Ian Shaw - Stephensong: Ian Shaw Sings Stephen Sondheim

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 39:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:27) 1. Everybody Says Don't
(3:34) 2. No One Is Alone
(3:08) 3. Take Me To The World
(4:08) 4. Marry Me A Little
(3:35) 5. I Remember
(3:17) 6. Another Hundred People
(4:34) 7. Being Alive
(2:18) 8. Good Thing Going
(4:15) 9. Anyone Can Whistle
(3:19) 10. Children Will Listen
(5:16) 11. Somewhere

Award-winning vocalist Ian Shaw presents Stephensong, a long-awaited exploration of Stephen Sondheim’s iconic repertoire. With elegant, intimate arrangements from pianist and collaborator Barry Green, Shaw brings a deeply personal perspective to the songs, informed by his life, activism and artistic journey, with Sondheim’s personal blessing dating back to the 1990s.

From classics such as ‘Somewhere’ and ‘Being Alive’ to lesser-known treasures like ‘I Remember’ and ‘Take Me To The World’, Shaw approaches the material with subtlety, precision and a storyteller’s instinct. The recording was made with deliberate simplicity – minimal rehearsal and just a few takes – capturing the rapport built over decades of collaboration between Shaw and Green. “I’ve known these songs for years, but always through an actor’s eyes and ears. It took me a long time to feel ready to record them,” explains Shaw. “I didn’t want to show off or pull them out of context. They’re so beautifully melodic, like Ellington or Strayhorn – you just sing them, and your thumbprint comes through in the sound of your voice.”

For Shaw, this album resonates far beyond the music. His activist history and lived experience give Sondheim’s explorations of struggle, survival and identity a renewed urgency.  “I’m gay: I’ve got scars from my Section 28 demonstrations. These songs mean something, they’re about conflict, about resilience.  And we’re all feeling that now.”

Stephensong is not a tribute record, but a bold retelling of one of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters through the lens of one of the UK’s finest interpreters of song. “Sondheim’s lyrics are conversational but poetic, and every phrase carries its own resolution,” Shaw reflects. “It’s tough, disciplined writing – but that’s what makes it brilliant. These songs are about real people, and they tell truths we all recognise.”  https://ecnmusic.com/release/stephensong/

Stephensong: Ian Shaw Sings Stephen Sondheim (mp3 320)
Stephensong: Ian Shaw Sings Stephen Sondheim (FLAC)

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Martin Speake - Generations

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:36
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

( 3:56)  1. My Melancholy Baby
(10:12)  2. I'm a Fool to Want You
( 7:54)  3. In Love In Vain
( 7:20)  4. I Wish I Knew
( 8:37)  5. Jitterbug Waltz
( 6:07)  6. All The Way
( 6:17)  7. Donna Lee
( 4:10)  8. Just A Gigolo

British altoist Martin Speake isn't as well-known as he ought to be, but he may well be the clearest successor to the unadorned, warm-toned approach of the legendary Lee Konitz. But while Konitz has undeniably led a career defined by diversity, Speake has stretched considerably farther, with albums ranging from the Indo centric The Journey (Black Box, 2004) and uniquely modern, guitar-centric take on Charlie Parker (Jazzizit, 2005), to accessible free improvisation with percussionist Mark Sanders on Spark (Pumpkin, 2007) and original composition with an all-star band on Change of Heart (ECM, 2006). Generations harkens back to his intriguingly minimalist take on standards, Exploring Standards (33 Jazz, 2003), but instead of a saxophone trio turning a variety of well-heeled tunes into concise miniatures, Generations features a quartet that lets the music stretch out further. Generations refers to a quartet of players ranging from youthful pianist Barry Green to middle- aged Speake bassist Dave Green and American drummer Jeff Williams, who still has plenty of years left in him but is now heading into senior citizen territory. It also references Speake's choice of material largely well-known tunes that date as far back as "My Melancholy Baby" (1912) and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1930) to Generation's most recent song, the 1957 Van Heusen/Cahn chestnut, "All the Way."

Speake's relationship with Williams dates back four years to a chance meeting at one of Speake's gigs in the UK. Since then they've worked together occasionally in different contexts, and while this quartet is new there's a comfort level and relaxed ambience that feels as though they've been playing together for years. The group kicks things up on the bebop classic "Donna Lee," but takes its good time getting there, with Speake beginning on his own and implicitly defining the tune's changes through improvised melody alone. He's joined by Barry Green for some in tandem interplay before Dave Green enters, with Williams not completing the picture until well into the tune, signalling the quartet to play the familiar, serpentine melody...then bringing things to a full stop, only to begin the same process again but at a brighter tempo. It's a strong example of how Speake has always managed to find fresh ways to cover familiar terrain. 

But even when the group is playing with great energy as it does on an unexpectedly up-tempo opener, "My Melancholy Baby," which starts with a fiery exchange between Speake and Williams it never seems to break a sweat. A lengthy look at the appropriately triste ballad, "I'm a Fool to Want You," features Speake at his most lyrical, even as he scopes out new corners on an extended solo that's supported with increasing verve by Barry Green, who takes an equally strong solo defined by broad dynamics and nuanced variation. Generations is a decidedly mainstream effort for Speake, but as ever he's still finding subtle ways to push the envelope. The material may be familiar, but the approaches are new, making Generations an appealing disc that's never short on substance.By John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/generations-martin-speake-pumpkin-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Martin Speake: alto saxophone; Barry Green: piano; Dave Green: double-bass; Jeff Williams: drums.

Generations

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Dave Green & Barry Green - Turn Left At Monday

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:14
Size: 110.4 MB
Styles: Chamber jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[5:20] 1. I'll Be Around
[3:00] 2. Where Do You Go
[3:27] 3. The Sounds Around The House
[5:54] 4. Turn Left At Monday
[4:41] 5. Johnny Come Lately
[4:13] 6. Ideally
[4:30] 7. Dreamsville
[3:52] 8. Unbelievable
[4:11] 9. I Wish I Knew
[2:07] 10. All My Life
[6:55] 11. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men

No, they're not related, although pianist Barry and bassist Dave Green play together as though they were. You really need to be sitting down quietly to savour this set of 11 delicate improvisations on under-the-radar songs. Five of them, including the title piece, which is recorded here for the first time, are by the late Alec Wilder, the archetypal composer's composer. This kind of chamber jazz depends for its effect on sketching in elusive harmonies and keeping you hanging on as they unfold. It also keeps your ears busy while the rest of you relaxes. ~Dave Gelly

Turn Left At Monday

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