Sunday, June 29, 2025

Riccardo Arrighini, Paolo Benedetti, Michela Lombardi - La Donna Cannone

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:21
Size: 186,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:20) 1. E Lucean le Stelle
( 9:31) 2. La Donna Cannone
( 7:23) 3. Anatolia
(11:31) 4. Sous le Ciel de Paris
(10:00) 5. E Dimmi Che Non Vuoi Morire
( 7:27) 6. Giu' la Testa
( 5:51) 7. Nel Respiro
( 6:00) 8. Last Tango in Paris
( 8:30) 9. On the Trail
( 4:43) 10. Dream Youfr Fears Away

Riccardo Arrighini is the pianist who fused Classical music with Jazz. With its arrangements, it aims to bring a breath of fresh air to the works of the great composers, passing through the culture and thirty years of experience of studied, played and taught music. Two enormous heritages such as classical and jazz, two basic cultures such as European and American blend in him in a pianism that is finally free from schemes and barriers. He was born in Viareggio on August 28, 1967. He began studying classical piano at the age of seven and after a few months he won the national competition for young pianists in Osimo. After graduating from the 5th year of studies, he obtained admission as an intern at the Conservatory â € œL.Boccheriniâ € in Lucca, where he graduated with full marks in 1986, under the guidance of Prof. Clara Cesa Luporini. After a few years in which he toured all over Italy with pop or dance music orchestras, and as an accompanist for opera singers, he began studying jazz in 1990 at the â € œSiena jazzâ € seminars held by maestro Enrico Pieranunzi and at the summer courses â € œUmbria jazz Clinicsâ € in Perugia, where he won a scholarship to travel to the USA.

In 1991 he enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA - USA, where he attended a semester and where he had the opportunity to take his first professional steps in the world of jazz. After two years of stopover, during which he plays in the best Tuscan clubs, he returns to Boston and studies privately with masters Jerry Bergonzi and Hal Crook for another semester (1993). Between 1995 and â € ™ 97 he attended the Siena Jazz â € œHigh Professional Qualificationâ € courses, held by Mo Stefano Battaglia and where he graduated in 1997.

In 1996 he participated in the television program â € œMedicine a comparisonâ € by Daniela Rosati, broadcast on Retequattro and â € œBaciami Versiliaâ € by Gianni MinÃ, broadcast on Raidue. In the same period he won the â € œBarga jazz 1996â € competition with his trio for the section dedicated to new talents. He then begins to propose himself, as well as an improviser, also as a composer performing a repertoire of only original pieces that will lead to the first recordings of him in his name. In 1999 and 2000 he was called by maestro Bruno Tommaso to be part of the Barga Jazz orchestra, where he had the opportunity to meet and play with some of the most important names in the Italian jazz scene.

In 2003 the meeting with the 14 year old Sicilian, and extraordinary sax talent, Francesco Cafiso, personally invited by Maurizio Costanzo to the Canale 5 studios, for the transmission â € œfriendsâ € by Maria de Filippi and â € œBuona Domenicaâ €. An excellent human and musical partnership was born immediately between the two. In 2004 he plays with Cafiso at the summer edition of Umbria Jazz and the official quartet of the saxophonist is formed with Arrighini on the piano, Aldo Zunino on the bass and Stefano Bagnoli on the drums. The quartet, from 2004 to 2007, will play in the most important Italian and world jazz festivals. The collaboration with Cafiso ends in early 2008. Since 2006 he has had a trio in his name, with Riccardo Fioravanti on bass and Stefano Bagnoli on drums, with whom he recorded the cd â € œCambio di Marciaâ € presented at â € œUmbria jazz â € ˜07â €.

In 2007 he elaborates a double project on the figure of Giacomo Puccini, solo piano and orchestra, which obtains the support of Umbria Jazz and the Pucciniano Festival Foundation with which in 2008 he participates in important international concerts in the IICs of Tokyo, Kyoto, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm Ankara and Izmir and recorded two discs, "Puccini jazz. Recondite harmonie" (piano solo) and "Puccini jazz: E lucevan le stelle" (trio plus Orchestra dei Solisti di Perugia). With the aforementioned orchestra he participates in events of great media importance such as the "International Music Festival" (21.6.'08) in Perugia, where for the occasion the church of San Francesco al Prato is reopened - formerly the temple of UJ for concerts historians such as Sting & Gil Evans of '87 - and Umbria jazz '08 at the Morlacchi theater.

In August '08 he took part in the important "Ischia Piano Jazz" festival, sponsored by UJ, a solo piano festival alongside Danilo Rea, Enrico Pieranunzi and Stefano Bollani. In 2008 he comes out with a new reworking of great classics, â € œVivaldi Jazz: Le 4 Stagioniâ €, in piano solo and trio, whose tour starts in June â € ™ 09 and will touch all of Italy. For many years he has been successfully dedicated to teaching classical and jazz with students who come from all over Italy. He has reworked all the techniques of jazz harmony and improvisation, learned in the seminars and schools mentioned above, merging and reworking them in his own very personal method. For about 3 years he has been holding workshops and seminars in the Conservatories and in the Italian and foreign Music Study Centers based on the fusion between Jazz and Classical. Of note is the one held in 2006 in San Paolo (Brazil) at the Antonio Carlos Jobim Study Center. https://www-amicidellamusicamilano-it.translate.goog/artisti/a/RiccardoArrighini.html

La Donna Cannone

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Anita O'Day - Hot & Cool Heat - Anita O'Day Sings Buddy Bregman & Jimmy Giuffre Arrangements

Styles: Big Band, Swing, Jazz Vocal
Year: 2011
Time: 60:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 141,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:26) 1. You're The Top
(3:15) 2. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:30) 3. No Moon At All
(2:51) 4. I'll See You In My Dreams
(4:24) 5. I Never Had A Chance
(3:20) 6. Stompin' At The Savoy
(4:14) 7. Sweet Georgia Brown
(3:27) 8. I Won't Dance
(2:22) 9. Let's Begin
(2:16) 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(2:33) 11. You're A Clown
(3:13) 12. Easy Come Easy Go
(3:03) 13. A Lover Is Blue
(3:09) 14. Mack The Knife
(2:26) 15. Gone With The Wind
(2:08) 16. Hershey Bar
(2:54) 17. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(2:03) 18. Orphan Annie
(2:12) 19. The Way You Look Tonight
(3:14) 20. It Had To Be You
(2:22) 21. Hooray For Hollywood

Hot and Cool Heat

Anita O'Day shows in this set why her over-all feeling and delivery mark her as one of the few women in the field who could ever accurately be called a jazz singer. She was a more imaginative singer than her imitators, not merely because she was original, but also because she was much more inventive. Two talented and utterly dissimilar arrangers contributed the imaginatively varied scores for these sessions, the first two by Buddy Bregman, the last three by Jimmy Giuffre.

Reveling in the settings the difference between hot and cool Anita O'Day has a great time, not only on the swinging tunes, to which she contributes some trademark, zestful, inventive scatting, but also in singing ballads with a sure touch. Backing her, Bregman and Giuffre used some of the finest Hollywood jazzmen, with Stan Getz particularly warm and lyrical on I Never Had a Chance.

These are probably the best jazz sides recorded by Anita O'Day in the Fifties, and if you enjoy vocal records in the slightest bit, do yourself a favor and get this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Anita-Sings-Bregman-Giuffre-Arrangements/dp/B003JZEVIK

Personnel:

Anita O'Day (vcl), Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Jack Sheldon, Tom Reeves (tp), Milt Bernhart, Frank Rosolino, Lloyd Ulyate, Joe Howard, Si Zentner (tb), Bud Shank, Art Pepper, Alan Harding, Les Robinson (as), Stan Getz, Richie Kamuca (ts), Jimmy Giuffre (bs), Paul Smith, André Previn (p), Barney Kessel, Jim Hall (g), Joe Mondragon, George Morrow (b), Alvin Stoller, Mel Lewis (d) 

Tracks #1-4, from the album "Anita" (Verve MGV-2000)
Tracks #5-9, from the album "Pick Yourself Up" (Verve MGV-2043)
Tracks #10-21, from the album "Cool Heat" (Verve MGV-8312)

Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition

 Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition CD 1
Styles: Modal
Year: 2009
Time: 44:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(16:20) 1. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)
( 3:48) 2. Will o' the Wisp
( 3:54) 3. The Pan Piper
( 4:58) 4. Saeta
(12:15) 5. Solea
( 3:22) 6. Song of Our Country


Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition CD 2
Styles: Modal
Year: 2009
Time: 69:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 160,7 MB
Art: Front

( 3:46) 1. The Maids of Cadiz
( 7:21) 2. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Rehearsal Take)
(12:05) 3. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Alternate Take, Part One)
( 3:33) 4. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Alternate Take, Part Two)
( 1:02) 5. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Alternate Ending)
( 3:11) 6. The Pan Piper (Take 1)
( 2:59) 7. Song of Our Country (Take 9)
( 3:10) 8. Song of Our Country (Take 14)
( 6:02) 9. Saeta (Full Version Master)
(17:06) 10. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Live)
( 9:33) 11. Teo

Sketches of Spain 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition CD 1 & 2

SKETCHES OF SPAIN by Miles Davis: Each of Miles' four orchestral album collabo­ra­tions with arranger-composer Gil Evans - Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy And Bess (1958), Sketches Of Spain (1959), and Quiet Nights (1962) - was a masterwork in its own right. Sketches was Miles' first post-Kind Of Blue project, and retains that LP's modal feel on the 16-minute version of Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez,' the inspira­tion for Davis and Evans. Liner notes for the 2009 edition of SKETCHES are written by composer academician Gunther Schuller, whose hundreds of accomplishments in jazz include playing French horn for Miles on the 1949-50 Birth Of The Cool sessions. SKETCHES was recorded in 1959 and released in 1960.

This historic edition presents the original album augmented by alternate and extra tracks, illustrating how this synergy developed. "The Maids of Cádiz" (from the 1957 album Miles Ahead) is the first example of Gil Evans adapting a composition of Spanish origin for an orchestral collaboration with Miles. The live performance of "Concierto de Aranjuez," the only such ever given, took place in Carnegie Hall in 1961, offering a rare, heightened performance of this centerpiece. "Teo," (from the 1961 album Someday My Prince Will Come) a small group piece dedicated to Producer Teo Macero, is simpatico with "Solea"--the other jewel from the original album, with its orchestral palette that is, in a word, sublime.

René Urtreger & Agnès Desarthe - Premier rendez-vous

Styles: Jazz Vocal
Year: 2017
Time: 55:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 129,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:52) 1. The Man I love
(6:05) 2. Le premier rendez-vous
(3:36) 3. Thème pour un ami
(2:28) 4. La géante
(6:16) 5. Lady Amanda
(5:24) 6. Everything Happens to Me
(2:32) 7. La douche en plein air
(4:43) 8. Just One of Those Things
(6:08) 9. Body and Soul
(3:56) 10. Valsajane
(2:51) 11. Le foin
(3:55) 12. You Go to My Head
(1:05) 13. Bouncing with Bud

Premier rendez-vous

René Urtreger invites Agnès Desarthe in front of the microphone. Jazz musicians join them. The result is an album full of freshness, “Premier Rendez-Vous”. To be savored with relish. In 2016 Agnès Desarthe collected and reproduced in words the words of René Urtreger throughout the pages of the book Mise en page 1 “Le Roi René”. In 2017, a good exchange, the notes of René Urtreger accompany the voice of Agnès Desarthe on “Premier-Rendez-Vous” which transports the writer into the world of professional singing.

For the occasion, René Urtreger invites several very talented musicians to join them. This is how alto saxophonist Géraldine Laurent, double bassist Pierre Boussaguet, drummer Simon Goubert and violinist Alexis Lograda appear on the album.

Recorded in May and June 2017 by Vincent Mahey at Studio Sextan-La Fonderie de Malakoff, the album “Premier Rendez-Vous” (Naïve-Believe/Musicast) is announced for October 27, 2017.

Between René Urtreger and Agnès Desarthe the story is written in several chapters. First their first meeting followed by regular interviews which allowed the writer to gather the pianist’s confidences. From these elements she wrote a superb biography entitled “Le Roi René”.

During the numerous meetings which preceded the writing of the book, the pianist discovered Agnès Desarthe's interest in the music she learned and practiced in her youth. From there, events continue. During a literary festival (in Nevers) and presentations of the work (in Paris to the Duke of Lombards) the two accomplices have the opportunity to come together in music around the piano and microphone.

There is only one step to take to go from the stage to the studio for the recording of an album and today it is done. René Urtreger invites Agnès Desarthe to join him for a studio recording. “Premier Rendez-vous” is therefore the last chapter (…to date) of the collaboration between René Urtreger and Agnès Desarthe.

On “Premier Rendez-Vous” Agnès Desarthe says three texts. Perfect diction of texts of his own which move or make you smile. La Géante accompanied by the violin, Le Foin in duet with the drums and La Douche En Plein Air with the piano. Having moved from the world of letters to the world of notes, Agnès Desarthe reconnects with the vocabulary and syntax of music even if her participation as a jazz singer is modest.

She sings in English, The Man I Love accompanied by the piano-saxophone-drums trio and Body and Soul and You Go To My Head in duet with the piano. In French, she covers with all the musicians Premier-Rendez-Vous, the title immortalized by the late Danielle Darieux. With intelligence, she does not allow herself to be trapped in the role of the jazz singer “who thinks she is…”.

Agnès Desarthe simply takes the risk of being herself. Careful and sensitive interpretation. Fair and well placed, the voice is more spoken than sung. She delicately positions herself on the time with which she plays to better outwit it.

The pianist performs on the thirteen tracks of the album. His return to the record news has everything to delight those who recently listened to René Urtreger in concert in the provinces or in the capital. We find him solo on two magnificent ballads, Valsajane and Everything Happens To Me, which he also enjoys playing in concert. He also honors bop with Bouncing with Bud and a disheveled version of Just One Of Those Things by Cole Porter where Géraldine Laurent gives it her all.

René Urtreger has lost none of his splendor and although he has completely mastered the art of simplicity, the fact remains that he still takes great pleasure in phrasing bop and does not let himself be fooled.

From the meeting between the jazz pianist René Urtreger and the woman of letters Agnès Desarthe, two magnificent artistic objects were born. In 2016, the book “Le Roi René” published by Éditions Jacob. In October 2017 the album “Premier Rendez-Vous” (Naïve-Believe/Musicast). Time will tell whether other chapters should be added to their story.
https://www.latins-de-jazz.com/premier-rendez-vous-rene-urtreger-agnes-desarthe/

Carmell Jones Quartet - Previously Unreleased Los Angeles Session

Styles: Cool Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2015
Time: 65:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 151,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. Willow Weep For Me
(6:01) 2. If I Love Again
(6:26) 3. Ruby
(5:14) 4. For Every Man There's A Woman
(4:44) 5. Baubles, Bangles And Beads
(9:06) 6. Airegin
(9:29) 7. Willow Weep For Me (Alternate Take)
(7:07) 8. If I Love Again (Alternate Take)
(5:52) 9. Ruby (Alternate Take)
(4:15) 10. For Every Man There's A Woman (Alternate Take)

In August 1960, 24-year old trumpet player Carmell Jones left his Kansas City home-town and hopped a bus to Los Angeles, intent on hitting the West Coast jazz scene. There, his impact was immediate and would prove to be memorable. He was quickly part of a quartet with pianist Forrest Westbrook, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Schwemmer.

They rehearsed at Westbrooks apartment at 2021 Sta. Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, where this unreleased material was recorded at the end of that month. It was an amazing session, in which Carmell, oozing confidence and assertiveness, demonstrated a fresh, virile and imaginative style, with a warm ballad tone and an authoritatively implacable swing at up tempo. The highly responsive rhythm section locked right on him all the way, and also revealed Forrest Westbrook as a highly talented and sensitive pianist, with an advanced concept of improvisation, and a built-in propensity for swinging hard. Along with the pungently powerful Peacock and the driving Schwemmer, they provided an ideally vigorous support for Carmell Jones, who, unbelievably soon, would come to be regarded as among the finest trumpeters on the West Coast. These never before released recordings, his first on the Coast, show why.
(https://www.amazon.com/Carmell-Quartet-Previously-Unreleased-Angeles/dp/B00XUONS98)

Personnel: Carmell Jones (tp), Forrest Westbrook (p), Gary Peacock (b), Bill Schwemmer (d)

Carmell Jones Quartet. Previously Unreleased Los Angeles Session

Big Miller - Did You Ever Hear The Blues? + Revelations And The Blues (2 LP on 1 CD)

Styles: Rhythm & Blues
Year: 2012
Time: 71:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 166,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:03) 1. Five O'Clock Blues
(3:48) 2. Lament
(2:49) 3. Did You Ever Hear the Blues?
(2:47) 4. Tired As I Can Be
(4:19) 5. Good Old Guy
(2:55) 6. Mr. Blues Child
(5:05) 7. Red Sun Blues
(2:25) 8. Mojo Blues
(3:09) 9. Cool Saturday Night
(3:05) 10. Got to Live
(3:41) 11. Wee Small Hours
(4:51) 12. About My Baby
(3:18) 13. I Know
(2:23) 14. Lament to Love
(2:42) 15. The Monterey Story
(4:20) 16. I Never Had a Woman
(3:43) 17. Wanna See My Baby
(2:52) 18. When You're not Around
(3:13) 19. It's a Hard Life
(3:40) 20. Sweet Slumber
(3:59) 21. If You Don't Love Me

Did You Ever Hear the Blues? / Revelations and the Blues

Clarence H. Miller, known to his friends as Big, was one of the most impressive new blues singers on the late Fifties scene. With a childhood background of church singing and piano and trombone studies, he became a professional musician in 1946 after Army service, when he led a band touring with a repertoire largely based on Louis Jordan jump numbers, before switching to bass and joining Jay McShanns earthy, Kansas City based outfit. Influenced by Walter Brown and Joe Turner, he started singing blues with the band and moved to Chicago and Cincinatti, forming a group with trombonist Al Grey which went to Texas. A year touring the small Texas towns honed his gift for blues singing and a move to New York led to his big breakthrough.

He made a debut LP, Did you ever hear the blues?, for United Artists, went with Nat Pierces band into Birdland and then, through singer Jon Hendricks, was invited to the 1960 Monterey Jazz Festival. That led to Hollywood. Stints at Shelly Mannes celebrated club and an album, Revelation and the Blues, with Ben Webster confirmed his status as a front-rank blues singer with a unique style which was influenced by bop.

Tracks #1-11 from the 12" LP "Did You Ever Hear The Blues" (United Artists UAS 6047)
Tracks #12-21 from the 12" LP
"Revelations And The Blues" (Columbia CS 8411)

Personnel on "Did You Ever Hear The Blues": "Big" Miller (vcl), with orchestra arranged and
conducted by Budd Johnson. Associate arranger: Jimmy Jones

Tracks #1,5,7 & 9: Pat Brooks (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Phil Woods (as), Zoot Sims (ts), Al Cohn (bs), Jimmy Jones (p), Chuck Wayne, Turk Van Lake (g), Chet Amsterdam (b) and Elvin Jones (d).

Tracks #2-4,8 & 10: Pat Brooks (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Phil Woods (as), Zoot Sims (ts), Sol Schlinger (bs), Jimmy Jones (p), Everett Barksdale, Kenny Burrell (g), Chet Amsterdam (b) and Jo Jones (d).

Tracks #6 & 11: Pat Brooks (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Phil Woods (as), Zoot Sims (ts), Jimmy Jones (p), Billy Bauer, Barry Galbraith (g), Chet Amsterdam (b) and Gus Johnson (d).

Recorded in New York City, May, 1959.

Personnel on "Revelations And The Blues"

"Big" Miller (vcl), accompanied by

Tracks #16,19,20 & 21: Ben Webster (ts), Gildo Mahones (p), Bobby Gibbons (g), Ike Isaacs (b) and Jimmy Wormworth (d).
Tracks #12-15,17 & 18: Plas Johnson (ts), Ernie Freeman (p), Jim Hall (g), Red Mitchell (b) and Frank Butler (d).
Recorded in Los Angeles, on October 18 (#16,19,20 & 21), and November 8 (#12-15,17 & 18), 1960.


Friday, June 27, 2025

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 1

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:22
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Charleston Alley
(2:33)  2. Moanin'
(2:17)  3. Twisted
(3:15)  4. Bijou
(2:15)  5. Cloudburst
(2:26)  6. Centerpiece
(2:57)  7. Gimme That Wine
(3:48)  8. Sermonette
(1:43)  9. Summertime
(4:10) 10. Everybody's Boppin'
(2:55) 11. Cottontail
(3:27) 12. All Too Soon
(1:18) 13. Happy Anatomy
(3:09) 14. Rocks In My Bed
(2:53) 15. Main Stem
(3:29) 16. I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I've Got
(2:48) 17. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
(2:32) 18. Midnight Indigo
(2:59) 19. What Am I Here For?
(3:28) 20. In A Mellow Tone - Vocal Version
(2:33) 21. Caravan

Album: The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 2

Time: 61:18
Size: 142,6 MB

(5:26)  1. Come On Home
(3:05)  2. The New A B C
(2:32)  3. Farmer's Market
(3:07)  4. Cookin' At The Continental
(2:48)  5. With Malice Toward None
(3:44)  6. Hi-Fly
(4:26)  7. Home Cookin'
(2:18)  8. Halloween Spooks
(4:48)  9. Popity Pop
(3:50) 10. Blue
(3:17) 11. Mr. P. C.
(2:14) 12. Walkin'
(4:06) 13. This Here (Dis Hyunh)
(5:19) 14. Swingin' Till The Girls Come Home
(2:22) 15. Twist City
(2:22) 16. Just A little Bit of Twist
(2:43) 17. A Night In Tunisia
(2:43) 18. A Night In Tunisia - Alternate Version

The immortal vocal jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross recorded five albums during its career: one apiece for Impulse! and World Pacific and three for Columbia. This two-CD set has all of the music from LH&R's Columbia dates (The Hottest Group in Jazz, Sing Ellington, and High Flying), plus four previously unissued and three very obscure selections. Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross were all very talented jazz singers as individuals, and were masters of vocalese. Virtually every one of their performances was special and, in the long run, influential. With assistance from the Gildo Mahones Trio, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison (on the earliest album), and altoist Pony Poindexter (during the seven bonus tracks), the vocal group is heard in memorable form throughout the two-fer. Among the many highlights are "Twisted," "Cloudburst," Hendricks' hilarious "Gimme That Wine," "Everybody's Boppin'," "Cotton Tail," "All Too Soon," "Main Stem," "Farmer's Market," "Cookin' at the Continental," "Halloween Spooks," and "Popity Pop." Essential music for all serious jazz collections. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hottest-new-group-in-jazz-compilation-mw0000079757


Booker Ervin - Booker And Brass

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:58
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. East Dallas Special
(4:29)  2. I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City
(4:31)  3. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
(5:06)  4. L.A. After Dark - Master Take-6
(3:22)  5. Kansas City
(4:39)  6. Baltimore Oriole
(4:21)  7. Harlem Nocturne
(4:16)  8. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(4:13)  9. St. Louis Blues
(5:12) 10. L.A. After Dark - Alt. Take-3
(5:04) 11. L.A. After Dark - Alt. Take-7

To hear Booker Ervin as the leading solo voice on a recording with a larger ensemble is a treat, not only for his fans, but for those interested in modern big-band sounds grown from the bop era that are flavored with urban blues. A trio of different sessions done at Webster Hall in New York City features groups ranging from ten to eleven pieces, with personnel switched up, and no supplemental saxophonists. Freddie Hubbard is the only other soloist besides Ervin, the trombone section features top-rate players Bennie Green, Britt Woodman, and Garnett Brown, and the rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Lenny McBrowne is as solid as can be. The session is based entirely on themes dedicated to major cities in the U.S. ~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/booker-n-brass-mw0000041557

Personnel: Booker Ervin - tenor saxophone; Martin Banks (tracks 1-3, 5, 7 & 8), Johnny Coles (tracks 1, 2 & 5), Ray Copeland, Freddie Hubbard (tracks 3, 4 & 6-11), Charles Tolliver (tracks 4, 6 & 9-11), Richard Williams - trumpet; Garnett Brown (tracks 3, 4 & 6-11), Bennie Green, Britt Woodman (tracks 1, 2 & 5) - trombone; Benny Powell (tracks 1-3, 5, 7 & 8) - bass trombone; Kenny Barron - piano; Reggie Johnson - bass; Lenny McBrowne - drums; Teddy Edwards - arranger, conductor

Booker And Brass

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

The Dave Glasser/Clark Terry/Barry Harris Project - Uh! Oh!

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1999
Time: 66:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 152,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:12) 1. Uh! Oh!
(4:45) 2. Bye-Yard
(6:15) 3. A Touch Of Kin
(6:06) 4. Intimacy Of The Blues
(5:07) 5. Blue Rose
(4:23) 6. Charise
(3:54) 7. 52nd Street Theme
(5:15) 8. Fuh
(4:36) 9. The Nearness Of You
(5:29) 10. Et
(5:11) 11. Tranquillity
(5:15) 12. Powell's Prance
(3:03) 13. Jumpin' At The Woodside

Uh! Oh! joins Wycliffe Gordon's Slidin' Home (N-H 2001) and Byron Stripling's StriplingNow! as the third in the Nagel-Heyer 2000 series of contemporary mainstream jazz. Known principally for documenting the traditional mainstream of Louis Armstrong, the Hamburg-based Nagel-Heyer spreads its considerable wings with this series. Uh! Oh! is the most fully realized contemporary offering to date from the label, showcasing the considerable composition talents of altoist Dave Glasser. Adding old timers Clark Terry and Barry Harris elevate these sides into a superstar stratosphere.

The results are purely empathic, the principals all interacting at the same high level that provides the listener a truly pleasurable experience, particularly on the ballads. But don't think the slow stuff will slow you down, Glass and company can play Bebop ("52nd Street Theme) and can otherwise swing (title track, "the Nearness of You"). Roy Hargrove is beautiful on the Glasser-penned ballad "Charise" (obviously gearing up for his own Verve ballad offering). All in all, a most interesting recording with plenty of swing and romance. By C. Michael Bailey
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/uh-oh-david-glasser-review-by-c-michael-bailey

Personnel: Dave Glasser: Alto Saxophone; Clark Terry Trumpet, Flugelhorn; Harry Harris: Piano; Benny Powell: Trombone; Frank Wes: Tenor Saxophone; Peter Washington: Bass; Curtis Boyd: Drums; Roy Hargrove: Trumpet, Flugelhorn.

Uh!Oh!

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Caterina Valente & Chet Baker - I'll Remember April + Bonus Track

Styles: Lounge, Vocal
Year: 2014
Time: 77:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 179,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:53) 1. I'll Remember April
(3:19) 2. I Get a Kick out of You
(2:14) 3. Baker '56
(3:10) 4. Good Morning Blues
(3:29) 5. Marilyn
(3:10) 6. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(3:08) 7. Isn't It Romantic?
(2:31) 8. All of Me
(3:07) 9. Lullaby in Rhythm
(2:48) 10. Them There Eyes
(2:39) 11. I Should Care
(3:14) 12. Stairway to the Stars
(2:26) 13. Secret Love
(3:39) 14. Autumn in New York
(3:12) 15. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(3:21) 16. It Never Entered My Mind
(3:44) 17. C'est Si Bon
(4:05) 18. Everything Happens to Me
(2:47) 19. Stormy Weather
(3:55) 20. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(2:22) 21. Pennies from Heaven
(2:30) 22. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(3:06) 23. Bockhanal
(2:26) 24. You Better Go Now
(4:16) 25. Arrivederci

I'll Remember April

Combined here is the remarkable voice and singing style of Caterina Valente and the lyrical and intimate trumpet of Chet Baker, in a collection of swinging and romantic performances recorded in Germany during the 50s.

Caterina Valente was a singer who belonged among musicians, and she was enough of a musician herself to understand the nuances of harmonic changes that played a large role in jazz. She played guitar, worked with jazz combos, and liked to indulge occasionally in a spot of vocalese, three aspects of her talent that made her the most popular girl singer in Europe.

Chet Baker was the new American trumpet sensation when he visited Germany for the first time in September 1955 with his quartet. A month later, Valente joined his quartet for a concert in Stuttgart, and their musical feeling generated quite a stir among German jazz fans. They even were offered to make a film together, which unfortunately never happened. The only documented meeting of both artists was resumed on a recording session in March 1956, when they joined-in for two lovely and rewarding duet songsIll Remember April and Every Time We Say Goodbyethat came out on a single on the German Brunswick label, both included in this set.

The other exciting performances here display Caterina Valente in her widest, most colorful range. Her performances, and most of those featuring Chet Baker, are further distinguished by the masterful accompaniment of Kurt Edelhagen and his orchestra and, in the case of Chet Baker, also by the studio orchestra of Rolf-Hans Müller.

The music, both emotionally and melodically interesting, is well served by all concerned.

Tracks #1 & 15: Caterina Valente, vocals & guitar & Chet Baker, trumpet. Recorded in Baden-Baden, March 26, 1956

Tracks #2,4,6,8,10,12,13,17,19,21,22: Caterina Valente, vocals, with Kurt Edelhagens Orchestra. Recorded in Köln and Baden-Baden, 1954-1958

Tracks #3,9,16,18: Chet Baker, trumpet, with Kurt Edelhagens Orchestra. Recorded in Baden-Baden, 1956

Tracks #5,7,11,14,20: Chet Baker with orchestra conducted by Rolf-Hans Müller. Recorded in Baden-Baden, 1959

Track #23: Chet Baker Quartet, with Kurt Edelhagens Orchestra. Recorded at Jazztime Mainz, Kurfürstliches Schloss, September 20, 1955

Track #24: Caterina Valente, vocals, accompanied by Francis Coppieters, piano. Recorded in Köln, May, 1958

Track #25: Chet Baker with orchestra conducted by Piero Umiliani (From the Italian movie Urlatori alla sbarra1960)

Bud Shank & Rein de Graaf - Alone Together

Styles: West Coast Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
Time: 68:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 157,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:20) 1. Alone Together
(13:23) 2. I Can't Get Started
(12:21) 3. On the Trail
(11:39) 4. My Funny Valentine
(10:24) 5. What's New
(10:31) 6. Stella By Starlight

Alone Together

The six tracks on this record give a quiet, masterful demonstration of how to sing without a rhythm section. Almost of the tunes are ballads,originally. But Rein and Bud decided to change the tempos. This music was recorded before a small, select audience in a living room-like studio with no room for more musicians. When Rein told Bud that the bassist and the drummer had a day off, he was a bit sceptical at first. A duo would that work? But weeks later, while listening to the tapes, he reacted enthusiastically. This is a great stuff, man!-Jeroen de Walk (from the liner-notes)

Personnel:
Bud Shank (as), Rein de Graaf (p)
Recorded at Pinehill Studio, Leersum, Holand, December 12, 2000. 

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come

The Shape of Jazz to Come CD 1
Styles: Free Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 73:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 170,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:03) 1. Lonely Woman
(4:25) 2. Eventually
(9:05) 3. Peace
(6:53) 4. Focus on Sanity
(6:49) 5. Congeniality
(6:08) 6. Chronology
(5:59) 7. Monk and the Nun
(3:52) 8. Just for You
(6:40) 9. Ramblin'
(6:24) 10. Free
(7:00) 11. The Face of the Bass
(5:16) 12. Forerunner

The Shape of Jazz to Come CD 1

The Shape of Jazz to Come CD 2
Styles: Free Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 75:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 174,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Bird Food
(6:03) 2. Una Muy Bonita
(4:43) 3. Change of the Century
(5:32) 4. Music Always
(4:54) 5. Crossroads
(4:18) 6. Invisible
(4:50) 7. The Blessing
(7:25) 8. Jayne
(5:44) 9. Chippie
(2:53) 10. The Disguise
(4:25) 11. Angel Voice
(4:17) 12. Alpha
(5:05) 13. When Will the Blues Leave?
(4:21) 14. The Sphinx
(5:05) 15. Tears Inside


Presented here are three seminal albums by the great Ornette Coleman (1930-2015): The Shape of Jazz to Come, featuring the debut of the splendid piano-less quartet with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins; Change of the Century, with the same personnel, and Something Else!!!!, which marked the debut recording by the Ornette Coleman Quintet, also showcasing Cherry and Higgins.

THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME ****(CROWN AWARD) PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ: Brash as the titles are, the music is surprisingly introspective and thoughtful. Most of the essential Coleman pieces are to be found here, though interestingly only one of them--'Lonely Woman'--has ever come close to repertory status. (Richard Cook & Brian Morton) *****ALL MUSIC: THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME Any understanding of jazz's avant-garde should begin here. (Steve Huey) *****ALL MUSIC: CHANGE OF THE CENTURY An absolutely essential purchase and some of the most brilliant work of Coleman's career. (Steve Huey) ****ALL MUSIC: SOMETHING ELSE!!!!This record swings from the rafters of the human heart with the most unusually gifted, emotional, and lyrical line since Bill Evans first hit the scene. (Thom Jurek)
https://www.amazon.com/Shape-Change-Century-Something-DeluxeDigipak/dp/B07TKNGH71

Personnel:
Ornette Coleman, alto sax
Don Cherry, cornet
Billy Higgins, drums
On all tracks, plus:
CD 1 [1-8]: THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME.
Charlie Haden, bass.
Hollywood, California, May 22, 1959..
Percy Heath (b), Shelly Manne (d). Los Angeles, March 9 & 10, 1959.
CD 1 [9-12] & CD 2[1-5]: CHANGE OF THE CENTURY.
Charlie Haden, bass.
Hollywood, California, October 8, 1959..
CD 2 [6-14]: SOMETHIGN ELSE!!!.
Walter Norris, piano; Don Payne, bass..
Contemporary Studio, Los Angeles, February-March, 1958..
(*) BONUS TRACK: Ornette Coleman (as), Don Cherry (pocket-tp),.
Percy Heath (b), Shelly Manne (d). Los Angeles, March 9 & 10, 1959.
https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/81611/ornette-coleman/the-shape-of-jazz-to-come

Dave Lambert/Jon Hendricks/Annie Ross - Sing A Song Of & Along With Basie

Styles: Swing,Vocal
Year: 2012
Time: 75:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 176,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:21) 1. Everyday I Have the Blues
(2:29) 2. It's Sand Man
(2:44) 3. Two For the Blues
(3:04) 4. One O'clock Jump
(2:32) 5. Little Pony
(2:14) 6. Down for Double
(3:18) 7. Fiesta in Blue
(3:01) 8. Down for the Count
(3:01) 9. Blues Backstage
(2:55) 10. Avenue C
(3:22) 11. Jumpin' at the Woodside
(4:14) 12. Going to Chicago Blues
(2:41) 13. Tickle Toe
(3:17) 14. Let Me See
(3:27) 15. Every Tub
(3:10) 16. Shorty George
(3:48) 17. Rusty Dusty Blues
(3:26) 18. The King
(3:06) 19. Swingin' the Blues
(4:38) 20. Lil' Darlin'
(4:12) 21. Doodlin' (Bonus Track)
(5:33) 22. Every Day I Have the Blues (Bonus Track)

Sing A Song Of & Along With Basie

It is fair to say that Lambert, Hendricks and Ross set standards in style and musical ability. The trio's contribution to jazz vocal cannot be underestimated and their vocal gymnastics dramatically changed the sound of other vocal groups. They were voted best vocal group in downbeats readers poll 5 years in a row.

Two complete albums on one! The first features a rhythm section based on Count Basie's "New Testament" band with the vocalese practitioners Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross executing the tricky lead and section work. Annie Ross is astonishing as she hits impossibly high trumpet parts with aplomb. Then on the second you have the thrilling, ultra swinging sound of the full Count Basie Orchestra plus appearances from Joe Williams. In fact there's enough words and music here to make it seem like some sort of crazy jazz opera.

Also including bonus live tracks "Doodlin" and "Everyday I Have The Blues" recorded with Count Basie.

Russ Freeman Trio & Quartet

Styles: Bop, Cool Jazz
Year: 2011
Time: 79:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 183,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:22) 1. Lullaby in Rhythm
(4:13) 2. East of the Sun
(3:25) 3. Steeplechase
(2:59) 4. Laugh Cry
(2:45) 5. At Last
(2:43) 6. You Stepped Out of a Dream
(2:38) 7. Yesterday's Gardenias
(2:50) 8. Bock's Tops
(3:08) 9. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(2:54) 10. Backfield Motion
(3:02) 11. The Eye Opener
(2:42) 12. Bojangles of Harlem
(4:41) 13. It's a New World
(7:24) 14. Blues in the Night
(3:00) 15. The Party's Over
(3:42) 16. Joey, Joey, Joey
(5:07) 17. Woody's Dot
(3:38) 18. Namely You
(3:56) 19. Love in a Home
(3:47) 20. Progress Is the Root of All Evil
(4:00) 21. Independent
(4:41) 22. Invitation to the Blues

Trio & Quartet

While other West Coast jazz pianists during the Fifties and early Sixties cut their shareand some perhaps more than thatof albums for a variety of recording firms, Russ Freemans output of records under his own name was nowhere near enough to reflect his enormous talent.

Thanks to his involvement in the groups of such standard bearers as Howard McGhee, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper and Wardell Gray, he developed rapidly and when Chet Baker made his first quartet recordings in December 1952, he chose Freeman as pianist, composer and musical director. Freemans reputation also earned him a place with the Lighthouse All-Stars, Shorty Rogers Giants and, for ten years from 1955, with Shelly Manne and his Men.

This CD is dedicated to the memory of Russ Freeman (1926-2002), an extraordinary but too often underrated jazz pianist who deserves a place among the greatest.

Tracks #1-3, not issued on LP
Tracks #4-11, from Pacific Jazz LP-8 (10")
Track #12, from World Pacific JWC-501 (12")
Track #13, from World Pacific JWC-505 (12")
Track #14, from World Pacific JWC-502 (12")
Tracks #15-21, from World Pacific PJM-404 (12")
Track #22, from World Pacific JWC-511 and Stereo 1031 (12")

Personnel on #1-3: Russ Freeman (piano), Bob Whitlock (bass), Bobby White (drums). Recorded in Hollywood, at Gold Star Studios, December 15, 1952

Personnel on #4-11: Russ Freeman (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass), Shelly Manne (drums). Recorded in Hollywood, at Radio Recorders, December 27 (#4-6) & 28 (#7-11), 1953

Personnel on #12-14: Bud Shank (alto sax & flute), Russ Freeman (piano), Carson Smith (bass), Shelly Manne (drums). Recorded in Hollywood, at Music Box Theater, February 19, 1956

Personnel on #15-21: Russ Freeman (piano), Monty Budwig (assb), Shelly Manne (drums). Stu Williamson (trumpet, added on #18-21). Recorded in Hollywood, at Radio Recorders, August 12, 1957

Personnel on #22: Russ Freeman (piano), Billy Bean (guitar), Monty Budwig (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).  Recorded in Hollywood, at Sound Enterprises, March 26, 1959

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Della Reese - Della On Stage

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08
Size: 97,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:21)  1. Comes Once In a Lifetime
(3:12)  2. Bye Bye Blackbird
(4:27)  3. Misty
(5:05)  4. Medley: The Lamp Is Low / After the Lights Go Down Low / Fly Me to the Moon
(4:57)  5. You Came a Long Way from St. Louis
(5:35)  6. His Eye Is On the Sparrow
(4:15)  7. Mad About Him, Sad About Him, How Can I Be Glad Without Him Bues
(3:05)  8. Ol' Man River
(4:25)  9. If Ever I Would Leave You
(4:40) 10. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)

Renowned as both a television star and a top-flight interpreter of jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, and straight-ahead pop music, Della Reese's many talents ensured a long, varied, and legendary show biz career. In addition to being nominated for both an Emmy and a Grammy and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Reese was also an ordained minister in the Universal Foundation for Better Living, an association of churches she helped found in the early '80s. Born Deloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, the young Reese began singing in the Baptist church choir in her hometown of Detroit at age six. In 1945, having developed quite rapidly, she caught the ear of legendary gospel queen Mahalia Jackson, who invited Reese to join her touring choir; Reese did so for the next five summers. Upon entering Wayne State University to study psychology, Reese formed a women's gospel group, the Meditation Singers, but her college career was cut short by the death of her mother and her father's serious illness. Reese worked odd jobs to help support the rest of her family; she also continued to perform with the Meditation Singers and various other gospel groups. Encouraged by her pastor, Reese began singing in nightclubs in hopes of getting a singing career off the ground; recently married to a factory worker named Vermont Adolphus Bon Taliaferro, her name was too long to fit on marquees, and she eventually arrived at her performing alias by splitting up her first name. After impressing a New York agent, who promptly signed her, Reese moved to New York and joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1953. A year later, she had a recording contract with Jubilee, for whom she scored hits like "And That Reminds Me," a 1957 million-seller. 

Switching to RCA Victor, Reese landed her biggest hit in 1959 with "Don't You Know?," a song adapted from Puccini's La Bohème; this cemented her career, leading not only to plentiful appearances on variety shows, but successful nightclub tours of the country and eventually nine years of performances in Las Vegas, as well as recording contracts with a variety of labels over the next few decades. Building on her previous variety show experience, Reese made a small bit of television history in 1969 when she became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Later that year, she became the first black woman to host her own variety show, the syndicated Della, which ran until 1970. Following its cancellation, Reese returned to her nightclub tours, often putting in guest appearances on television shows like The Mod Squad, Sanford and Son, and Chico and the Man; after three prior failed marriages, Reese also found a lasting relationship with producer Franklin Lett, whom she married in 1978. On October 3, 1980, while taping a song for The Tonight Show, Reese suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly proved fatal; however, thanks to a successful operation, she was able to make a full recovery. She kept up her singing career and appeared on television shows like Designing Women, L.A. Law, and Picket Fences, as well as the Eddie Murphy films Harlem Nights and The Distinguished Gentleman. Reese also starred in the Redd Foxx sitcom The Royal Family from 1991-1992, and garnered what was undoubtedly her highest level of recognition in the inspirational drama series Touched by an Angel, a quite popular program that ran for nine years, between 1994 and 2003, on the CBS network. After Touched by an Angel finished its run, Reese continued to act intermittently on television through to 2014. She died at her home in Encino, California in November 2017 at the age of 86. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/della-reese-mn0000196544/biography

Della On Stage

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

PRONOUNCEMENT


 


Dear Friends and Silky Denims visitors


This is to inform you of the reason why we have decided to lock the cbox and moderate the comments on the posts, temporarily (or not).

We have been visited by a person who has no manners/class. A person who believes he/she has the right to come to the blog to offend - unfairly - those who have worked for more than 15 years to promote the good music.

Whoever it is, man or woman, is not welcome! Go and spend your time doing something worthy and not trying to tarnish/obscure/denigrate the reputation of those who work hard.

To our friends we ask that you please use this post as a place to make your requests, knowing, however, that your comments will be moderated by our team until all this is over.

If this situation persists, we will be forced to close the blog to a small number of guests/our elite of visitors.

Our sincere apologies for what happened and we hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Cheers!



Dena DeRose - Love's Holiday

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:15
Size: 144.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. Lover
[4:48] 2. I Thought About You
[4:56] 3. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
[4:14] 4. The Good Life
[7:15] 5. Close Your Eyes
[4:58] 6. The Iris
[5:21] 7. On Green Dolphin Street
[7:41] 8. Birk's Works
[4:47] 9. But Beautiful
[4:46] 10. marian's mood
[4:02] 11. Lamp Is Low
[5:30] 12. The Nearness of You

Dena DeRose Piano, Vocals; Peter Washington Bass; Matt Wilson Drums; Joe Locke Vibes (4,5,6,8); Jim Rotondi Trumpet (3,6,8,11); Steve Davis Trombone (3,4,6,8,11); Tony Kadleck Trumpet/Flugel (4,6,11); Sara Della Posta French Horn (4,6,11); Brian Lynch Trumpet (9); Bill Charlap Piano (12).

To those who have seen Dena DeRose perform, it is immediately apparent that she is a compelling singer and pianist. What is not so obvious is the fact that she also arranges and often composes the tunes she performs. here Dena discusses some of the thoughts and considerations that went into five of the peformances on this recording; four classic American songbook tunes and one of her original compositions.

"In general, I try to interpret a tune by examining the relationship between its melodic/harmonic structure and the meaning of the lyric --- filtered, of course through my life experiences."

Love's Holiday

Yelena Eckemoff - Scenes from the Dark Ages

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 105:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 242,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:38) 1. Pilgrims
( 5:18) 2. Village Tavern
( 5:41) 3. From Peasants Life
(10:37) 4. Spell-bound Fortress
( 6:56) 5. Monks in Scriptorium
( 5:30) 6. Cathedral
(11:05) 7. Legends of the Castle
( 9:42) 8. Adventures of a Knight
( 4:45) 9. Battle
( 5:29) 10. Chivalry
( 6:03) 11. Tournament
( 4:25) 12. Masquerade
( 8:36) 13. Alchemist
( 9:16) 14. Quest
( 5:58) 15. From the Life of the Lords

“I dreamed about being born in medieval times,” says composer Yelena Eckemoff.

Yelena’s newest album is not a rendering of early-music tropes in modern jazz feels. Rather, in her writing on this album Yelena synthesizes classical music constructs and her original melodies with the varied rhythmic and stylistic innovations of jazz, fusion, and world music from the 21st century. Beyond this, she invests each moment of the album with her own sense of delight in leading and performing this unique material.

Yelena recorded this album in Mantua, Italy, bringing together an ensemble perfectly suited to execute her ideas: esteemed Italian musicians Riccardo Bertuzzi on electric guitar, Carlo Nicita onflute, Eloisa Manera onviolin, Riccardo Oliva on electric bass, and legendary percussionist/drummer Trilok Gurtu.

From the first moments of “Pilgrims,” the album opener, with Gurtu’s decisive attack on the drums and Oliva’s funk vibe in the bass, the listener is put on alert that this album defies the expectations of its title. It’s when Yelena enters with a chant-like theme in the piano, however, that one first begins to understand the ingenuity of her writing—how the impact of a simple melodic notion can change depending on its context. As if to prove this point further, Yelena continues to upend the tune, first with Bertuzzi’s blazing entrance on electric guitar, then with Nicita’s seductively sweet flute lines. Astonishingly, these transitions between musical ideas are seamless.

“This project is so different from my others because it has prog-rock feel,” says the accomplished self-produced musician, who, with this latest title, has now released more than 20 critically acclaimed albums via her own label, L&H Production. “I didn’t want just guitar and bass, I wanted rock guitar and electric bass and really strong drums. On this recording you’ll hear me playing not only piano, but medieval instruments like organ, clavichord, harpsichord, and celesta. I also wanted violin and flute, and I think this somewhat atypical instrumentation gives the music another dimension.”

Yelena brings this same attention to the album’s narrative construction: one tune flows organically into the next as she weaves a vibrant sonic tableau depicting medieval life. In her vision, each tune captures a unique aspect of those far-off times much like the fairy tales that so mesmerized her as a child.

“For as long as I can remember, I was surrounded by books, growing up in the imaginary world of folk stories and fairy tales,” Yelena remembers, emphasizing how strong a hold this literature has had on her imagination. “I remember being very little, sitting on a huge sofa with stacks of books around me, scrutinizing wonderfully illustrated pages of one book after another. Then, in elementary school, I would play a game about living on a different planet, set in medieval times, where I walked among castles, horses and carriages, kings and princes. Later, in the fourth grade, I wrote a story about medieval times with music. Funny, but a couple of the melodic ideas from that effort made their way into this album.”

Those who follow Yelena’s career will not be surprised by the enormous creativity in this collection; Yelena always brings a wealth of deep thought to everything she does. What might surprise listeners, however, is how persistently this project has been forming in Yelena’s mind, resurfacing intermittently years after she wrote those first little snippets for a grade school performance.

“In my late teens I played in a progressive rock band, which influenced my composing with prog-rock idioms,” she explained. “Later, after immigrating to the United States, I was working in my MIDI studio and utilizing the rich possibilities of Kurzweil K-2000 sequencer and created a project that I called Medieval Symphony, where I mixed a medieval feel with prog-rock and fusion. This project represented my reincarnated childhood dream about medieval times how I imagined them, according to all those wonderful illustrated fairy tales I used to read and love.

“I planned to release Medieval Symphony along with my prior projects involving MIDI, like The Birth of Emmanuel, Kaleidoscope of Life, and Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. But I started to realize that my solo efforts—where I played all of the instruments, including drums lacked the live touch of real musicians. So, I left the project unreleased.

“New, different projects followed, recorded with various jazz musicians. And finally, I thought about going back to my unreleased medieval project, to be recorded with a live band. I reworked all of the tunes from the original Medieval Symphony, added new material, and infused it all with jazz improvisation.

“So, basically, this project started a long time ago for me, having taken root in my childhood infatuation with medieval life. Like a never-ending fairy tale, images from medieval life have continued to inspire me.”

To modern ears, these compositions will register as present-day fairy tales, sparkling with the same imagination and wonder that has kept these most beloved stories alive for centuries. Like fairy tales, too, Yelena’s work carries deeper meanings; its sophistication lies in her talent for making the complex seem simple and the simple beautiful.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/prolific-pianist-composer-to-release-epic-medieval-progressive-jazz-masterpiece-scenes-from-the-dark-ages-march-28th-on-l-and-h-production/

Scenes from the Dark Ages

Harold Land - Hard Landing

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 57:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 131,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:08) 1. Grooveyard
(6:49) 2. Compulsion
(5:51) 3. One Second, Please
(4:53) 4. Don't Explain
(6:16) 5. Sims A-Plenty
(3:58) 6. You Don't Know What Love Is
(7:46) 7. Terrain
(7:13) 8. Smack Up
(7:23) 9. One Down

The West Coast saxophonist known for his associations with the masterful quintet led by trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach in the mid-50's and with the internationally acclaimed quintet he co-led with Bobby Hutcherson in the late '60s. He engaged in an individualistic style and an expressive tone, mixing compelling melody readings with alluring improvisations.

Land, born in Houston and raised in San Diego, moved to Los Angeles in the early '50s. In 1954, he joined the famed Brown-Roach quintet, with which he toured the United States and recorded several albums for EmArcy (all of which are available as reissue CDs). After two years with the ensemble, Land felt the need to be closer to his family, which was in Los Angeles, and so he returned and resided there ever since.

He soon began to establish himself as one of the most singular and powerful of jazzmen, making albums with bassists Red Mitchell and Curtis Counce and then, in 1958, making his solo debut (he had recorded four selections in 1949 that were released by Savoy). “Harold in the Land of Jazz,” was issued on Contemporary Records, and was followed a year later by “The Fox,” which many consider his best early recording. He did an impromptu date in the spring of 1960, rising star Wes Montgomery was living in San Francisco and the Cannonball Adderley Quintet with its Barry Harris/Sam Jones/Louis Hayes rhythm section was all brought in for a classic blowing session that resulted in “West Coast Blues.”

He also began performing with Gerald Wilson's orchestra, and with pianists Hampton Hawes and Carl Perkins, becoming an essential element in the Los Angeles jazz scene. Nonetheless, the saxophonist didn't really get much exposure outside LA until he formed a quintet with vibes player Bobby Hutcherson in the late '60s. The band recorded for Blue Note and toured the US and Europe.

Also during the '60s, Land, like so many saxophonists, became enamored with John Coltrane, and he found that both his smooth sound and his approach to improvising changed during this period. "John definitely inspired me with his intense spirit, and I usually say that spirit moved me so much that I became a little more intense in my own musical presentation," says Land. "At the same time, I was trying to maintain a certain individuality that I hope I have managed to do."

In the late '70s and '80s, Land joined the Timeless All-Stars, which also included Higgins, Hutcherson, Cedar Walton (piano), and Curtis Fuller (trombone). In and around performances with the Timeless band, Land fronted fine quintets that featured trumpeters Blue Mitchell (their “Mapenzi,” on Concord Jazz, is a classic) and Oscar Brashear (documented on “Xocia's Dance” on Muse). Land remains one of the most impressive and deep improvisers in jazz.

He recorded “A Lazy Afternoon,” (1994) a collection of soothing standards backed by a string orchestra. In 2001 he returned from a seven year recording hiatus to offer up “Promised Land,” featuring Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Sadly, this would be one of Higgins's last sessions, and Harold Land would also go on to pass in July of 2001.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/harold-land

Hard Landing

Brian Simpson - Midnight Groove

Styles: Smooth Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 38:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 88,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:58) 1. Blue Mystique
(3:36) 2. Under The Stars
(3:45) 3. Lost In The Moment
(4:01) 4. Tropical Escape
(3:49) 5. Midnight Groove
(4:10) 6. In Search Of My Dream
(3:53) 7. A Quiet Kiss
(3:45) 8. Story of Love
(3:42) 9. Come To Me
(3:29) 10. Sunset Mirage

Smooth jazz continues to enjoy enduring appeal and this new album from one of the genre’s best loved keyboardists will find plenty of support from the ever-growing smooth jazz community.

Simpson, of course, has a CV to be proud of. He’s worked with people like Janet Jackson, Teena Marie, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Boney James and Dave Koz and that breadth of experience can be heard across all 10 tracks of this, his new album.

The LP opens with the soulful ‘Blue Mystique’ which features some emotive sax lines from Steve Alaniz alongside Simpson’s crystalline keys. The track sets the tone for what’s to come. Alaniz, by the way, isn’t the only featured guest. Here you can also enjoy the talents of trumpeter Keyon Harrold on the sensual title track, saxophonist Isaiah Collier on the gentle ‘Under The Stars’ and Spanish guitarist Antonio Gomez who sits in on ‘In Search Of My Dreams’. The title there is a clue to the cut’s soundscape. There’s more exotica on ‘Tropical Escape’ (again, the clue’s in the title) while ‘A Quiet Kiss’ (Alaniz on sax here too) and ‘Sunset Mirage’ offer chill out moments.

What gives this album its unity is the polish and the strength of the melodies. Simpson’s mantra is “The melody is always king” and that shines clearly throughout ‘Midnight Groove’ which is out now.
https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/reviews/brian-simpson-midnight-groove-shanachie/

Midnight Groove

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Dena Derose - We Won't Forget You... An Homage To Shirley Horn

Size: 117,6 MB
Time: 50:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (5:31)
02. Sunday In New York (3:12)
03. Quietly There (6:24)
04. A Time For Love (5:36)
05. Don't Be On The Outside (4:53)
06. You Won't Forget Me (4:35)
07. I Just Found Out About Love (3:23)
08. Big City (4:37)
09. Your're Nearer (4:31)
10. Wild Is Love (2:50)
11. The Great City (4:50)

It's no small thing to be called "The most creative and compelling singer-pianist since Shirley Horn," but that's how Joel Siegel, Washington City Paper, described Dena DeRose. It is with great pleasure that HighNote Records welcomes Dena to their roster with this debut recording. Joining her usual trio of Martin Wind, bass and Matt Wilson, drums, are trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan. Boasting an imaginative set list and varied use of instrumental color, Dena DeRose's first HighNote CD is jazz singing of the highest order.

We Won't Forget You... An Homage To Shirley Horn

Diego Figueiredo - Tempos Bons

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:02
Size: 153.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz, Latin rhythms
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[ 5:07] 1. Na Baixa Do Sapateiro
[ 2:30] 2. El Colibri
[ 4:25] 3. Spain
[ 4:51] 4. Que Reste-T-Il
[10:42] 5. Retratos Do Nordeste
[ 3:33] 6. Carinhoso
[ 2:57] 7. Old Devil Moon
[ 5:43] 8. Granada
[ 4:19] 9. Wave
[ 6:16] 10. Lamentos Do Morro
[ 5:02] 11. Dindi
[ 4:06] 12. Round Midnight
[ 1:58] 13. Las Abejas
[ 5:27] 14. Stella By Starlight

At only 29, Brazilian Diego Figueiredo is already considered one of the world’s great guitarists. His story is that of the child prodigy who was first photographed with a guitar at the age of four. At six he received a mandolin, and he went through a succession of various other instruments, before settling down with the guitar at twelve. Soon he was performing locally, and his improvisational and har- monic talent was apparent even at this early stage. At fifteen he was playing in small concert halls and nightclubs either alone or with others. While performing with various Brazilian bands, he was also studying classical guitar and popular Brazilian music and jazz at the conservatory in his hometown Franka and in Ribeirão Preto and Tatuí. He won his first prize at a contest in South America and received a grant to study at Berklee College of Music. In 2001 Diego Figueiredo received the Visa Award for his performance of “instrumental Brazilian popular music”; and the shower of honors on this modest, but giant talent has never ceased – the first prize at Montreux Jazz Competition is but one example.

These days Diego is accompanist to vocalist and composer Belchior on tours of Brazil and abroad. He has played with Hermeto Pascoal, Sebastião Tapajos, Osvaldo Montenegro, Jair Rodrigues, Toquinho Horta, Tunai, Paulinho da Viola, Moraes Moreira, Fafa de Belém, Amelinha, Zeca Baleiro and other prominent Brazilian musicians. But he is also known outside South America, and he tours most of the world as a soloist. He is famous for his technique as well as his sensitive interpretations of South American, classical and jazz music. He is often compared with Baden Powell, Helio Delmiro and Joe Pass. After hearing his set at the Montreux Jazz Festival, George Benson exclaimed, “Diego is the best guitarist I’ve ever heard!” Pat Metheny was equally impressed, and spoke of magic moments. Next time he visits Brazil, he says he will insist on playing with Diego. Diego has released several albums, including DADAIÔ, recorded in Copenhagen with bassist Rodolfo Stroeter and legendary drum- mer and percussionist Robertinho Silva, and released on Stunt Records. The Danish critic Henrik Palle gave the CD six out of six possible stars, calling it “a lovely dream of a record... enticing and enchantingly show-offish”, tying up his review with the following statement: “contagious joy in portions large enough to make it damn hard to keep a winter depression alive”. His newspaper, Politiken, placed DADAIÔ among the year’s ten best albums.

With TEMPOS BONS, Stunt Records continues its collaboration with Diego Figueiredo. The compilation includes solo guitar selections recorded in Brazil, a trio recording, and three songs with the charming French vocalist Cyrille Aimée, with whom Diego has celebrated long, triumphant American tours. The repertoire on this compilation is varied: the Brazilian mainstay is spiced with a few jazz standards and a wonderful French song, originally made famous by Charles Trenet. Enjoy the good times – TEMPOS BONS – with Diego. Sensitive and lyrical musical postcards from genuine and imagined landscapes, where melody and rhythm go hand in hand with youthful creative prowess in joyous and sensual music.

Tempos Bons

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Ronny Whyte - Whyte Witchcraft

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2019
Time: 60:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:24) 1. Too Good to Talk About
(4:57) 2. It Amazes Me
(4:01) 3. The Best is yet to Come
(3:13) 4. I'm Watching You
(3:55) 5. Sometime When You're Lonely
(4:37) 6. Witchcraft
(3:22) 7. Sweet Talk
(3:37) 8. On Second Thought
(4:16) 9. Why Try to Change Me Now
(3:36) 10. I've Got Your Number
(3:14) 11. I'm in Love Again
(3:36) 12. Rules of the Road
(3:16) 13. I Walk a Little Faster
(3:51) 14. You Fascinate Me So
(2:21) 15. Don't Ask a Lady
(4:04) 16. Here I Go Again
(2:19) 17. All Right I Love You

Cy Coleman (1929-2004), the jazz pianist turned theater composer, is best remembered for his string of golden Broadway scores—Little Me, Wildcat, Sweet Charity, Seesaw, I Love My Wife. But to cabaret-goers of the 1950s, Coleman was a nightclub mainstay whose songs formed a smart soundtrack to big-city life. His music, with its syncopated, conversational bounce, has a distinctly New York pulse; the lyrics of his key collaborators, Joseph McCarthy, Jr., Carolyn Leigh, and Dorothy Fields, are dazzlingly nimble and worldly-wise. In “You Fascinate Me So,” Leigh’s words have a swing all their own: “I feel like Christopher Columbus when I’m near enough to contemplate/The sweet geography descending from your eyebrow to your toe.” 

It’s a lost language of songwriting, and most of its great interpreters—Blossom Dearie, Sylvia Syms, Mabel Mercer, Bobby Short—are gone. But their urbanity and musicianship live on in Ronny Whyte, a sixty-year member of a grand tradition of New York singer-pianists. Suave but eternally boyish, with jazz chops and a breezy air, Whyte was Coleman’s friend; the composer gave him copies of many of his songs. From these Whyte has assembled his latest album, which focuses mainly on Coleman’s partnership with Leigh. 

Thousands of nights in saloons haven’t dulled the satin sheen of Whyte’s voice. On half the tracks, Cecilia Coleman (no relation), the Los Angeles-based bandleader and pianist, backs Whyte with a sixteen-piece orchestra that is strong on instrumental color but never competitive. Elsewhere Whyte performs in a trio that includes accordionist Eddie Monteiro. Singing the best of early Cy—“Why Try to Change Me Now?,” “Witchcraft,” “I Walk a Little Faster,” “The Rules of the Road”—Whyte captures the wit and the lilt in every phrase.

Whyte Witchcraft

Chet Baker & Bud Shank - Theme Music From "The James Dean Story"

Styles: Cool Jazz
Year: 2016
Time: 42:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 98,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:53) 1. Jimmy's Theme
(4:45) 2. The Search
(3:38) 3. Lost Love
(3:35) 4. People
(3:35) 5. The Movie Star
(4:33) 6. Fairmont, Indiana
(3:43) 7. Rebel at Work
(4:11) 8. Let Me Be Loved
(3:58) 9. Success and Then What?
(5:05) 10. Hollywood
(2:15) 11. Let Me Be Loved (Vocal Version)

Theme Music from the James Dean Story

Presented here for the first time on CD in full Stereo sound, with detailed recording dates and complete, accurate personnel data, the splendidly varied contributions of soloists and arrangers give the album the jazz qualities that help to make it such a satisfying experience.

The famous television host, actor and jazz pianist, Steve Allen, once said that Chet Baker was, because of his general air, looks and attitude, “the James Dean of Jazz.” Since Chet also shared with Dean a similar reputation as a rebel, it seems fitting that he was chosen as co-leader on this album with Bud Shank. Originally written by Leith Stevens for “The James Dean Story” the music for the film contains that background quality, meant to amplify visual action, which gives it a cohesiveness that, in lesser hands, has the potential to make one track sound a great deal like another. However, the Johnny Mandel and Bill Holman orchestrations here simultaneously reflect the James Dean spirit, while providing a rich instrumental framework for the solo work of Baker and Shank. And if Chet plays with consistent force and lyrical warmth throughout, and sings with emotional involvement on the James Dean theme, Let Me Be Loved, it is Bud who steals the show overall with the authoritative vitality and soulfulness of his alto and flute work.

Music composed by Leith Stevens, except “Let Me Be Loved” by Jay Livingston-Ray Evans

Tracks #1-10, originally issued on the Mono 12” album
“The James Dean Story” (World Pacific P-2005)
Tracks #11 from the 7” single World Pacific X-641
Tracks #1,2,4,5,6,8,9 & 10 issued in Stereo on the
12” album “Swinging Soundtrack” (Kimberly 11016)

Personnel includes:

Chet Baker, trumpet & vocals; Ray Linn, Don Fagerquist, trumpets; Milt Bernhart, trombone; Bud Shank, Charlie Mariano, Bill Holman, Richie Kamuca, Herbie Steward, Pepper Adams, reeds & woodwinds; Claude Williamson, piano; Monty Budwig, bass; Mel Lewis, drums; Mike Pacheco, bongos.

All sessions recorded at Radio Recorders, in Hollywood, August 1957