Monday, July 3, 2017



Hey Folks! Summer's here and the time is right for... ...another break! Truth is we need to attend to some pressing family matters and we wont be back for a week. Please hold your requests for albums and re-ups til we're back. Thanks!


Mildred Anderson - No More In Life

Size: 99,4 MB
Time: 35:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1960
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Everybody's Got Somebody But Me (5:33)
02. I Ain't Mad At You (3:02)
03. Hard Times (4:11)
04. No More In Life (2:42)
05. Roll 'em Pete (3:16)
06. What More Can A Woman Do (2:41)
07. That Ole Devil Called Love (3:44)
08. Mistreater (6:00)
09. I'm Lost (4:35)

A fine singer who came over from the R&B;/blues field to record two jazz-oriented albums in 1960, Mildred Anderson is joined on this CD reissue by tenor-saxophonist Al Sears, organist Robert Banks, guitarist Lord Westbrook, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Bobby Donaldson. The repertoire ranges from originals to "I Ain't Mad at You," "Roll 'Em Pete" and "That Ole Devil Called Love." Considering how well she sings on this set, it is strange that Mildred Anderson would have no further opportunities to lead her own albums. ~by Scott Yanow

No More In Life

Larry Coryell - Clark University, Massachusetts 1976 (Remastered)

Size: 158,4 MB
Time: 68:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Julie Labelle (8:30)
02. Juju (3:31)
03. Rodrigo Reflections (6:38)
04. Eyes Of Love (3:25)
05. Improvisations On The Serabon (5:42)
06. The Restful Mind (3:57)
07. Gratitude (5:00)
08. Bouquet (5:17)
09. Renee's Theme (2:22)
10. Ain't It Is (7:05)
11. St. Gallen (9:48)
12. Spain (7:01)

Larry Coryell (April 2, 1943-February 19, 2017) was an American jazz fusion guitarist.

He was born in Galveston, Texas in 1943. After growing up in Seattle, Washington, in 1965, Coryell moved to New York City where he became part of Chico Hamilton's quintet, replacing Gabor Szabo. In 1967 and 1968, he recorded with Gary Burton. His music during the late 1960s and early 1970s combined the influences of rock, jazz and eastern music. He formed his own group, The Eleventh House, in 1974. Following the break-up of this band, Coryell played mainly acoustic guitar, but returned to electric guitar later in the 1980s.

Clark University, Massachusetts 1976

Kellye Gray - Rendering

Size: 118,4+117,2 MB
Time: 50:59+50:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Don't Explain (Live 2015) (5:39)
02. I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues (Live) (4:53)
03. Morning (Live 2015) (4:22)
04. Out Blows Me (Live) (5:08)
05. A Time For Love (Live) (6:16)
06. God You Make Me Wonder (Live) (6:17)
07. How Long Has This Been Going On (Live 2015) (5:21)
08. How Insensitive (Live 2015) (7:16)
09. Good Morning Heartache (Live 2015) (5:45)

CD 2:
01. The Island ( 4:52)
02. All Blues (11:02)
03. Morning ( 3:20)
04. How Long Has This Been Going On ( 5:35)
05. Don't Explain ( 5:07)
06. Since I Fell For You ( 7:12)
07. How Insensitive ( 6:42)
08. Good Morning Heartache ( 6:39)

Jazz vocalist KELLYE GRAY has had a long and rewarding career. A singer with a powerful voice and a nearly four-octave range, she’s toured extensively across the country and around the world, sharing the stage with some of the top names in music. She’s also recorded over seven albums as a leader. Her first recording, Standards in Gray, was released 25 years ago. It received rave reviews and extensive airplay, and it launched a career that remains unabated today.

The album had been out of print for nearly 23 years when the record label that owned the rights gave her ownership of the master. The album had played a seminal role in Gray’s career, and getting ownership of it after so many years made her take stock of her artistic life. That led her to re-record many of the same songs that appeared on that first release. She calls the new album RENDERING, which the dictionary defines as “a depiction or interpretation; work of art or performance that portrays something,” and, indeed, RENDERING is a work of art that portrays Grays’ growth as an artist. She chose to re-release Standards in Gray and package the two CDs together as a kind of snapshot of then and now.

Standards in Gray was recorded over three days at Sugar Hill Studios in Houston, Texas, one of the oldest studios in the country and the purveyor of numerous gold records. It was recorded live to two-track analog tape, in the days before Sibelius and ProTools, giving the album a warm, rich sound, even after transferring it to CD format. For RENDERING, Gray took a very different approach.

Gray, a Texas native who has been living in San Francisco for many years, wanted to go back to her musical family to make this CD. She invited 30 old friends and supporters, including several who participated in her crowdfunding campaign, to join her at Wire Road Studios to record a live performance. She would have liked to bring back all the original musicians, but schedules and other circumstances did not make that possible. She was, however, able to enlist drummer Sebastian Whittaker, who passed away shortly after the concert at a young age, and saxophonist Warren Sneed, a mainstay on the Houston jazz scene, to join her again in the studio. RENDERING also features Pamela York on piano, David Craig on bass, and Andre Hayward on trombone, all Texas-based touring musicians with solid followings.

Rendering CD 1
Rendering CD 2

Art Pepper - Art Pepper Presents "West Coast Sessions!" Vol. 3: Lee Konitz

Size: 128,7 MB
Time: 55:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. S'wonderful (6:44)
02. Whims Of Chambers (6:53)
03. A Minor Blues In F (7:47)
04. High Jingo (4:21)
05. The Shadow Of Your Smile (5:36)
06. Anniversary Song (6:36)
07. Cherokee (4:40)
08. S'wonderful (Alternate Take) (6:13)
09. Whims Of Chambers (Alternate Take) (6:36)

Originally issued as High Jingo by Lee Konitz And His West Coast Friends in 1982, this material was recorded in February of that year at Sage & Sound Studio in Los Angeles with Konitz on alto sax, Art Pepper also on alto sax (and clarinet!), bassist Bob Magnusson, Michael Lang on piano, and drummer John Dentz. It was only released on LP in Japan.

Vol. 3: Lee Konitz

Art Pepper - Art Pepper Presents "West Coast Sessions!" Vol. 4: Bill Watrous

Size: 133,3 MB
Time: 57:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Just Friends (5:23)
02. Begin The Beguine (6:45)
03. When Your Lover Has Gone (6:39)
04. For Art's Sake (4:51)
05. Funny Blues (7:04)
06. Angel Eyes (6:42)
07. P. Town (6:30)
08. Funny Blues (Alternate Take) (7:27)
09. Angel Eyes (Alternate Version) (6:09)

Originally issued as Funk’n Fun by the Bill Watrous Quintet in 1979, this material was recorded in March of that year at Sage & Sound Studio in Los Angeles with Watrous on trombone, Art Pepper on alto sax, bassist Bob Magnusson, Russ Freman on piano, and drummer Carl Burnett. It was only released on LP in Japan.

Vol. 4: Bill Watrous

Sam Paglia - Lost In Lounge

Size: 100,2 MB
Time: 42:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz, Soul, Funk
Art: Front & Back

01. Sambenji (4:06)
02. Kiss My Ass (4:45)
03. Continental 70 (4:03)
04. Night Club Tropez (3:17)
05. Beloved (4:05)
06. You Lose You Win (3:00)
07. London Bossa (5:22)
08. Mr. Moog (3:07)
09. Linda (3:23)
10. After Pizza (4:01)
11. You Lose You Win (Reprise) (3:35)

Composer, lyricist, organist Hammond, singer, pianist and keyboardist (specializing almost exclusively in vintage keyboards such as Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavinet and Moog piano), designer and writer. In 1996 he founded the Sam Paglia Trio, and as a tool he chooses the Hammond organ. In 1998 he released the Irma Records B-movie heroes bolognese label, his first record of original pieces as a fictional soundtrack of an imaginary film. It is the first case of an Italian disco dedicated to the film of genres of the police in which coexist with the influences of Italian masters of composition for film such as Umiliani, Piccioni, Trovajoli and Jimmy Smith and Quincy Jones jazz from afroamerican. Along with Irma Records in 2000 comes Nightclubtropez, a disco with influences of bossanova and soul jazz dedicated to dance music of Italian nights between the sixties and seventies with songs sung Continental 70 and Naitropè Clebtrope '. The album gets great reviews and boasts great distribution and sales mostly overseas: Japan, Australia, USA, Russia, England, Germany and Austria. In 2003, Cinedelic recorded the third album Killer cha cha cha, more on the soul jazz and funk side. Here are four covers for Bullitt and Room 26 (Lalo Schifrin, taken from the Bullitt 1968 film), Theme from The Liquidator (always from Schifrin from The Liquidator 1966) and Sanford & son theme by Quincy Jones The 1972 homonymous TV series. The first three discs have the covers designed by Sam himself. The pieces of these appear on dozens of dozens of compilations and its name is linked to the so-called lounge movement in Italy, which is part of the duo of the Montefiori Brothers (Montefiori Cocktail). In April 2000 Sam's trio meets in a unique and unrepeatable evening Piero Umiliani to play together the master's successes brought to the fore by the lounge movement, classics such as Gassman Blues (from the usual unknowns) and "Mah na mah na" (Song made popular by the Muppet show and originally written for Sweden's Hell and Paradise movie). For recording, it intensifies that of live and composing music for jingle advertising, television documentaries and film and shorts of author. In addition to playing all over Italy, the Trio plays in festivals and venues in Austria, Spain, Croatia, Bosnia, England, Switzerland. The following albums are The rare Sam Paglia (Flipper / Hip Cub records) of 2005, Electric Happiness (Deja vu ') of 2009, The Last Organ Party (Flipper / Hip Club records) in 2012. Since 2003 he has started collaborating with the director Milanese Max Croci for which he will perform several short films and documentary music. Since 2005 he has been working as a composer for the Flipper Music publishing company specializing in television and cinema sound. ~Google translation

Lost In Lounge

Mayte Alguacil - Trav'lin' Light

Size: 133,0 MB
Time: 57:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Everything Happens To Me (5:24)
02. Trav'lin' Light (4:09)
03. Mean To Me (5:11)
04. I'm Old Fashioned (4:39)
05. You Make Me Feel So Young (4:16)
06. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (4:36)
07. For All We Know (3:10)
08. I've Got The World On A String (4:03)
09. Good Morning Heartache (4:52)
10. I Was Doing All Right (4:07)
11. My Old Flame (5:34)
12. Exactly Like You (7:02)

Born in Madrid began his musical studies at the age of twelve years at the Conservatory Rodolfo Halffter de Móstoles, where she took lessons on Elementary and Middle Grade Grade specializing in flute. Parallel studies with a tutor, school Marita Novas St. Petersburg. Later he moved to Barcelona to finish his studies of flute at the Escola de Música de Catalunya (ESMuC) with teacher Julia Gallego. In the same center begins his interest in jazz and gradually becomes a top priority so that, once the race flute completed the entrance exam in the specialty of jazz singing at the center is prepared by obtaining the first place.

During his academic period he has received master classes from David Hoffmann, Dick Oatts, Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Snidero and Chris Cheek. He then traveled to New York and could take private lessons from Chris Cheek and Marion Cowings. He has also attended various seminars jazz as the International Seminar of Jazz and Latin Music in Valencia, where he was taught by Jesús Santandreu, Abe Rábade, Toni Belenguer, Terri Lyne Carrington and others; and he has participated in workshops of musicians like Michael Kanan, Peter Bernstein, Putter Smith and Jimmy Wormworth.

In 2015 she completed her recording debut "Day by Day". A superb collection of classic standards backed by a remarkable rhythm section composed of pianist Michael Kanan, Pedro Campos on bass, and Jorge Rossy on drums.

Trav'lin' Light

Jeremy Monteiro - With A Little Help From My Friends

Size: 133,8 MB
Time: 57:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Blackbird (6:59)
02. Norwegian Wood (Feat. Melissa Tham) (7:30)
03. The Long And Winding Road (Feat. Nick Zavior) (5:04)
04. And I Love Her (6:56)
05. With A Little Help From My Friends (Feat. Steve Lippia) (4:04)
06. Imagine (9:55)
07. When I'm Sixty-Four (3:59)
08. Fool On The Hill (Feat. Melissa Tham) (5:11)
09. Eleanor Rigby (7:57)

Jeremy Monteiro jazzes up the music of The Beatles, with a little help from his friends. Join Singapore's King of Swing as he puts a jazz spin on familiar favourites such as With a Little Help From My Friends, When I'm 64 and Blackbird in celebration of the 50th anniversary of their iconic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Monteiro will be joined by guests Eugene Pao, Melissa Tham, Nick Zavior, Hong Chanutr Techatana-nan, Ben Poh, Julian Chan and Jens Bunge.

If you love Jeremy Monteiro, jazz, or if you simply grew up listening to The Beatles, come hear The Beatles' greatest hits like you’ve never heard them before!

With A Little Help From My Friends

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Eddie Harris - People Get Funny...

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:44
Size: 95,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:37)  1. People Get Funny When They Get A Little Money
(8:04)  2. La Carnival
(5:18)  3. Ski Ball
(6:04)  4. Three Quarter Miles
(4:28)  5. Silver Plated
(5:25)  6. Hal Strange
(3:51)  7. The Time Of My Life
(2:55)  8. Step Down To The Top

Most of Eddie Harris' recordings on the Dutch Timeless label in the mid-'80s saw some action in the States but not this one, which was only released in Europe. A shame, for this was mostly one of Harris' few recorded excursions into funk during this period and it's a good one, stripped down, to the point, and featuring remarkably better material than most of his later Atlantic funk recordings. The full name of the vocal title track is "People Get Funny When They Get a Little Money" and it's another of Harris' wry, slightly bitter takes on the foibles of the material world, complete with some vintage acrobatic funk sax. "Three Quarter Miles" is one of Harris' most ingratiating loosey-goosey, triple-meter blues, and "Silver Plated" is a fine tune based roughly on a variation of the "Listen Here" vamp. With the help of overdubbing, Harris lays some electric and tenor saxophone, choral vocals, and humorous funk scatting over his own clarinet comping on the snazzy samba "Carnaval"; sometimes it's a bit stiff, but there is ebullience to spare. When drummer Carl Burnett is laying down a straight-ahead bop groove on "Hal Strange," Harris is locked into his distinctive funk manner, but when he takes off on Burnett's "The Time of My Life," he plays bop style with stunning harmonized electric sax runs Supersax on DC current. Pianist William S. Henderson III also contributes a Headhunters-esque piece called "Ski Ball." Harris' fans ought to grab this if it ever turns up in the vinyl bins. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/people-get-funny-mw0000541077

Personnel: Eddie Harris (vocals, saxophone, tenor saxophone, electric saxophone, electric piano, Clavinet); Larry Gales (acoustic bass, electric bass); Carl Burnette (drums).

People Get Funny...

Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd & Cecil Taylor - At Newport

Styles: Trumpet, Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:49
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:13)  1. Johnny Come Lately
( 7:40)  2. Nona's Blues
(10:26)  3. Tune 2
( 8:32)  4. Splittin'
( 7:21)  5. Batland
( 7:34)  6. Love For Sale

At first combining a set by Cecil Taylor with another by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory seems like an odd pairing, but it ends up working rather well. These live recordings, which come from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, have stood the test of time rather well. Taylor's style of piano playing is not that far removed from Thelonious Monk in his interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately," though his dissonant, angular approach is a bit busier; Steve Lacy's nasal-toned soprano sax and solid rhythmic support from bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Denis Charles fuel Taylor's fiery playing. Both Taylor's "Nona's Blues" and "Tune 2" are fairly accessible in comparison to his works in the decade which followed. The Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Osie Johnson is firmly rooted in hard bop. Oddly enough, none of the three pieces were written by either Gryce or Byrd, though they were both already budding composers at this point in their respective careers. But their brief program -- which includes Ray Bryant's "Splittin' (Ray's Way)," the blues "Batland," and a rousing rendition of "Love for Sale" is a good representation of this unfortunately short-lived and under-recorded group. Reissued as a part of Verve's limited-edition series in the summer of 2002, this valuable CD will be available until the summer of 2005. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-newport-mw0000222261

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone); Hank Jones , Cecil Taylor (piano); Osie Johnson (drums).

At Newport

Kurt Edelhagen - Moonlight Serenade

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1950
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:05
Size: 187,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:00)  1. Begin The Beguine
(2:58)  2. Some Of These Days
(3:15)  3. Happy Days Are Here Again
(3:03)  4. No Can Do
(2:52)  5. In A Little Spanish Town
(2:53)  6. Sam's Song
(2:55)  7. Wilhelmina
(3:07)  8. Boogie At All
(3:07)  9. Paul's Boogie
(2:52) 10. Presto Aus Der "Fantasie In Be-Bop"
(3:08) 11. Moonlight Serenade
(2:58) 12. Dinah
(3:05) 13. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
(3:09) 14. Korridor-Swing
(3:11) 15. Eisbär-Song
(4:12) 16. Blues Aus "Ein Amerikaner In Paris"
(3:26) 17. Hawaiian War Chant
(2:50) 18. Non-Stop-Riff
(3:44) 19. Stumbling
(3:06) 20. Taking A Chance On Love
(3:15) 21. Lilli-Boogie
(3:21) 22. Fine And Dandy
(2:29) 23. Guatemala
(2:56) 24. Hau Den Lucas

A well-respected bandleader whose orchestras tended to emphasize swinging dance music but were open to boppish solos, Kurt Edelhagen was a major name in Germany for quite a few years. He studied piano and conducting, and then in 1946 formed his first big band. Edelhagen was a natural bandleader and he headed ensembles for the radio station in Frankfurt, in Nuremberg (1949-1952) and most notably the orchestra of Sudwestfunk (1952-1957) which sometimes looked towards Stan Kenton. In 1957 he joined Westdeustcher Rundfunk in Cologne which in time included such players as trumpeters Dusko Goykovich and Jimmy Deuchar, altoist Derek Humble, and trombonist Jiggs Whigham. He headed that band until it broke up in 1973 and remained semi-active up until near his death. Kurt Edelhagen recorded fairly often in Germany during 1949-1972 although few of his records (other than one put out by Golden Era) have been made available in the U.S. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kurt-edelhagen-mn0001438091

Moonlight Serenade

The Bangles - Sweetheart Of The Sun

Styles: Vocal, Contemporary Pop/Rock
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:29
Size: 99,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:31)  1. Anna Lee (Sweetheart Of The Sun)
(4:07)  2. Under A Cloud
(3:51)  3. Ball 'N' Chain
(3:40)  4. I'll Never Be Through With You
(3:46)  5. Mesmerized
(4:04)  6. Circles In The Sky
(2:11)  7. Sweet And Tender Romance
(3:23)  8. Lay Yourself Down
(3:39)  9. One Of Two
(3:22) 10. What A Life
(3:50) 11. Through Your Eyes
(3:00) 12. Open My Eyes

When the Bangles re-formed in the early 2000s and released Doll Revolution in 2003, the band seemed split between trying to recapture the jangle pop sound they had when they began and trying to stay current with the times (in terms of production). On the second album to come from their return, 2011’s Sweetheart of the Sun, there are no attempts to stay current. Instead, by hiring Matthew Sweet to co-produce, the band makes it clear that they are ready to embrace their power pop past. The record brims with jangling guitars, tough lead guitar work from Vicki Peterson, rich vocal harmonies, and a layered, live sound that sounds really, really good (and almost exactly what you’d hope the band who recorded All Over the Place in 1984 would sound like 25-plus-years later). The songs that Susanna Hoffs and the Peterson sisters (Debbi and Vicki) wrote for the record are good, too. Solid and gently hooky tunes about kids, relationships, and the realities of middle age life; they too sound like the best you could hope for all these years later. The mix of convincing rockers ("Ball N Chain," "What a Life"), rollickingly tender janglers ("Anna Lee (Sweetheart of the Sun)"), and a handful of introspective ballads is just about right, too, and shows the band is adept at conveying a wide range of moods and styles. And their choice of covers is predictably savvy. They rock out nicely on "Sweet and Tender Romance," an obscure British girl group song originally done by the McKinleys in 1964, and exhibit some amazing harmony singing on the Nazz's "Open My Eyes." The combo of songs, performance, and sound means that anyone who was saddened by the glitz pop turn the band took post-All Over the Place could look at Sweetheart as the true follow-up to their debut. The only thing that gives you a clue to all the time passed is the rough edges around the lead vocals. It’s kind of odd, really. They all sound miraculously ageless when singing in harmony but when singing alone they tend to push their voices past their natural limits and end up hitting some duff, craggy notes. Especially Hoffs, who takes the bulk of the leads. It’s too bad Sweet didn’t clamp down and reign in this small but noticeable problem, as it makes for some jagged moments. Still, Sweetheart of the Sun is a remarkably good record that comes long after anyone may have expected the Bangles to do anything much at all. Credit Sweet's production, but also the trio’s dedication and renewed skills and energy. Hopefully it won’t take another quarter-decade to follow this one up. ~ Tim Sendra http://www.allmusic.com/album/sweetheart-of-the-sun-mw0002187953

Personnel:  Debbi Peterson – Drums and percussion; vocals;  Vicki Peterson – Electric guitar; vocals;  Susanna Hoffs – Electric guitar; vocals

Sweetheart Of The Sun

Stefanie Schlesinger - Reality

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:49
Size: 156,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Parole, Parole
(6:15)  2. The Summer Knows
(5:30)  3. Reality
(6:33)  4. Hotel Shanghai
(5:10)  5. Com Amor, Com O Mar
(5:47)  6. Ganz leise
(4:08)  7. With You
(5:33)  8. Hurra, wir leben noch
(6:55)  9. Windmills of Your Mind
(5:07) 10. Fool on the Hill
(6:17) 11. Munich Butterfly
(5:44) 12. The Winner Takes It All

Stefanie Schlesinger (born 12 February 1977 in Bamberg ) is a German jazz singer and songwriter. Schlesinger first received recorder lessons , then, from the age of 9, piano lessons. At the age of 12, first singing lessons followed. She completed her high school diploma at the ETA Hoffmann-Gymnasium Bamberg with major singing; Then a classical vocal study at the Leopold-Mozart Conservatory in Augsburg followed. She then appeared in musical and opera productions and gave premieres of contemporary works before turning to the jazz song. She directed her own combo and worked with musicians like Pete York , Daniel Messina , Klaus Doldinger , Herb Geller and Christian Bruhn . Since 2005, Schlesinger has been increasingly active in the composition and also composed poems by Rainer Maria Rilke and Friedrich Schiller , but also wrote music for children. In addition, arrangements were made for own projects. Together with her husband, Wolfgang Lackerschmid , she wrote the music for the musicletts "Ma très chère cousine!" And "Now he is dead, the dog", which she performed as an actress in Augsburg 2010 and 2011 with good reviews. In 2003, she was the first singer to receive the Bavarian Kunstförderpreis in the Jazz category. https://translate.google.com.br/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefanie_Schlesinger&prev=search

Reality

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Charles Brown - Just A Lucky So And So

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 114.9 MB
Styles: Urban blues
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[5:28] 1. I Won't Cry Anymore
[3:44] 2. Just A Lucky So And So
[5:02] 3. Black Night
[4:03] 4. One Never Knows
[5:20] 5. Driftin' Blues
[5:57] 6. Gloomy Sunday
[5:25] 7. I Stepped In Quicksand
[4:42] 8. The Danger Isn't Over
[5:06] 9. A Song For Christmas
[5:20] 10. So Long

Charles Brown's casual yet stunning phrasing, inventive voicings, and piano accompaniment are wonderfully presented on this ten-song set. Ron Levy's production and the arrangements of Wardell Quezergue and Brown are tasteful, breezy, and geared for his carefully constructed, teasing solos and rich, creamy leads. Such numbers as Brown's classic "Drifting Blues," as well as "Gloomy Sunday" and "I Won't Cry Anymore," convey despair and hurt, yet retain a certain appeal and charm. Brown keeps making fine records, sounding as convincing in the 1990s as he did at the start of his career. ~Ron Wynn

Just A Lucky So And So

Betty Carter - Inside Betty Carter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:26
Size: 104.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul jazz vocals
Year: 1972/1993
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. This Is Always
[1:55] 2. Look No Further
[5:07] 3. Beware My Heart
[1:35] 4. My Favourite Things
[3:45] 5. Some Other Time
[3:13] 6. Open The Door
[5:17] 7. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[1:57] 8. Something Big
[2:57] 9. New England
[2:02] 10. The Moon Is Low
[2:56] 11. Once In Your Life
[1:51] 12. It's A Big Wide Wonderful World
[3:48] 13. There Is No Greater Love
[4:03] 14. You're A Sweetheart
[1:42] 15. Isn't It Romantic

These recordings can be considered the final ones of Betty Carter's early period for, by the time she next appeared on record (in 1969), the singer was much more adventurous in her improvisations. This CD reissues eight selections from Carter's rather brief 1964 Roulette LP (under 26 minutes), plus it adds seven previously unissued numbers from 1965. On the former date Carter (who is quite memorable on "This Is Always," "Some Other Time," and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most") is accompanied by pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Roy McCurdy, while the "new" session ("There Is No Greater Love" and "You're a Sweetheart" are the standouts) features guitarist Kenny Burrell plus an unknown rhythm section in the backup band. Highly recommended to Betty Carter fans and to those listeners who find her later work somewhat forbidding. ~Scott Yanow

Inside Betty Carter

Marc Miralta - New York Flamenco Reunion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:55
Size: 116.6 MB
Styles: Flamenco, Fusion
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Epistrophy
[6:55] 2. Bye Bye Blackbird
[6:16] 3. Bésame Mucho
[3:54] 4. Segment
[6:14] 5. Evidence
[5:44] 6. Los Luchadores No Suspiran
[5:12] 7. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
[6:01] 8. Los Sueños Y El Tiempo
[5:02] 9. Dexterity

Marc Miralta, is one of the most renowned Spanish drummers in the Spanish jazz scene. Both in its facet of traditional jazzman, as in the fields of the fusion of flamenco and jazz. Born in Barcelona in 1966 and starts playing the drums at age seven. At twelve he began to receive classes from the Pau Bombardó drummer. He has studied classical percussion and also plays Hindu tabla. He studied at the Zeleste Music School (CDMBR) in Barcelona (1980-1984), at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music (1982-1989) and at the Berklee College of Music in Boston (USA) (1990-1993).

He has performed at festivals and jazz clubs in Spain, the USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Holland, the former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria among others, with musicians of the By Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Steve Lacy, Paquito D'Rivera, Tete Montoliu, Art Farmer, George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Mark Turner, Joshua Redman, Perico Sambeat, Chano Domínguez, Gerardo Núñez and Esperanza Fernández among others. He has performed with different musical styles, including classical music with the European Young Common Market Orchestra (ECYO), directed by Claudio Abbado, the Vallès Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. (Translated from Spanish.)

New York Flamenco Reunion

Bill Evans Trio - At Shelly's Manne-Hole

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:57
Size: 125.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1963/2009
Art: Front

[4:41] 1. Isn't It Romantic
[5:26] 2. The Boy Next Door
[5:17] 3. Wonder Why
[5:55] 4. Swedish Pastry
[4:51] 5. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[9:06] 6. 'round Midnight
[5:05] 7. Stella By Starlig
[5:42] 8. Blues In F
[8:50] 9. All The Things You Are

Although the Scott LaFaro-Paul Motian lineup of the Bill Evans Trio is generally considered to be the strongest, Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker make a strong case of their own on At Shelly's Manne-Hole, a 1964 release that finds the entire band in classic form. This particular trio may lack some of the sheer combustive force of the better-known lineup, but it is, if possible, even more sensitive, melancholic, and nostalgic than the previous band. The leadoff track, "Isn't It Romantic," is one of Evans' finest moments, with the gently swinging theme leading into a strong, if restrained, solo from Israels. Over Bunker's sensitive brush work, Evans comments briefly and beautifully on the theme before returning to the head. The band's readings of such classics as "'Round Midnight," "Stella By Starlight," and "All the Things You Are" are wonderful, but it is the lesser-known tracks, such as "Swedish Pastry" and the aforementioned "Isn't It Romantic," that makes this recording so valuable. Jazz is rarely as sensitive or as melodic as this. Another classic from Bill Evans and company. ~Daniel Gioffre

At Shelly's Manne-Hole

Charlie Byrd - Latin Byrd

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:21
Size: 163.3 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[5:33] 1. The Duck (O Pato)
[2:00] 2. Amor Flamenco
[3:32] 3. Azul Tiple
[2:03] 4. Cancion Di Argentina
[2:33] 5. Manha De Carnival
[3:12] 6. Homage A Villa--Lobos
[3:50] 7. Bogota (Pasillo Colobiano)
[2:47] 8. Mexican Song No. 2
[0:56] 9. Mexican Song No. 1
[2:54] 10. Samba De Uma Nota So
[2:10] 11. Galopera (Acualero Azuncena)
[5:32] 12. Vals (Opus 8.No 4)
[3:13] 13. Outra Vez
[3:25] 14. Presente De Natal
[2:55] 15. Insensatez
[2:20] 16. Three Note Samba
[1:59] 17. Samba Da Minha Terra
[3:00] 18. Limehouse Blues
[2:23] 19. Saudade Da Bahia
[4:37] 20. Anna
[2:39] 21. Socegadamente (Softly)
[3:13] 22. Chega De Saudade
[4:22] 23. Cancao De Ninar Para Carol

This single CD reissues two complete Charlie Byrd LPs (Latin Impressions and Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova), some of which had been available previously on a 1970s two-fer. Byrd, the master of the acoustic guitar whose gentle and lyrical style perfectly fit bossa nova, is heard in prime form on 23 rather pretty numbers. There are six unaccompanied solos and many workouts with his quartet, which is sometimes augmented by four cellos, a French horn, trumpeter Hal Posey, vibraphonist Tommy Gwaltney, and/or extra percussionists. Surprisingly there are only two Antonio Carlos Jobim songs among the ones performed, but the other selections (which include five Byrd originals) are very much in the idiom. This CD shows that pretty music does not have to be Muzak or new age. Highly recommended. ~Scott Yanow

Latin Byrd

Kenny Barron - A Table for Two

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:22
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:48)  1. Say it Over and Over Again
(5:40)  2. Stolen Moments
(6:22)  3. Estate
(6:31)  4. The Very Thought of You
(5:26)  5. Alfie
(6:06)  6. Berceuse
(6:25)  7. I Only Have Eyes for You
(5:33)  8. Phantoms
(5:23)  9. Very Early
(5:56) 10. Blame it on My Youth
(5:08) 11. In a Sentimental Mood

Tender, lyrical jazz by the Kenny Barron Ensemble sets the tempo for relaxed dining. The music will make you want to dance in your kitchen or at least after dinner! Here s to great music, delicious dinners, and many magical evenings! Liner notes include two recipes- Roasted Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Flans Caramelized Apples with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. https://www.amazon.com/Table-Two-Dinner-Music/dp/B0006ULQQ6

Personnel:  Kenny Baron, piano; Bob Sheppard,saxophones and flute; Dave Ellis, saxophones; Peter Barshay, bass; Lewis Nash, drums

A Table for Two

Karin Plato - There's Beauty In The Rain

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:52
Size: 126,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. This Can't Be Love
(4:42)  2. If I Were A Bell
(4:58)  3. Hum Drum Blues
(5:05)  4. Innocent Again
(2:59)  5. Mountain Greenery
(6:28)  6. Beauty In The Rain
(3:52)  7. Joy Spring
(4:12)  8. You Don't Know What Love Is
(5:59)  9. Lazy Afternoon
(4:34) 10. You Give Me The Blues
(5:24) 11. Hooray For Love
(3:11) 12. Dog For A Day

Karin Plato is a talented jazz vocalist whose delivery is straightforward and swinging. Rather than being an adventurous improviser or a scat singer, Plato's variations are subtle, soulful and expressive while paying close attention to the words that she improvises. She hits the notes that she aims for and is able to essay wide interval jumps with apparent ease; plus, her haunting voice is appealing. The singer was wise to surround herself with a particularly strong group of jazz players for her debut. Pianist Ross Taggart (who has many short solos), bassist Torben Oxbol and drummer Craig Scott give her a solid and swinging foundation. Campbell Ryga, who is heard on alto and soprano, is often a co-star, taking many inventive spots that fit in well with Plato's voice. Tenor saxophonist Bill Abbott guests on "Beauty in the Rain," one of four originals contributed by the singer. Other highlights include a happy reworking of "If I Were a Bell," Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Hum Drum Blues," a heated "Mountain Greenery," Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" (which is not easy to sing) and a slower than usual treatment of "Hooray for Love." This CD is well worth exploring, and Plato clearly has a great future ahead of her.~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/theres-beauty-in-the-rain-mw0000941299

Personnel: Karin Plato (vocals); Campbell Ryga (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Bill Abbott (tenor saxophone); Ross Taggart (piano); Craig Scott (drums).

There's Beauty In The Rain

Gigi Gryce - Nica's Tempo

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1955
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:09
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:07)  1. Speculation
(4:26)  2. In a Meditating Mood
(2:46)  3. Social Call
(3:42)  4. Smoke Signal
(3:29)  5. (You'll Always Be) the One I Love
(3:03)  6. Kerry Dance
(5:03)  7. Shuffle Boil
(4:47)  8. Brakes Sake
(5:30)  9. Gallop's Gallop
(6:11) 10. Nica's Tempo

Oh...if these sessions could have only been issued in separate long forms with the bands that are included. Nica's Tempo comprises six tracks with Gigi Gryce's groundbreaking big band, and another four ostensibly as a member of the Thelonious Monk quartet, all from 1955. Each band showcases the estimable compositional and arranging genius of Gryce, as well as his unique sound on the alto saxophone. In this CD format, the music serves a purpose in displaying Gryce's many talents, but ultimately leaves the listener wanting more. What the orchestra tracks offer in terms of an advanced concept paired with extraordinary musicianship is indisputably brilliant. The combination of Gryce with Monk is unparalleled in another way, the brief but fruitful joining of jazz masters that helped both of them grow, while attaining a symbiosis that Monk only reached briefly with Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and later in extensia with Charlie Rouse. Gryce is perfectly situated in his element, able to not only exploit the individualism of his bandmates, but play his slightly tart alto sax in a manner that very few have ever imagined. His shining charts emphasize lower octave tones by baritone saxes, trombones, French horns, tuba, the lone trumpet of Art Farmer, and no extra woodwinds. This larger band, averaging ten pieces, is influenced by Duke Ellington during the fully flowered ballad "In a Meditating Mood," or traditional Irish music on the short and sweet, perfectly layered, bluesy swinger "Kerry Dance." Dizzy Gillespie's complex bop visage is present for the nifty, sub-toned, dynamically controlled in mezzo piano, hard surfaced and simmering "Smoke Signal," with clever meter switchings from 4/4, 3/4, or 2/4, while Bill Barber's tuba lurks underneath. 

The opener "Speculation" reflects its title, with the composer Horace Silver's piano solo intro nicely drawn out, merging into warm simple horn charts with off-minor flourishes a great jazz composition especially engaging considering this is an emerging Silver at age 27. Ernestine Anderson's Sarah Vaughan styled dusky voice is featured in slight echoplex production on the all-time classic "Social Call" about a left behind lover still hoping for a reconnect, while her confessional balladic rendition of (You'll Always Be) "The One I Love" is as passionate as any romantic love song ever. The Monk quartet tracks are as precious as can be, with the dynamite rhythm section of Percy Heath and Art Blakey really on top of it. The pianist is happy to hand the spotlight to Gryce on selections made more famous later on by Herbie Nichols or the Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd bands. He's comfortably animated during "Shuffle Boil" cutting loose with flurries of notes, using staccato and staggered phrases for "Brake's Sake," and traverses the treacherous, slippery melody of "Gallop's Gallop" as if it had no degree of difficulty. Gryce's Nica's Tempo concludes in off-minor and obtuse angles as Monk liked it, with Heath and Blakey swinging expertly as only they could. These performances are nothing short of flawless, and though one might wish for additional tracks or outtakes, this album remains highly recommended with no reservation, and one for the ages. 
~ Michaael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/nicas-tempo-mw0000092265

Personnel: Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Ernestine Anderson (vocals); Danny Bank, Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone); Art Farmer (trumpet); Gunther Schuller, Julius Watkins (French horn); Eddie Bert, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Bill Barber (tuba); Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk (piano); Oscar Pettiford, Percy Heath (bass); Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey (drums).

Nica's Tempo

Naoko Terai - Limelight

Styles: Violin Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:33
Size: 118,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:54)  1. Prelude in E minor
(4:31)  2. Chaconne
(5:08)  3. Love Theme from The Godfather
(4:07)  4. El Choclo
(4:51)  5. Terry's Theme/Smile
(4:23)  6. Pictures at an Exhibition
(3:14)  7. Merry-Go-Round
(4:34)  8. Somewhere from 'West Side Story'
(2:45)  9. Sing, Sing, Sing
(5:18) 10. Ave Maria
(3:27) 11. Travel in Dream
(4:14) 12. Summer Fantasy

From the age of 4 began to learn the violin, 1988 to professional jazz violinist debut. In 1997, with the Japanese jazz pianist Kenny Barron co-starred in the opportunity to participate in the recording of New York, in one fell swoop attention. After that, we carry out extensive music activity with concerto-centered, television, radio, advertisement, etc., with full expression of expressiveness and rich style of play. With fine expression and passionate playing, active in the world stage jazz violinist. Translate by google http://www.zh-tw.barks.jp/artist/?id=52008425&m=bio

Personnel:  Naoko Terai – violin;  Naoki Kitajima – piano;  Kunio Tanaami – bass;  Go Nakazawa - drums

Limelight

Nicole Mitchell - Mandorla Awakening II: Emergin Words

Styles: Flute Jazz 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:25
Size: 175,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:36)  1. Egoes War
( 5:35)  2. Sub-mission
( 2:49)  3. The Chalice
( 5:48)  4. Dance of Many Hands
(12:06)  5. Listening Embrace
( 4:54)  6. Forestwall Timewalk
( 9:48)  7. Staircase Struggle
( 8:06)  8. Shiny Divider
(10:22)  9. Mandorla Island
( 7:15) 10. Timewrap

Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds is Nicole Mitchell's second album for Chicago-based FPE Records. Recorded in May of 2015 at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, it features her longtime collaborators Renée Baker (violin), Tomeka Reid (cello, banjo), Alex Wing (electric guitar, oud) and Jovia Armstrong (percussion), along with new members Tatsu Aoki (bass, shamisen, taiko) and Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi). Also in the mix is Chicago artist, scholar and poet avery r young, who brings the her lyrics to life with visceral humanity. Composer and flutist Nicole Mitchell, once hailed by Chicago Reader music critic Peter Margasak as the greatest living flutist in jazz, continues the work begun when jazz visionary Sun Ra and his Arkestra first touched down on Planet Earth and told humanity that space (outer and inner) is indeed the place. As with contemporary Afrofuturist pioneers like cosmic jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, post-everything beat maker Flying Lotus, R&B cyborg Janelle Monáe and dystopian noise-rappers Death Grips, she uses Afrofuturism as a platform to launch her own, unique vision. Her vast sound often encompasses contemporary classical, globally oriented fusion, gospel, spoken word, funk-inspired groove research and even brittle shards of avant-rock. Mandorla Awakening II collides dualities such as acoustic vs electric, country vs urban, simple vs complex, while also sounding through intercultural dialogue between Black, European and Pan-Asian improvisational languages. The outcome is a creative music suite that blurs musical styles into recognizable fragments that weave a unique sound fabric, where human emotion and the struggles of today swim. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Mandorla-Awakening-Ii-Emerging-Worlds/dp/B06W9J3KJ5

Personnel: Nicole Mitchell (flute, electronics);  Alex Wing (electric guitar, oud, Theremin); Tomeka Reid (banjo, cello); Tatsu Aoki (shamisen, taiko); Renée Baker (violin); Kojiro Umezaki (shakuhachi); Jovia Armstrong (percussion).

Mandorla Awakening II: Emergin Words

Friday, June 30, 2017

Johnny Hodges Septet - Blues-A-Plenty

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:11
Size: 96.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1958/2014
Art: Front

[3:32] 1. I Didn't Know About You
[3:36] 2. Cool Your Motor
[3:18] 3. Gone With The Wind
[4:02] 4. Honey Hill
[3:23] 5. Blues-A-Plenty
[3:40] 6. Don't Take Your Love From Me
[5:59] 7. Saturday Afternoon
[5:01] 8. Satin Doll
[9:36] 9. Reeling And Rocking

This record, which I played tonight, is masterful. If you're putting on a Johnny Hodges record, you likely know what you're hoping to hear; that Johnny Hodges sound; the cry and the wail and the strut. And here, he is in full command, effortlessly swinging in a laid-back, whiskey-soaked haze, surrounded by giants like Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Billy Strayhorn and Jimmy Woode. It's precisely what you hoped for. A giant sound from a small combo - big blues for broken hearts.

No, they don't break new ground but that's not the point. In the notes on the back of the record, critic Benny Green writes: "...although jazz certainly evolves, its individuals do not, in the sense that once a musician has acquired the nuances of his own generation, they are his for the rest of his life, whether he wants them or not." I don't know that that's true; but for this album the expectations are met and exceeded in the execution and for that, it's more than comforting, it's exhilarating. ~Bink Figgins

Blues-A-Plenty

Jurandir Santana - Um Segundo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:37
Size: 97.5 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz, Brazilian rhythms
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[6:01] 1. Pra Rosa
[3:31] 2. So What
[4:00] 3. Por Um Dia
[5:00] 4. A Minha Cara
[4:22] 5. Chorando De Brincadeira
[5:52] 6. Pro Donato
[4:28] 7. Esperança De Um Menino
[4:42] 8. Noturna
[4:36] 9. É Assim Que Eu Gosto

Jurandir Santana is considered one of the greatest guitarists from Brazil with a unique style, has been dedicated to the research of the complexity of brazilian music. His identification with music began at the age of 10. Today, Jurandir Santana has a respected curriculum, worked with big names of brazilian artists and worldwide music like as Gilberto Gil, Gal costa, Rosa Passos, Daniela Mercury, Jaques Morelenbaum, Seamus Blake Xangai, Toninho Horta, Fabiana Cozza, Mariene de Castro, Fredrik Nooren, Armandinho Macedo, Arthur Maia, Nico Assunção, Gabriel Grossi, Nelson Veras, Marcio Montarroyos, Nelson Ayres, Chico Pinheiro e Filó Machado. As like a teacher was invited to made workshops in Berklee College of Music(USA) , Western Illinois University (USA).

in 2006 Jurandir Santana released his debut album ” Só Brasil “ Maritaca label ( São Paulo ) – A work that is the result of years of research that comes with a new sound with discovering new nuances of brazilian music. One of tracks on the CD is Cravo e Canela his version to the success of Milton Nascimento and Ronaldo Bastos. like most tracks CD Only Brazil, filled with references to Bahia musicality, invites us to know the richness of brazilian rhythms such as frevo, maracatu, chula, samba de roda and Ijexá°. Giving special emphasis to the rich variety of the northeastern sound, where the artist incorporates his jazz design acquired throughout his brilliant career. This work has special guests such as Nelson Ayres, Teco Cardoso, Joana Bocanera, Simone Mota and Damares Martins. Won the Braskem prize as like as better jazz cd of Bahia.

Now Jurandir release his recent album ‚ Um Segundo‚ by Temps Record label (Barcelona). Elegance and precision still present in this new disc. Jurandir Santana has been slowly creating a highly personal style, as seen in the nine musics in CD. Seven musics are unedited, not just in the arrangements and sonic textures, but in striking contrast in acoustic guitar with traditional instruments to which it has bring a new life, as the viola caipira, from Brazil, or the Canary timple. More than ever, Jurandir Santana is presented as an explorer of new sounds that closer itself, with populated and alive, full songs signs here and there, which are an echo of several sound that manages to catch the worlds, as one who is able to reach a wind.This work has special guests such as Seamus Blake, Childo Tomas, Carola Ortiz, Joana Bocanera e Denise de Macêdo.

Musician recognized in the brazilian market and a solid musical career, Jurandir Santana has achieved a well-deserved place in the international market. His work as a accredits the prestigious musician in Europe and USA.

Um Segundo

Shirley Horn - Violets For Your Furs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:54
Size: 105.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1991/2014
Art: Front

[ 3:24] 1. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[ 7:24] 2. Georgia On My My Mind
[ 3:40] 3. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
[ 5:16] 4. Lover Man
[ 4:55] 5. Violets For Your Furs
[ 4:13] 6. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
[10:16] 7. My Man
[ 4:17] 8. More Than You Know
[ 2:24] 9. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Six years before she signed with Verve and finally became a big name, Shirley Horn already sounded quite mature and fully developed on this live trio date. Recorded at the 1981 Northsea Jazz Festival with bassist Charles Ables and drummer Billy Hart, the pianist/vocalist performs nine familiar standards, including versions of "More Than You Know" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" that did not come out until the 1991 CD reissue. The emphasis, as usual, is on ballads, including "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You," "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" and the title cut. This lesser-known set is up to the same level as Shirley Horn's best-selling Verve sets. Recommended. ~Scott Yanow

Violets For Your Furs

Joe Pass - The Best Of Joe Pass

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:19
Size: 99.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1983/1991
Art: Front

[5:29] 1. A Foxy Chick And A Coolcat
[4:56] 2. How High The Moon
[2:57] 3. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
[6:55] 4. Que Que Ha
[4:09] 5. Summertime
[5:24] 6. Blues For Alican
[5:48] 7. Satin Doll
[7:38] 8. On Green Dolphin Street

This CD is a collection of selections from other albums that guitar virtuoso Joe Pass recorded over the years. What one person considers "best of" may be very different from what another person considers "best of". The sound quality varies from one cut to the next, including a little acoustic feedback, but they are all acceptable. Joe plays a number of different types of guitar on this album, including electric guitar, gut string guitar (acoustic), and what the liner notes refer to as an acoustic guitar, but it sounds like an amplified acoustic guitar. I was hoping for better than what is presented on this CD. I certainly remember better performances from Joe Pass on the old LP's that I used to listen to. This is not the best of Joe Pass. This album contains some covers of jazz standards and other tunes, and leaves a lot to be desired. ~Daniel M. Hart

The Best Of Joe Pass

Geri Allen, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette - The Life Of A Song

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:29
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:55)  1. LWB's House (The Remix)
(8:08)  2. Mounts & Mountains
(8:15)  3. Lush Life
(6:13)  4. In Appreciation - A Celebration Song
(7:12)  5. The Experimental Movement
(4:40)  6. Holdin' Court
(4:05)  7. Dance Of The Infidels
(5:19)  8. Unconditional Love
(5:24)  9. The Life Of A Song
(4:33) 10. Black Bottom
(5:40) 11. Soul Eyes

Life of a Song is Geri Allen's first recording under her own name in six long years. She teams with the rhythm section of bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette, whom she worked with on the late Betty Carter's stellar live date Feed the Fire in 1993. Allen composed eight of the album's 11 cuts, and the covers include Bud Powell's "Dance of the Infidels," Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," and Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes." This last selection is augmented by the participation of Marcus Belgrave on flugelhorn, saxophonist Dwight Andrews, and trombonist Clifton Anderson. The album's title reflects the depth of commitment to the song forms inherent in jazz. Allen is in fine form here, and one can hear her various instrumental and vocal influences. The album swings, but looks underneath swing for its subtleties and its edges, too. The set opens with a playful, pianistic dissonance on "LWB's House (The Remix)" and lest punters be alarmed, the tune is not "remixed" at all, but is actually an earlier composition reworked. The bluesy funk here is augmented with Afro-Cuban rhythms and a series of tonal shifts where Allen is trying to emulate the African stringed instrument, the kora. Swing is inherent in every chorus, and Holland and DeJohnette keep the pace relaxed yet deeply focused. The interplay between Holland and Allen on "Mounts and Mountains" particularly during the bassist's solo passage are remarkable as she responds with a contrapuntal solo that draws on both Herbie Hancock and Ahmad Jamal. Elsewhere, on the Powell tune her facility to usher it in a relaxed, easy way, and then dazzle with her two-handed counterpoint in the solo showcase Allen's quick wit and dazzling chromatic command. The title cut, with its obvious Hancock homage in the head and swinging head, is one of the album's many high points. This is a trio date that has all the elements: an indefatigable lyricism and honesty of emotion, as well as beautiful colors and deft, even uncanny engagements among the three principals. What a welcome return for Allen, who expertly displays she's been refining her chops and listening deeply to her Muse these past six years. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-life-of-a-song-mw0000151431

Personnel:  Geri Allen – piano;  Dave Holland – bass;  Jack DeJohnette – drums;  Marcus Belgrave – flugelhorn;  Dwight Andrews – saxophone;  Clifton Anderson – trombone.

R.I.P.
Born:  June 12, 1957 
Died:  June 27, 2017

The Life Of A Song

Nancy Reed - Young At Heart

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:10
Size: 147,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Young At Heart
(3:31)  2. Cappucino Kisses
(4:13)  3. The Midnight Of Our Love
(2:38)  4. I Like Everything
(4:55)  5. Stars Fell On Alabama
(2:18)  6. Thats The Call Of The South
(4:45)  7. Bittersweet Waltz (Featuring Rick Krive)
(4:35)  8. After All Of These Years
(3:38)  9. Dancin'
(4:00) 10. Mother
(3:35) 11. As Good As It Gets
(3:20) 12. Please Be Kind
(3:28) 13. The Devil Is Afraid Of Music
(2:57) 14. Casablanca
(6:51) 15. Please Don't Play A Bossa Nova
(4:16) 16. At Any Given Moment

Singer Nancy Reed has good musical genes. Her father was a jazz pianist and her mother an opera singer. Her first professional gig was at the age of 19 recording at the A& R studios in N.Y.C.. Over the years, she has performed at jazz festivals and concerts with such luminaries as Phil Woods, Slide Hampton, and David "Fathead" Newman. 1993 saw Reed working with singer Stephanie Nakasian on Nakasian's album Bitter Sweet. In 1996, Reed was on Bob Dorough's CD, This Is a Recording. In the same year, she recorded with her husband-guitarist, Spencer Reed, leading to the aptly named CD, Together. She joined the David Leonhardt Jazz Group in 1997 and she tours regularly with them throughout the United States. Their maiden album, A Time for Love, was released in 1998 and a second album, released in May of 1999, is devoted to music for tap dancing, called Swingin' Tappin' and Jammin'. Like the singers she cites as major influences, Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Horn, Reed's voice is defined by its lovely tone and excellent pitch. She can swing and sing ballads with equal aplomb. Reed is a regular performer at venues throughout the Poconos in Pennsylvania, as well in Mexico and Japan. ~ Dave Nathan http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nancy-reed-mn0000366406/biograph

Young At Heart

Gigi Gryce Orch-tette - Reminiscin'

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:09
Size: 77,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. Blue Light
(4:26)  2. Caravan
(4:00)  3. Reminiscing
(4:46)  4. Yesterdays
(3:21)  5. Gee Blues Gee
(5:13)  6. A Night In Tunisia
(4:20)  7. Dearly Beloved
(3:35)  8. Take The ''A'' Train

Gigi Gryce was a fine altoist in the 1950s, but it was his writing skills (including composing the standard "Minority") that were considered most notable. After growing up in Hartford, CT, and studying at the Boston Conservatory and in Paris, Gryce worked in New York with Max Roach, Tadd Dameron, and Clifford Brown. He toured Europe in 1953 with Lionel Hampton and led several sessions in France. After freelancing in 1954 (including recording with Thelonious Monk), Gryce worked with Oscar Pettiford's groups (1955-1957) and led the Jazz Lab Quintet (1955-1958), a band featuring Donald Byrd. He had a quintet with Richard Williams during 1959-1961, but then stopped playing altogether to become a teacher. During his short career, Gigi Gryce recorded as a leader for Vogue (many of the releases have been issued domestically on Prestige), Savoy, Metrojazz, New Jazz, and Mercury. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/reminiscin-orch-tette/id590705894

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Gigi Gryce;  Bass – George Duvivier , Julian Euell , Reginald Workman;  Drums – Bob Thomas,Walter Perkins;  Piano – Richard Wyands;  Trumpet – Richard Williams;  Vibraphone – Eddie Costa

Reminiscin'

Bert Kaempfert - Blue Midnight

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:29
Size: 89,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:16)  1. Blue Midnight
(2:07)  2. Love
(2:22)  3. Red Roses For A Blue Lady
(1:55)  4. Java
(3:01)  5. Almost There
(2:59)  6. Lonely Nightingale
(2:08)  7. Cotton Candy
(2:36)  8. Three O'Clock In The Morning
(2:23)  9. Free As A Bird
(2:57) 10. Love Comes But Once
(2:15) 11. Treat For Trumpet
(2:23) 12. Goodnight Sweet Dreams

Bert Kaempfert had almost too much talent, ability, and good luck rolled into one career to be fully appreciated, even by his own chosen audience, the lovers of fine orchestral pop music. He was one of the most successful conductors, arrangers, and recording artists in the latter field, but was also a major producer and played a key (if indirect) role in the roots of the British beat boom of the early '60s, which evolved into the British Invasion of America in 1964. Berthold Kaempfert was born in Barmbek, a working-class section of Hamburg, Germany, in 1923. He was musically inclined as a boy, and found that interest indulged by an act of fate when he was six years old Kaempfert was injured in a car accident and his mother used the money from the settlement to buy him a piano. He became proficient at the keyboard, and also on the clarinet and saxophone, among other instruments. He studied at the Hamburg Conservatory and although he was interested in all facets of music, Kaempfert was particularly taken with American-style big-band music of the late '30s and early '40s his multi-instrumental skills made him a potentially valuable commodity, and he was recruited into a pop orchestra run by Hans Bussch while in his teens, but was later drafted and served as a bandsman in the German navy, before being captured and interned as an Allied prisoner.He founded a band of his own and later toured American military installations in Germany, at last able to play his favorite kind of music. Returning to his native Hamburg, he began performing on British Forces Network radio and writing compositions, initially using the alias of Mark Bones. Kaempfert's reputation in Hamburg attracted the attention of Polydor Records, which hired him as an arranger, producer, and music director during the second half of the 1950s. Among the talent that he brought to the company's roster was the Yugoslav pop artist Ivo Robic, who chalked up an international hit (Top 20 in America), and Viennese singer/guitarist/actor Freddy Quinn, who had a German hit with "Die Gittarre und das Meer." His own orchestra generated such hits as "Catalania," "Ducky," "Las Vegas," and "Explorer," but he had bolder, more ambitious music in mind. He arranged, produced, and recorded an instrumental entitled "Wonderland by Night," which was pretty enough but couldn't seem to get a hearing in Germany, even from his own company. Instead, Kaempfert and his wife brought the track to Milt Gabler, the legendary producer at Decca Records in New York, who arranged for its release in America in 1959; with its haunting solo trumpet, muted brass, and lush strings, the single topped the American pop charts and turned Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra into international stars. Over the next few years, he revived such pop tunes as "Tenderly," "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Three O'Clock in the Morning," and "Bye Bye Blues," bringing them all high onto the pop charts internationally, as well as composing pieces of his own, including "Spanish Eyes (Moon Over Naples)," "Danke Schoen," and "Wooden Heart," which were recorded by, respectively, Al Martino, Wayne Newton, and Elvis Presley (with Joe Dowell charting the hit single of "Wooden Heart"); for an old American jazz fan like Kaempfert, however, little may have brought him more personal satisfaction than Nat King Cole recording his "L-O-V-E."

At the turn of the decade into the 1960s, Kaempfert was still busily at work in his duties as a producer. He was well aware that a new generation of listeners had come along, whose interests lay far from the beautifully crafted instrumental music that he favored, which was an outgrowth of the pop sides of such '40s artists as Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Glenn Miller they preferred music drawn from country and R&B sources. He had signed a Liverpool-based singer named Tony Sheridan, who was performing in Hamburg, and needed to recruit a band to play behind him on the proposed sides he auditioned and signed a quartet from Liverpool called the Beatles, and even cut a couple of interesting sides of theirs, "Ain't She Sweet" (sung by rhythm guitarist John Lennon) and the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow" (co-authored by Lennon and lead guitarist George Harrison) during his sessions for Sheridan; with its pounding beat and raw singing, the former wasn't Kaempfert's kind of music, but "Cry for a Shadow," with its rich melodic line and sonorous guitar, was perhaps as close as this new music ever came to his own. The Beatles' own sides didn't emerge until a couple of years later, when events made it economically feasible to do so, but Kaempfert's recording of the Beatles, even as a backing band for Sheridan, proved a vital catalyst to their entire subsequent success. Stylistically, none of the Kaempfert-recorded sides closely resembled the music for which they became famous, and had their path to being signed by George Martin at Parlophone Records resulted from, say, their being heard in a performance, those Hamburg-recorded sides would rate nothing more than a footnote in their history but those Polydor sides cut by Kaempfert played an essential role in their story. As Beatles biographer Philip Norman recalled in his book Shout!, on October 28, 1961, an 18-year-old printer's apprentice named Raymond Jones walked into the music store owned by Brian Epstein to ask for a copy of "My Bonnie," recorded by the Beatles (though it was actually credited to Tony Sheridan); the store didn't have it, but Epstein noted the request and was so intrigued by the idea of a Liverpool band getting a record of its own out that he followed up on it personally. Thus began a chain of events that led to his discovery of the Beatles and, through his effort, their signing by George Martin to Parlophone Records (they first had to get clear of any contractual claim by Polydor).

Kaempfert had become so successful as a recording artist that he was forced to give up his duties as a producer his records were selling by the hundreds of thousands, the album of Wonderland by Night even topping the American charts for five weeks in 1961. By 1965, he'd joined the ranks of film music composers with the soundtrack to a movie entitled A Man Could Get Killed the title song from the movie became "Strangers in the Night," which Frank Sinatra propelled to the top of the American and British charts. He followed this up a year later with another hit for Sinatra, "The World We Knew (Over and Over)." For Kaempfert, whose admiration of American music began with the big-band pop sound whence Sinatra had begun his career, those hits must have represented a deep personal triumph, transcending whatever money they earned indeed, he was selling records during the early '60s in the kind of quantities that rivaled Tommy Dorsey or Harry James' successes 20 years before, and he'd proved himself a prodigiously talented composer as well, an attribute that few of the big-band leaders possessed.

Although Kaempfert's chart placements faded by the end of the decade, there could be no disputing his impact on the popular culture of the 1960s, which was so widespread into so many different areas that few individuals appreciated its scope; teenagers, had they known of his role, could be grateful to him for giving the Beatles that all-important first break, while their parents may well have danced to "Wonderland by Night" and its follow-ups, their older siblings might well have orchestrated their romantic endeavors to "Strangers in the Night," and television viewers and casual radio listeners might well have heard and hummed the Kaempfert tunes "That Happy Feeling" (an early piece of world music pop, adapted from a piece by Ghana-born drummer Guy Warren), "Afrikaan Beat," or "A Swingin' Safari" (which, in a recording by Billy Vaughn, became the theme for the long-running game show The Match Game). His success as a composer was reflected in the five awards that he received from BMI in 1968 for "Lady," "Spanish Eyes," "Strangers in the Night," "The World We Knew," and "Sweet Maria." Kaempfert's chart placements vanished in the 1970s as the music marketplace (especially on radio) finally squeezed out the adult and older dance music listenership he'd cultivated. His records continued to sell, however, and his bookings remained healthy for another decade, and Kaempfert piled up awards in Germany. As he had with rock & roll, he also changed somewhat with the times when disco became popular in the mid-'70s, Kaempfert recorded a disco version of Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" that even impressed the composer. His sales were always healthy, if not substantial, in America, but in Europe he was still a top concert draw as well. Kaempfert died suddenly, at the age of 56, of a heart seizure while at his home in Mallorca, resting up after a triumphant British tour. In the years since, he has finally been recognized for the breadth of his achievements virtually his entire album catalog (and all of his hits) from the late '50s through the end of the 1960s remains in print on CD. Additionally, Kaempfert's recordings of the Beatles have at last been given the recognition that they deserved, in the form of a Bear Family Records box. Additionally, his own music has acquired a new fan base in tandem with the late-'90s boom of interest in 1950s pop instrumental (i.e., "bachelor's den" audio) music, and "Afrikaan Beat" is arguably as popular as incidental music in 2003 as it was in 1965, as well as closely associated with that past in American popular culture, itself a great achievement for the bandleader from Hamburg. ~ Bruce Eder https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blue-midnight/id640361476

Blue Midnight

Grant Stewart Trio - Roll On

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:24
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Thinking Of You
(6:40)  2. Here I'll Stay
(4:02)  3. After You've Gone
(6:28)  4. Just As Though You Were Here
(6:59)  5. Un Poco Loco
(5:43)  6. End Of A Love Affair
(3:48)  7. Fats Flats
(5:51)  8. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
(5:33)  9. Roll On

Born in Toronto, Canada on June 4, 1971, Grant Stewart was exposed to the music of Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray and Coleman Hawkins by his father, a high-school English teacher and semiprofessional guitarist. Father and son often played together for hours on end. It was through these early experiences and his father's encouragement that Stewart first developed a strong ear for melody, style, and improvisation. He began with the alto saxophone at age 10, and when he was 14 his first teacher, noted Toronto bandleader Pete Schofield, invited him to play professionally in Schofield's Big Band. At 17 he switched to the tenor saxophone and was soon playing with such master saxophonists as Pat Labarbara and Bob Mover. Stewart considers Mover to be one of his greatest teachers and among his strongest influences along with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Don Byas, and Lester Young. Since moving to New York City at the age of 19, Stewart has studied with such masters as Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, and Joe Lovano, and performed with Curtis Fuller, John Hendricks, Clark Terry, Etta Jones, Bill Charlap, Frank Gant, Dan Barrett, Bob Mover, Brad Mehldau, Russell Malone, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb, Harry Connick , Harold Mabern, Mickey Roker, Arthur Harper, Jimmy Lovelace, Cecil Payne, Dick Hyman, Herb Geller and was a member of the last Al Grey Sextet.

Stewart can be found playing at such clubs in NY as, Birdland, Smoke, The Ketano, The Jazz Standard, Fat Cat and can be heard every Tuesday night at Smalls Jazz Club. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as Japan, Brazil, Taiwan and was one of the first jazz artists to be invited to play at the historical Hermitage Museum in St.Petersberg Russia. Grant was also a featured artist at the Guggenheim Museums' Jazz series with his trio-featuring Jimmy Cobb. Stewart has two releases as a leader out on Criss Cross, Downtown Sounds and More Urban Tones, as well as a third on the Fresh Sounds label entitled Buen Rollo. Downtown Sounds, heralded by critics in the U.S., Canada and Europe, was recorded in 1992 and includes Brad Mehldau, piano, Kenny Washington, drums, Peter Washington, bass and Joe Magnarelli, trumpet. Geoff Chapman, of the Toronto Star selected Downtown Sounds as one of the Top Five Jazz Albums of 1994. More Urban Tones features Peter Bernstein, guitar, Peter Washington, bass, and Billy Drummond, drums. You can also hear Grant on Ryan Kisors' recent Quintet release The Awakening on Criss Cross Jazz. One of his latest projects is a two-tenor group co-led with Eric Alexander. The C.D.is called Wailin' and is available on Criss Cross. Grant's latest quintet release Estate featuring Bill Charlap and Joe Cohn is available on Criss Cross as well. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/grantstewart

Personnel:   Grant Stewart - tenor saxophone;  Paul Sikivie – bass; Phil Stewart – drums.

Roll On

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Herbie Mann & Joao Gilberto - Recorded In Rio De Janeiro

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:23
Size: 71.9 MB
Styles: Latin jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 1965/2005
Art: Front

[2:35] 1. Amor Em Paz (Love In Peace)
[1:56] 2. Desafinado
[1:17] 3. Bolinha De Papel
[3:03] 4. Insensatez
[2:22] 5. Maria Ninguém
[2:29] 6. O Barquinho
[2:19] 7. Samba De Minha Terra
[2:01] 8. Rosa Morena
[4:27] 9. Consolation
[3:20] 10. One Note Samba
[1:11] 11. Bim Bom
[4:18] 12. Deve Ser Amor

Nice, more light than emphatic Afro-Latin and jazz mixture by flutist Herbie Mann and composer/vocalist Joao Gilberto from 1977. The two make an effective team, with Gilberto's sometimes sentimental, sometimes impressionistic works effectively supported by Mann's lithe flute solos. ~Ron Wynn

Recorded In Rio De Janeiro

John Cain - Then There's You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:44
Size: 97.8 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Then There's You
[4:30] 2. Into The Mystic
[5:02] 3. It Might As Well Be Spring
[4:29] 4. The Nearness Of You
[4:34] 5. Some Other Time
[4:07] 6. Everybody's Talkin
[3:23] 7. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
[3:29] 8. Time Well Spent
[3:04] 9. Bye Bye Blackbird
[3:00] 10. And I Love Her
[3:56] 11. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes

This is an acoustic guitar recording featuring Chris Coulter on Sax/Flute, Don Hurta on Bass/Production and myself, John Cain on nylon string guitar and vocals. We play an eclectic mix of Originals, Pop, Brazilian and Jazz standards. The artwork is a painting by the renowned artist, Charlotte Phillips. Enjoy!

Then There's You

Susie Meissner - Tea For Two

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:05
Size: 151.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:20] 1. If I Were A Bell
[7:06] 2. Tea For Two
[4:40] 3. Mean To Me
[2:42] 4. Moonlight Saving Time
[6:52] 5. Laura
[4:10] 6. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:04] 7. Moonglow
[2:33] 8. Just You, Just Me
[4:51] 9. Everything I Love
[6:46] 10. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[4:50] 11. I Didn't Know Time It Was
[4:46] 12. Crazy He Calls Me
[4:55] 13. Triste
[4:22] 14. Say It Isn't So

A major jazz and swing singer, Susie Meissner always seems to have a smile in her voice. In addition to her very appealing tone and impeccable musicianship, the enthusiasm that she displays when she performs is infectious. She always swings and is an excellent improviser yet the lyrics that she interprets are very important to her. "When I perform a song," says Susie, "I want to express the emotions of the words so the listener is experiencing the lyrics the way that the writer intended. I'm never casual about the lyrics." Her skill at reviving and revitalizing classic songs is very much in evidence throughout her finest recording, Tea For Two.

Since the New York-based Susie Meissner also performs regularly in Philadelphia, particularly at Chris' Jazz Café, for her latest recording she decided to feature some of Philly's best jazz musicians along with a few guests. Heard along the way are such greats as tenor-saxophonist Larry McKenna (a Philadelphia legend), valve trombonist John Swana, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, guitarist Paul Meyers and clarinetist Ken Peplowski plus the superb rhythm section of pianist John Shaddy, bassist Lee Smith and drummer Dan Monaghan.

Tea For Two