunes have is to provide the harmonic, chordal structure for these two pros to do some very imaginative improvisation. It could have been any set of musical pieces and the results and they are excellent would not have been all that different. These artists feed off each other's ideas and those ideas never get stale. They return to the melody line from time to time just to remind the listener what they're playing. Hear them on the old war-horse "Cry Me a River" where they offer mutual challenges to better than what went on before.

The playing is, as one would expect, intimate. But the word "intimate" is used more in the sense of comradely rather than soft and personal. While some cuts are delicate, others are boldly performed, such as the up tempo version of "Gone with the Wind." There's a bit of cleverness here as "A Night in Tunisia" in worked in to "The Shadow of Your Smile.".strange musical bed fellows indeed, but pulled off with aplomb. On the aforementioned gentle side, "Here's That Rainy Day" starts as a lovely baroque like sonata before it seques into a flowing conversation between the two.

Chiaroscuro shows its usual generosity by extending the playing time beyond 70 minutes. Kudos must also go to the audience who were obviously quietly attentive throughout the set making no extraneous noises. This is a good album by two of the best in the business and is recommended. By Dave Nathan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/just-the-two-of-us-gene-bertoncini-chiaroscuro-records-review-by-dave-nathan

Personnel: Gene Bertoncini: guitar; Jack Wilkins: guitar.

Just The Two Of Us

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Babbba - Cabaret Conversation (Vol 2)

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2024
Time: 50:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 120,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:22) 1. Heart's Confess
(3:14) 2. I Found My Place
(2:26) 3. J Manouche
(3:57) 4. Jazzy Arpy Waves
(2:24) 5. Jazzy Trip
(3:30) 6. Kitty
(2:15) 7. Late Night Rendezvous
(2:57) 8. Late Night
(2:42) 9. Little Bit Confused
(3:15) 10. Local Surprise
(3:01) 11. Lost In The Shuffle
(2:09) 12. Magical Dance
(3:58) 13. Masquarade
(2:35) 14. Melting The Night
(3:31) 15. Midnight Stroll
(2:58) 16. Mistery, a piece of History
(2:26) 17. Moonlit Funky

Experience the smooth jazz vocal stylings of Babbba in Cabaret Canvas Part 2. Get ready for a syncopated groove that will leave you wanting more!

Cabaret Conversation (Vol 2)

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Myra Melford's Be Bread - The Whole Tree Gone

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
Time: 65:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 149,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:27) 1. Through The Same Gate
(11:01) 2. Moon Bird
( 8:41) 3. Night
( 8:39) 4. The Whole Tree Gone
( 8:34) 5. A Generation Comes And Another
( 6:13) 6. I See A Horizon
( 7:28) 7. On The Lip Of Insanity
( 8:20) 8. Knocking From The Inside

It's been too long since pianist Myra Melford's last release as bandleader, especially as we can now hear what we've been missing. For the second outing by her Be Bread ensemble, the pianist has assembled an all star cast of frequent collaborators. Bassist Stomu Takeishi, guitarist Brandon Ross and trumpeter Cuong Vu are holdovers from the debut disc, here joined by clarinetist Ben Goldberg and Matt Wilson at the traps. Melford herself concentrates solely on piano. Electronics are set aside for an all-acoustic palette, resulting in a high level of cohesiveness across the 65-minute program.

Most of the eight original pieces were written as part of a suite in the fall of 2004, with support of a Chamber Music America grant. All have been performed many times over the last five years in a variety of settings. Such familiarity makes for a committed and potent ensemble performance of music which satisfies both the head and the heart with its switchback arrangements, well integrated solo space and emotionally ambiguous themes. Melford's rhythmic acumen and barreling blues inflections together with Wilson's crisply propulsive drive and resourceful percussive textures banish any thought of the salon: this is chamber music with attitude.

Melford is well served by her band. Goldberg's poised mellifluous clarinet and Vu's casually expressive trumpet make for an engaging pairing, combining well in unison, but shining apart, with Goldberg's popping percolating contra-alto clarinet introduction to "Knocking from the Inside" and Vu's spluttering breathy excursion on "Moon Bird" which is especially noteworthy. Not to be outdone, the leader contributes a dazzling opening cadenza to the same track, almost Taylor-esque in its fragmentation and percussive attack. Ross' spiky picking, particularly on soprano guitar, adds a voice incisive in phrasing but unconventional in timbre, meshing attractively with Takeishi's pliant acoustic bass guitar for a kinetic rhythmic latticework.

Whether breaking out of the soaring klezmer waltz of "Through the Same Gate" with an unfettered piano solo, navigating the knotty staccato title track only to frame duets for first bass and guitar, then rippling piano and clarinet or pressing the get-up-an- go urgency of "I See a Horizon" into a swirling ensemble mash up, Melford's taut arrangements blur the distinction between front line and support, group and solo. Each richly voiced cut is different in construction and mood, drawing on a wide range of world music influences, yet the outcome remains distinctive and unclassifiable. The Whole Tree Gone is yet another outstanding release from Firehouse 12, and a triumph for Melford.
By John Sharpe https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-whole-tree-gone-myra-melford-firehouse-12-records-review-by-john-sharpe

Personnel: Myra Melford: piano; Cuong Vu: trumpet; Ben Goldberg: clarinet and contra-alto clarinet; Brandon Ross: guitar and soprano guitar; Stomu Takeishi: acoustic bass guitar; Matt Wilson: drums.

The Whole Tree Gone

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Gary Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary

Styles: Jazz Funk
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:02
Size: 83,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:22) 1. Music Is My Sanctuary
(5:57) 2. Carnaval De L'Esprit
(4:11) 3. Love Ballad
(6:53) 4. Swing Thing
(5:55) 5. Oo Baby Baby
(6:42) 6. Macaroni

Surrounding himself with a world-class ensemble of disco-jazz-fusion musicians and armed with the Mizell brothers at the production console (who were near the peak of their careers around this time), Gary Bartz took the route of Donald Byrd and brought new elements of funk, soul, and a foreshadowing of the soon-to-be-commercial disco craze all into a 40-minute workout on Music Is My Sanctuary. While purists shook their heads in disapproval and disdain at Bartz's new direction (one emulated by several jazz pioneers at the time), those who could take off their traditional jazz mufflers would find Bartz and the Mizells making some highly infectious, soulful music. Further accentuated by the addition of Syreeta Wright on vocals, the Mizells took Bartz into nearly uncharted territories for jazz musicians. The results of this experimentation more than paid off, with the dividends being Bartz's most polished, focused releases.~ Rob Theakston https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-my-sanctuary-mw0000027322

Personnel: Gary Bartz - Saxophone (Alto, Soprano), Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals; Larry Mizell - Keyboards, Vocals; George Cables - Piano; David T. Walker, John Rowin, Juewett Bostick, Wah-Wah Watson - Guitar; Curtis Robinson, Jr., Welton Gite - Bass; Howard King, James Gadson, Nate Neblett - Drums; Bill Summers, James Mtume - Percussion; Eddie Henderson, Ray Brown - Trumpet; Sigidi, Syreeta Wright - Vocals

Music Is My Sanctuary

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Nicki Parrott - Dear Blossom

Styles: Vocal Jazz,Swing
Year: 2017
Time: 58:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 135,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:36) 1. I Wish You Love
(3:30) 2. Everything I've Got Belongs To You
(3:52) 3. I Walk A Little Faster
(4:21) 4. Peel Me A Grape
(4:13) 5. Inside A Silent Tear
(4:14) 6. Devil And The Depp Blue Sea
(4:36) 7. Dear Blossom
(2:52) 8. I'm Hip
(4:08) 9. Tout Doucement
(4:26) 10. Try Your Wings
(4:18) 11. Surrey With A Fringe On Top
(3:47) 12. Rhode Island Is Famous For You
(3:46) 13. It Amazes Me
(5:16) 14. It Might As Well Be Spring

Few, if any, contemporary jazz singers can match the recording prolificacy of Nicki Parrott: close to 30 albums (many for Japan’s Venus label) in less than 15 years, including tributes to mentor Les Paul, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, the Carpenters and, just released overseas, Burt Bacharach. Here the indefatigable Australian salutes Blossom Dearie, a task more difficult than it may seem.

Anyone who’s heard even a single Dearie track knows the unforgettable voice: that sweet, childlike mew. But underlying that seemingly innocent purr, and essential to the definition of her genius, was a slyness that could reveal itself as playful, coy, smirking or sardonic.

Parrott, also a skilled bassist, has a fuller, richer and more sanguine sound than Dearie, but she ably echoes her fetchingly girlish side. That’s all that’s needed for such winsome selections as “I Wish You Love” and “Inside a Silent Tear,” and dreamier fare like “It Amazes Me” and “I Walk a Little Faster.” Others, though consistently charming (particularly “Peel Me a Grape,” Parrott alone with cornetist Warren Vaché), fall short- missing that vital substrata.

“Rhode Island Is Famous for You,” for example, bounces brightly but without the flippantly comic edge. Ditto the absent cynicism on “Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You.” And, modernizing the lyrics to “I’m Hip,” Parrott undermines the Dave Frishberg/Bob Dorough tune’s intent: to reveal how intrinsically un-hip the narrator is Parrott includes one original, the paean “Dear Blossom” winningly tender, yet again failing to capture Dearie’s full essence.https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/nicki-parrott-dear-blossom/

Dear Blossom

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Judith Owen - Mopping Up Karma

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
Time: 53:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 123,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:24) 1. Creatures Of Habit
(3:49) 2. Let's Hear It For Love
(3:22) 3. Ruby Red Lips
(4:35) 4. I Promise You
(3:41) 5. Get Into It
(4:20) 6. Message From Heaven
(4:12) 7. Shine
(4:00) 8. Inside You
(3:16) 9. She's Alright
(5:43) 10. Who's That Girl
(3:49) 11. Extraordinary
(4:37) 12. Mother Mercy
(5:02) 13. The Wide Road

The American music industry may not understand the Welsh-born singer Judith Owen, but at least Richard Thompson appreciates her remarkable voice and decidedly non-easy listening approach to songwriting. These songs were originally recorded for the Capitol label in the late 1990s, after Owen had moved to California. But the album was never released, forcing her to buy back the recordings, which now (after suitable reworking) are released on her own label, just in time for her extensive tour with Thompson on his 1,000 Years of Popular Music project.

She may be married to actor Harry Shearer, responsible for several of the voices on The Simpsons, but this is most certainly not a comedy album. Her vocal style is intimate, acrobatic and theatrical and the songs are pleasantly tuneful or slinky, with occasional jazz influences and backing dominated by her own confident keyboard work. But what's special about Owen is the bravery of her lyrics, from edgy stories of vanity and unfaithfulness to tales of love and brutality, and lines such as: "I don't want to be worshipped and kissed I just want to hurt you." And that's before she embarks on pained and personal songs about her mother. Owen is an intriguing chanteuse who must be a delight to the psychoanalysts of LA. By Robin Denselow https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/09/judith-owen-mopping-up-karma

Mopping Up Karma

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Max Roach - The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

Styles: Hard Bop
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:45
Size: 94,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Three-Four vs. Six-Eight Four-Four Ways
(5:13) 2. Off My Back Jack
(3:52) 3. Hope so Elmo
(6:39) 4. Almost Like Me
(6:09) 5. Din-Ka Street
(8:08) 6. Pay Not Play Not
(5:00) 7. To Inscribe

Hardly any other musician has released so little as Hasaan Ibn Ali, born William Henry Langford Jr., in 1931, who died in 1980. Just seven titles in all are his complete output, all of which he composed himself, all of them on the present Atlantic LP, and all recorded in December 1964. The saxophonist Odean Pope, who often practised with him, talks of a second recording session in 1965 for Atlantic, but the recordings were never released because Hasaan was sent to jail shortly afterwards; rumour has it that the tapes were destroyed in a fire and it might well be that recordings with John Coltrane still exist somewhere or other.

Until then, one should enjoy the Max Roach Trio with Art Davis on the bass to the full. We have here a recording that will astound and fascinate your ears with its originality. A first impression conjures up reminiscences of Cecil Taylor and Herbie Nichols, while Hasaan himself talks of the pianist Elmo Hope as the man who brought him closer to the ‘mystery of music’. When asked how the recording session with maestro Max Roach went, Hasaan said: »They scared me to death.«

According to Odean Pope, Hasaan was not an easy person to get on with, and he was convinced of his talent to the point of arrogance. But despite this or perhaps because of this one listens spellbound to the 40 minutes on this LP, a legacy and never-fulfilled promise of an extremely talented man. We are indebted to Max Roach, who persuaded the bosses of Atlantic Records to make these recordings. For many, many years they had vanished from the record market, but fortunately they are now available as an audiophile re-release to be listened to and admired. https://lightintheattic.net/releases/5903-the-max-roach-trio-featuring-the-legendary-hasaan

Personnel: Max Roach - drums; Hasaan Ibn Ali - piano; Art Davis - bass

The Max Roach Trio, Featuring The Legendary Hasaan Ibn Ali

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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Belonging

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 62:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 144,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:21) 1. Spiral Dance
(11:01) 2. Blossom
( 8:55) 3. ‘Long As You Know You’re Living Yours
( 7:35) 4. Belonging
(12:40) 5. The Windup
(14:19) 6. Solstice

It appears to be that time of year when all musicians with ties to New Orleans unveil their latest albums. This time, we are graced with a release from one of the most illustrious members of the Marsalis family. This remarkably elegant album represents Branford Marsalis and his quartet’s vision of Belonging, the seminal record Keith Jarrett recorded in 1974. This highly sophisticated reinterpretation borders on an outright rewriting of the original, with the crème de la crème of jazz musicians joining Branford Marsalis: pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Belonging, as envisioned by Branford Marsalis, delves even deeper into the complexities of the original recordings. Joey Calderazzo, rather than merely echoing Jarrett’s style, offers us sublime moments; at times so breathtaking that one can hardly believe how profoundly he has elevated Jarrett’s music. Long captivated by Branford Marsalis’s saxophone artistry, I find that here, he delivers truly astonishing performances, seamlessly inhabiting Jarrett’s musical spirit with remarkable success. Marsalis himself admits that when Belonging was first released in 1974, his musical interests lay elsewhere. “I was a high school freshman, listening to R&B,” he recalls. “I didn’t even know Belonging existed.” That changed when he turned to jazz, though initially, he was familiar only with Jarrett’s solo piano work; until pianist Kenny Kirkland introduced him to Jarrett’s European Quartet, featuring saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen. “We were on a plane sometime in the ’80s, and Kenny put his headphones over my ears to make me listen to [Jarrett’s 1979 album] My Song. When he tried to take them back after five minutes, I grabbed his hand. As soon as we landed in the next city, I went out and bought every album that group had recorded.”

Such moments of revelation are common among great musicians; knowing how to listen is just as crucial as knowing how to learn. It is through this deep listening that an artist can ultimately refine their craft to the exquisite level displayed by each member of this quartet. A similar epiphany occurred when Marsalis decided to include The Windup from Belonging on his previous album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (2019). “We were all listening to The Windup while working on that album, and Revis suggested we go a step further and record Belonging in its entirety. The album is phenomenal, and we knew we could bring something unique to it. We all loved the idea, but then the pandemic hit. Once it was over, our enthusiasm for the project remained just as strong.”

The pandemic; a time of reflection and creativity for many artists; became the fertile ground from which this vision fully emerged. For musicians like Branford Marsalis, it allowed for a deep, unrestrained exploration of the project. The quartet approached Belonging with the same philosophy Marsalis has applied to classics by Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, John Coltrane, and others: neither a strict imitation of the originals nor an extreme deconstruction. “On the track Belonging, I do borrow certain phrases from Jan Garbarek,” Marsalis acknowledges. “I didn’t hold back when it felt natural, but we never intended this as a rigid homage. I always listen to an album as a whole, not just the saxophone solos, and what impresses me most about Belonging is how seamlessly everything interlocks.”

For Marsalis, the passage of time has proven to be an invaluable asset: “The greatest advantage we have is fifty years of additional musical history and the ability to channel that collective experience.”

I often find myself immersed in extraordinary albums, but I must confess a particular fondness for this one. The sheer intelligence of its conception, coupled with its stunning execution, makes it far more than just a convincing tribute. It is nothing short of essential; an album destined to rise to the top of our Indispensable collection.By Thierry De Clemensat
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/branford-marsalis-quartet-belonging/

Belonging

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