Thelonious Monk - Misterioso (Recorded on Tour)

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 1965
Time: 52:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:44) 1. Well, You Needn't (Live at Brandeis University)
(9:40) 2. Misterioso (Live at Lincoln Center)
(5:35) 3. Light Blue (Live at Newport Jazz Festival)
(5:44) 4. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You (Live at Jazz Workshop)
(6:43) 5. All the Things You Are (Live at Jazz Workshop)
(4:37) 6. Honeysuckle Rose (Live at The Village Gate)
(4:06) 7. Bemsha Swing (Live at The Village Gate)
(7:54) 8. Evidence (Live in Tokyo)

Not to be confused with the Misterioso album which was recorded at the Five Spot, this Misterioso came a few years later and was recorded all over the place, some tunes from the Newport Jazz Festival (the aptly titled "Light Blue"), some stuff even came from Japan ("Evidence"). Maybe this was a statement. Monk was denied work in many clubs due to a petty drug conviction during the late fifties, and perhaps this album was a dedication to the first Misterioso album and the famous Five Spot, as here he was with an album recorded though various venues and taking in a few countries. All round the album is a cool and breezy collection of Monk in both lazy and vibrant form. Though when he is lazy he still produces a vivid ambient and blows with a quirky style. Among the eight cuts on the album there is little to get disappointed about, yet hardly an album to play every day, no, you'd just get sick of it. Sunday mornings, nice Autumn bleeding into Winter mornings flicking though the Sunday papers seems just about the perfect time to play Misterioso, Recorded On Tour, but then again, I seem to say that about every jazz album! What I find is the strength of the album, and can be said for Monk in General, is that when he starts to play in an almost esoteric, angular way it's when the band kick in and join the tune that it all fits into place with an ease, especially the saxophone of Charlie Rouse which blends seamlessly with Monk's piano but with very different and contrasting dynamics. Great production work from the patient Teo Macero who could really give a jazz album that special feeling, capturing the essence and mood of the musicians. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/thelonious-monk/misterioso-recorded-on-tour/

Personnel:

Bass – Butch Warren (tracks: A2, A3, B4), Larry Gales (tracks: A1, A4, B1 to B3)

Drums – Ben Riley (tracks: A1, A4, B1 to B3), Frank Dunlop* (tracks: A2, A3, B4)

Piano – Thelonious Monk

Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Rouse

Recorded on tour 1963-5. There is not much agreement about when exactly these tracks were recorded - and the location details on the sleeve (given below) are doubtful.

A1 - Brandeis University.

A2 - Lincoln Center, NYC

A3 - Newport Jazz Festival, RI

A4 & B1 - Jazz Workshop, San Francisco

B2 & B3 - The Village Gate

B4 - Tokyo, Japan

Misterioso (Recorded on Tour)

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Karla Harris - Twice As Nice

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:35
Size: 111,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
(3:10)  2. Lover Come Back To Me
(2:47)  3. You Are There
(4:00)  4. Wives And Lovers
(4:09)  5. The Look Of Love
(3:07)  6. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(2:57)  7. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
(2:58)  8. Lover
(3:38)  9. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(3:35) 10. I Wish I Were In Love Again
(3:48) 11. Where Do You Start
(2:24) 12. Happy Talk
(3:49) 13. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
(4:46) 14. The Best Is Yest To Come

Twice As Nice, the new CD from Karla Harris and Tom Kennedy, is really two great stories !

~It's a tribute to some of the most memorable melodies and lyrics ever written songs from seven legendary composers of the great jazz and pop standards, with two classic tunes from each.

~It's also about the collaboration of two artists who share a deep appreciation for this music and a love for performing it.

Those artists, internationally acclaimed jazz bassist Tom Kennedy and popular vocalist Karla Harris, met in 2004. Tom was off the road and back in his native St. Louis, playing a gig in the city's celebrated Forest Park one evening when he met Karla, also on the engagement. Well-regarded locally, Karla had recently re-entered the jazz scene after several years away. Hearing her sing standards such as Good Morning Heartache and Moonglow that night, Tom recalls being impressed by a "refreshing lyricism and deep spirit emanating from the vocal mic." Karla, for her part, knew of Tom's reputation as "one of the best bass players on the planet," amazing on both the acoustic and electric bass. A first-call musician, Tom has worked with jazz greats such as James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, David Sanborn, Stan Kenton, Patti Austin, Maureen McGovern and Rosemary Clooney. 

s an integral part of the Dave Weckl Band, with whom he writes, records and tours, his fans are worldwide. LA Weekly writes that Tom's work is "nothing short of inspiring" and Downbeat Magazine calls him a "true virtuoso."  When Tom suggested Karla take part in a CD project he'd been planning, it was the right opportunity at the right time. Their musical rapport and shared vision for performing this music is evident in each track. Twice As Nice glides between jazz and sophisticated pop standards in a rich collection that includes works from composers such as Richard Rodgers, Cy Coleman, Burt Bacharach and Johnny Mandel. Tom performs with the best feel in the business on his 250-year-old acoustic bass, supplying both the emotive touches and acrobatic, horn-like solos for which he's known. Karla, with a clear, soul-tinged delivery that expresses the lyrics with strength, quiet vulnerability or refined fun, is a natural match with the music. Jazz radio host Ross Gentile describes her approach as "sassy and sensitive ... a singer for all seasons who makes every song memorable." Stylish arrangements, created by Tom, brush this varied collection with a fresh touch, making the standards anything but. Oscar Hammerstein's "Lover Come Back to Me," treats you to a prime performance of Tom's artistry, showcasing his artistic nuance, speed and wit in an amazing acoustic solo. 

The Grammy-winning "Wives and Lovers" from Bacharach is cool and swinging with soulful sax by Jason Swagler, while Rogers and Hart's "Lover" gets a rhythmic twist and scintillating sax solos from Gary Meek (of the Dave Weckl Band). "The Look of Love" turns haunting with Tom on electric bass and Karla's longing vocals, and Ray Kennedy (well-known pianist for jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizarelli) makes you feel like you're there with his bluesy take on Harold Arlen's "One For My Baby." Johnny Mandel's wistful "You Are There" and "Where Do You Start" set a poignant mood; bass and vocal duets "On the Sunny Side of the Street" by Jimmy McHugh and another Rodgers composition, "Happy Talk," add a light touch ! and much more.

Young pianist Kara Baldus adds dynamic touches throughout while drummer Miles Vandiver provides a consistently supportive spirit and swing. With Twice As Nice, Tom and Karla celebrate a golden era of songwriting with all who appreciate the qualities that make this music unforgettable. Fans of acoustic bass, vocal jazz and the Great American songbook will love Twice As Nice.

Twice As Nice

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LM Pagano - Azalea (Unplugged) / Azalea

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2001
Time: 51:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:32) 1. Azalea
(3:26) 2. It's Love
(4:45) 3. When in Rome
(3:23) 4. This Can't Be Love
(2:47) 5. Love Came on Stealthy Fingers
(3:38) 6. Don't Explain
(4:56) 7. Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)
(5:38) 8. Touch Her Soft Lips and Part
(5:15) 9. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
(8:52) 10. Down with Love
(3:02) 11. Imagination

Azalea (Unplugged)

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Styles: Jazz
Year: 2003
Time: 48:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 113,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:36) 1. Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)
(5:29) 2. Azalea
(2:58) 3. It's Love
(2:46) 4. Love Came on Stealthy Fingers
(3:38) 5. Don't Explain
(3:58) 6. When in Rome
(5:32) 7. Touch Her Soft Lips and Part
(5:13) 8. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
(8:39) 9. Down with Love
(3:18) 10. This Can't Be Love
(2:55) 11. Imagination

California cabaret/jazz artist and Jessica Lange doppelganger LM Pagano (the LM stands for Lisa Marie), a sort of spicier Stacey Kent, evinces a pouty insouciance worthy of both Ann-Margret and Peggy Lee. Like Ann-Margret, she augments a somewhat limited range with plenty of purring chutzpah. Pagano fills Azalea, her sprightly debut for L.A.’s Bop City, with thoughtful choices like Bob Dorough’s pensive “Love Came on Stealthy Fingers,” Duke Ellington’s tender title track and the richly brocaded “Touch Her Soft Lips and Part,” lifted from classical composer SirWilliam Walton’s score for the 1944 film version of Henry V starring Laurence Olivier. Her “It’s Love” echoes the breathy enthusiasm of Blossom Dearie and her saucy reading of the Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh gem “When In Rome” sits nicely between the sophisticated ennui of Tony Bennett’s and the cosmopolitan esprit of Peggy Lee’s. Best, though, is a hepped-up arrangement of “Don’t Explain” that, at first blush, seems so wrong yet, bouncing with barely contained yearning, works incredibly well.

https://jazztimes.com/archives/lm-pagano-azalea/

Azalea

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Eric Rasmussen - School Of Tristano 1, 2, 3

Album: School Of Tristano 1
Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:29
Size: 142,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:44) 1. Friendlee
(4:30) 2. I Can't Remember
(4:53) 3. Dixie's Dilemna
(6:58) 4. Backgroud Music
(4:38) 5. It's You
(6:18) 6. 317 E. 32nd Street
(5:52) 7. Marshmallow
(5:41) 8. Kary's Trance
(7:14) 9. Every Breath
(7:37) 10. Wow

Although he was far too young to have studied with Lennie Tristano, alto saxophonist Eric Rasmussen is a firm believer in the late pianist and teacher's approach to jazz, especially playing intricate reworkings of familiar chord changes. Guitarist Nate Radley is equally drenched in Tristano-school arrangements, so together with bassist Dave Ambrosio and in-demand drummer Matt Wilson (who seems like he takes part in hundreds of recording sessions every year), the group plays eight works created by Tristano and two of his earliest followers, Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh.

But the quartet takes the original recordings as a launching pad for improvisation, relishing the tricky unison lines and counterpoint of the creators while also putting their own stamp on them in the process. So attentive listeners are still able to pick out the songs which inspired each of these pieces, including Tristano's challenging "317 E. 32nd Street" (based on "Out of Nowhere"), Marsh's furious "Background Music" ("All of Me") and a spacy treatment of Konitz's "Kary's Trance" ("Angel Eyes"). Rasmussen reworked "I Remember You" into a new composition "I Can't Remember," while Bailey transforms rocker Sting's hit "Every Breath You Take" into a Tristano-flavored piece ("Every Breath") with great success.

While far too many people label Tristano's approach to jazz as "cold" and "unemotional" Rasmussen's quartet proves otherwise throughout this rewarding session, reviving the idea that musicians attentively listening to one another can produce more compelling results than simply playing it safe. By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-of-tristano-mw0001906494

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Eric Rasmussen; Bass – Dave Ambrosio; Drums – Matt Wilson; Guitar – Nate Radley

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Album: School Of Tristano 2
Time: 57:49
Size: 133,3 MB

(4:06) 1. Earful
(6:00) 2. Sound Lee
(3:03) 3. Progression
(3:35) 4. Line Up
(5:27) 5. Victory Ball
(3:35) 6. April
(4:35) 7. Marionette
(6:02) 8. April Fool
(3:23) 9. Hi Beck
(5:04) 10. Tautology
(6:44) 11. Leave Me Alone
(6:07) 12. Smog Eyes

Alto saxophonist Eric Rasmussen recorded his first volume of compositions by Lennie Tristano and some of his most famous students in 2006. When producer Nils Winther discovered that this only represented a fraction of Rasmussen's repertoire of songs by Tristano and his disciples, he quickly suggested additional record dates. This volume, taped around the same time as volume three, features the same quartet with guitarist Nate Radley, bassist Dave Ambrosio, and the in-demand drummer Matt Wilson, all of whom excel in facing the challenges of the intricate reworking of familiar songs as envisioned by Tristano, Lee Konitz, Ronnie Ball, Billy Bauer, and Ted Brown.

Rasmussen avoided listening to the available recordings of the pieces the quartet performed, in order to guarantee fresh approaches to each song. As on the earlier session, the quartet dives headfirst into each of these demanding compositions, constantly challenging themselves as improvisers building upon the framework by their predecessors. Two of Tristano's pieces are based upon "I'll Remember April," "April," and "April Fool," though they are very different works. Rasmussen's unison playing with Radley in Konitz's fiendishly difficult "Sound Lee" is superb. Tristano fans will enjoy digging out the original recordings by the pianist, Konitz, Ball, Bauer, and Brown to compare them with the stunning interpretations on this highly recommended disc. By Ken Dryden
https://www.allmusic.com/album/school-of-tristano-2-mw0000793976

Personnel: Alto Saxophone – Eric Rasmussen; Bass – Dave Ambrosio; Drums – Matt Wilson; Guitar – Nate Radley

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Album: School Of Tristano 3
Time: 57:13
Size: 132,1 MB

(4:02) 1. Sax Of A Kind
(9:15) 2. Leave Me Alone
(6:01) 3. Playa Del Ray
(7:34) 4. Requiem
(5:06) 5. Lennie-Bird
(4:14) 6. Just Way There You Are
(5:56) 7. Palo Alto
(2:27) 8. Lennie's Pennies
(5:20) 9. Sop Goes The Leasel
(3:35) 10. April (take1)
(3:39) 11. Line Up (take1)

Saxophonist/Composer Eric Rasmussen relocated to the Phoenix area in the summer of 2007. The California native spent the last ten years playing and teaching in New York City where he was a staple of the jazz community, performing regularly on the East Coast as well as throughout Europe. While in New York, he performed regularly with some of the most respected names in jazz and was the Director of Jazz Studies at the Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College.

Earning his Masters of Music degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Eric studied with Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Danilo Perez and Paul Bley. He received his BFA in Jazz Performance from California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, where he studied with Charlie Haden, Joe Labarbera and Roscoe Mitchell. Eric leads the groups Guaranteed Swahili and the Eric Rasmussen Tristano Band, both of which have toured the United States on numerous occasions. Eric is an experienced educator and guest clinician with clinics at the University of Iowa, California Institute of the Arts, Wellesley College, Saddleback College, Arizona State University, Hartnell College, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, as well as numerous high schools throughout the country and in the Phoenix area.

With his own groups, Eric has recorded for internationally acclaimed jazz labels Steeplechase and Fresh Sound Records. As a sideman, Eric has also recorded with Paul Bley, Danilo Perez, Billy Hart, Christophe Schweizer and the Jazz Composers Alliance Saxophone Quartet. He has played at some of the most prestigious venues in the Country including the Kennedy Center and a 2007 performance with the Lee Konitz Big Band as part of the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. Eric has served as adjunct faculty for Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College and was the Music Director for Young Sounds of Arizona from 2010 – 2011. Currently, Eric is the Director of Instrumental Music at Scottsdale Community College.  https://directory.scottsdalecc.edu/rasmussen-eric

School Of Tristano 1,2,3

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Benny Golson - Tune In, Turn on - To the Hippest Commercials of the Sixties

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1967
Time: 31:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 73,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:57) 1. Music To Watch Girls By
(2:46) 2. Wink
(2:22) 3. The Disadvantages Of You
(2:24) 4. No Matter What Shape ( Your Stomach's In )
(2:34) 5. Right Any Time Of The Day
(2:38) 6. Music To Think By
(2:38) 7. The Swinger
(2:52) 8. The Magnificent Seven
(2:37) 9. Cool Whip
(2:15) 10. The Golden Glow
(3:01) 11. Fried Bananas
(2:29) 12. Happiness Is

Musically speaking, the low rating for this CD is perfectly appropriate, because this album (originally titled Tune In, Turn On To the Hippest Commercials of the Sixties) is the kind of release that serious jazz listeners loathed. For sheer enjoyment, however, one can raise the rating by better than half-it is fun even if it isn't remotely the best jazz, or jazz at all. Benny Golson leads an orchestra featuring Art Farmer on trumpet and flugelhorn, Eric Gale on guitar, and Bernard Purdie at the drums, doing jazzed versions of the theme music from popular commercials. Some of it does work-Farmer and Gale have their moments-but a good deal of this recording (especially material like "The Swinger," for the Polaroid camera) comes off as jazz-muzak; it's doubtful that even Miles Davis could have done much more with the repertory here, and Golson wasn't being half as ambitious. Elliot Horne's original notes talk about Golson's credits and musical imagination, but here he even leaves the vocal choruses intact on several tracks, which ensures that listeners think of the original commercials and the products, not the music; in fact, next to this record, Verve's Count Basie Plays The Beatles is hot, swinging, and daring. Golson's own "The Golden Glow" is one of the better tracks here, and one of the oddities present is Elmer Bernstein's theme from The Magnificent Seven, because it was also the Marlboro cigarettes theme music of the period. The CD packaging includes a high quality reproduction of the original LP jacket, a comically ornate late '60s lay-out featuring a television set with a psychedelic test pattern, which made it a perennially popular '60s artifact among album art collectors. And for those who care about such things, it is interesting to learn the official names of some of the commercial themes here, such as "The Disadvantages of You" (Benson & Hedges 100 cigarettes), as well as their composer credits. And the CD (in excellent sound) is fun, and has just enough creativity to keep it diverting for the purists. 

https://www.allmusic.com/album/tune-in-turn-on-the-hippest-commercials-of-the-sixties-mw0000047280

Tune In, Turn On

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Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer - It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:02
Size: 68,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
(3:18)  2. I Ain't Got Nothing' But The Blues
(2:27)  3. Satin Doll
(3:49)  4. Mood Indigo
(2:53)  5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(2:05)  6. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(2:37)  7. I've Got To Be A Rugcutter
(3:36)  8. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
(1:55)  9. Tulip Or Turnip
(2:18) 10. It's Kind Of Lonesome Out Tonight
(1:53) 11. Poco Mucho

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. He led his orchestra from 1923 until his death, his career spanning over 50 years. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s onward, and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. In the 1930s, his orchestra toured in Europe. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington embraced the phrase "beyond category" as a liberating principle, and referred to his music as part of the more general category of American Music, rather than to a musical genre such as jazz. Some of the musicians who were members of Ellington's orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges, are considered to be among the best players in jazz. Ellington melded them into the best-known orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Some members stayed with the orchestra for several decades. 

A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington often composed specifically to feature the style and skills of his individual musicians.Often collaborating with others, Ellington wrote more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, with many of his extant works having become standards. Ellington also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, for example Juan Tizol's "Caravan", and "Perdido", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. After 1941, Ellington collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed many extended compositions, or suites, as well as additional short pieces. Following an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, in July 1956, Ellington and his orchestra enjoyed a major career revival and embarked on world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in several films, scoring several, and composed stage musicals. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and thanks to his eloquence and charisma, Ellington is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional musical genres. His reputation continued to rise after his death, and he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for music in 1999. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington

Teresa Brewer (May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American pop singer whose style incorporated elements of country, jazz, R&B, musicals and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs.Theresa Veronica Breuer was born in Toledo, Ohio, the eldest of five siblings. Her father was a glass inspector for the Libbey Owens Company (now part of Pilkington Glass), and her mother was a housewife. When she was two years old, her mother entered her in an audition for a radio program, Uncle August's Kiddie Show on Toledo's WSPD. She performed for cookies and cupcakes donated by the sponsor. Although she never took singing lessons, she took tap dancing lessons. From age five to twelve, she sang and danced on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, then a popular touring radio show. Her aunt Mary traveled with Theresa until 1949, when Theresa wed William Monahan.

At the age of 12, Brewer returned to Toledo and ceased touring in order to have a normal school life. She continued to perform on local radio. In January 1948, the 16-year-old won a local competition, and (with three other winners) was sent to New York to appear on a talent show called Stairway to the Stars, featuring Eddie Dowling. It was at about that time that she changed the spelling of her name from Theresa Breuer to Teresa Brewer. She won a number of talent shows and played night clubs in New York (including the Latin Quarter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Brewer

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

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Shutaro Matsui - Danse Macabre/Fragments/Steps of the Blue

Trumpet player Shutaro Matsui has been gaining attention as a rising star in the jazz world. Her debut album "Steps of the Blue," recorded at the young age of 22, is receiving a great response, including the Music Pen Club Music Award New Artist Award. In her second album, Danse Macabre, produced by her mentor Makoto Ozone, and recorded in New York, consists mainly of her own compositions. She is accompanied by some of the world’s most talented musicians, including Jonathan Blake, known as the pinnacle of modern jazz drumming! Her overwhelming musicality and natural jazz spirit have inspired a passionate sympathy among the members, resulting in a spectacular session of high concentration. This is the birth of the album that will attract the most attention in the jazz world in 2024!  

Born in 1999, she graduated with honors from the Kunitachi College of Music, majoring in jazz. She received the Yatabe Award. She majored in classical music in high school and played trumpet with the Japan Mozart Youth Orchestra. Upon entering university, she switched to jazz and studied under Makoto Ozone, Eric Miyashiro, and Akira Okumura orientation. While still a student, she began her professional career, performing her own jazz concerts and participating in the BLUE NOTE TOKYO ALL STAR JAZZ ORCHESTRA. In addition to her solo performances, she has also performed classical concerts with orchestras and wind orchestras, toured with brass ensembles, participated in Makoto Ozone's No Name Horses, performed the music of Kenshi Yonezu, and toured with King Gnu. Her multi-faceted talents have garnered attention for their transcending genres. She has also been featured in the media, including on TV Asahi's "Untitled Concert" and MBS/TBS's "Jonetsu Tairiku," garnering a lot of attention.

To date, she has released the albums "STEPS OF THE BLUE" (2023), "DANSE MACABRE" (2024), and "FRAGMENTS - CONCERT HALL LIVE 2025" (October 2025).

https://avex.jp/shutaro-matsui/profile

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John Patitucci & Andy James - An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 82:48
Size: 152,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:23) 1. Autumn In New York
(7:08) 2. Besame Mucho
(3:08) 3. I Love You And Dont You Forget It
(5:07) 4. To Dream As One
(4:41) 5. Moonlight In Vermont
(5:09) 6. Day Dream
(5:46) 7. Blackbird
(3:19) 8. When I'm With You
(6:05) 9. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
(4:12) 10. Unchain My Heart
(6:22) 11. Fire Rain
(4:19) 12. Burn For Love
(5:30) 13. Some Other Time
(4:26) 14. Laura
(4:00) 15. More Than You Know
(5:02) 16. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(4:03) 17. Angel Eyes

On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music. At a time when jazz aficionados around the world have been starved for musical experiences, the album recreates the sultry atmosphere of a candlelight nightclub as some of the most revered musicians in modern jazz perform classic standards. Due out November 5 via Le Coq Records, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features nearly 90 minutes of scintillating music featuring an incomparable ensemble. In addition to James’ mesmerizing vocals and Patitucci’s bass mastery, the album boasts arrangements by piano great Bill Cunliffe for an ensemble that includes saxophonists Chris Potter and Rick Margitza, trumpeter Terell Stafford, guitarists Chico Pinheiro and Jake Langley, keyboardists John Beasley and Jon Cowherd, percussionist Alex Acuña, drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Marcus Gilmore and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, along with powerful horn and string sections.

“I wanted people to just sit back and enjoy a listening experience of serene pleasure,” declares James. “John and I tried to create something easy to listen to that would leave people feeling good afterwards. I recorded the album in anticipation that people wouldn’t something too complicated at this time we all find ourselves in.” Jazz singing and Flamenco dance have been parallel passions throughout Andy James’ life. Flamenco took prominence during what she now refers to as “act one” of her artistic life. She became renowned as a world-class Flamenco dancer, enjoying a successful career dancing with husband and partner Piero Pata in Madrid. For “act two,” James relocated to the U.S. and focused on her singing career, renewing collaborations with the great jazz musicians who had crossed her path while they traveled through Europe. She and Pata launched Le Coq Records, releasing a series of albums ranging in style from the elegance of the female jazz swing tradition to vintage R&B to the post-bop urgency of the classic Blue Note era.

An estimable professional family has quickly found a home at the label, with Patitucci, Acuña and Cunliffe playing key roles on a number of releases and several musicians making recurring appearances from one recording to the next. On An Evening With…, Patitucci proves an ideal partner for James, bringing his revered tone and musical vision to the project and convening the ideal musicians for each piece.“When choosing personnel for any project,” Patitucci explains, “I try to find the greatest musicians that I have longstanding relationships with, in order to have the opportunity to get more deeply into the music at hand.” Over the course of a career lasting four decades, Patitucci has forged essential collaborations with some of the most acclaimed artists in jazz and beyond, most notably long-lasting partnerships with iconic saxophonist Wayne Shorter and the late Chick Corea.

Speaking of James, Patitucci says, “Andy is a very generous and flexible collaborator. She has a great love for the Great American Songbook. When she sings, her phrasing is reminiscent of so many of the great singers that I grew up listening to. The style that she sings in provides the opportunity to write arrangements for larger orchestrations.”James returns the compliment. “John is very important to my whole performance. Without John’s playing I would have been restricted in the way I could sing and approach every song in the album. John Patitucci brings a deep sound that allows me the freedom to sing with a lot of mood or feeling in my voice. He gives me a lot of space to create a meaningful performance.”

From the intoxicatingly lush opener “Autumn in New York,” with Patitucci’s robust bass matched by a fervent tenor solo by Potter, to the last-call balladry of “Angel Eyes” that closes the set, An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James features countless classic songs along with a few surprises, including the smoldering James and Pata-penned love song “Burn for Love.”As she did on her previous release, Tu Amor, James reaches into her Latin influences on “Besame Mucho.” In addition to a number of well-known jazz standards James stretches the American Songbook to encompass great pop and rock classics like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.”

The choices certainly inspire passionate playing from James and Patitucci’s guests, with standouts including Rick Margitza’s soaring solo on “Fire and Rain,” Terell Stafford’s heart-wrenching take on “Moonlight in Vermont,” and the soulful playing of Potter and John Beasley on the Gerry Goffin/Carole King favorite “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” “The songs came naturally,” James explains. “I just wanted to sing some beautiful songs. The mood I had in mind when choosing these songs was one of love I just wanted people to find love with each other again after the era of Covid!” https://bassmagazine.com/artists/john-patitucci-announces-new-album-an-evening-with-john-patitucci-andy-james

An Evening with Andy James & John Patitucci

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Bill Evans & Shelly Manne - Empathy

Styles: Jazz
Label: Wax Time
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:43
Size: 79,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:26)  1. The Washington Twist
(3:42)  2. Danny Boy
(4:32)  3. Let's Go Back To The Waltz
(9:09)  4. With A Song In My Heart
(5:07)  5. Goodbye
(5:46)  6. I Believe In You

This album came about through a fortuitous convergence of circumstances. Shelly Manne & His Men were appearing at New York's Village Vanguard, sharing the bill with the Bill Evans Trio. Getting Riverside's permission to let the pianist participate, Creed Taylor set up a session at Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Evans and Manne sharing top billing. Manne's bass player, Monty Budwig, made up the trio. This was a busman's holiday for Evans, who was freed from the musical parameters he had set for his then-current trio. The result is that his playing seemed lighter, freer, and more relaxed than it had for a while. The album kicks off with a jaunty version of Irving Berlin's "The Washington Twist" from the unsuccessful Mr. President with Budwig sharing the honors with Evans as much as Manne. Manne spends most of his time driving Evans into more diminished and sharper playing than was usually Evans' wont. Another relatively unfamiliar Berlin work, "Let's Go Back to the Waltz," gives full reign to Evans' lyricism. The longest tune on the set is an audacious, almost lampooned version of "With a Song in My Heart" with light chordal phrasing that pretty much characterized much of the tone coming from this session. Listening to these three, it's clear that everyone was having a good time and simply enjoying being relieved of their duties with their regular combos, even if for just one day. Empathy has been reissued by Verve as a CD that also includes another Evans' goody, A Simple Matter of Conviction.~Dave Nathan (http://www.allmusic.com/album/empathy-mw0000531139).

Empathy

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Cozy Cole - A Cozy Conception Of Carmen

Styles: Jazz, Swing
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:37
Size: 72,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Prelude
(3:21)  2. Chorus Of The Street Boys
(2:46)  3. Habanera
(3:06)  4. Seguidilla
(2:37)  5. Entracte (1 & 2)
(3:12)  6. Gypsy Song
(3:24)  7. Castanet Dance
(3:25)  8. Flower Song
(3:26)  9. Sextet
(3:06) 10. Entracte (3 & 4)

Cozy Cole has been among the most respected drummers ever since the 1930s, when his work with Stuff Smith and Cab Calloway gained wide notice. Many drummers keep the beat, but the mark of the extraordinary is to add the alchemy of Leadership. With Cozy there was no flailing of arms in vain tries for exhibitionism without reason; no overbearing pushing when the drums should be carrying; no noise for noise's sake. His solos have logic and direction. Cozy Cole was without a doubt one of the most musical drummers there ever was. Bizet Swings! That infectious Cozy Cole magic says that with every beat, and it is the synthesis of the entire recording you now hold. ~ http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/cozy-cole-albums/4479-a-cozy-conception-of-carmen.html

Personnel:  Cozy Cole (d), Bernie Privin (flh, tp), George Holt (tp), Bob Hammer (p, glockenspiel, org), Al Klink, John Hafer (ts), Jerome Richardson (bs, b-cl, cl, piccolo), Milt Hinton, Jack Lesberg (b), Phil Kraus, Douglas Allen (perc)

A Cozy Conception Of Carmen

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Fay Claassen - Soulprint

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 45:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 104,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. Purity
(3:09) 2. Vincente '78
(6:14) 3. Feel the Beat
(4:26) 4. Simple Song
(5:10) 5. Smiling Tears (for Toots)
(4:36) 6. Good Times
(2:32) 7. La Dame du Sans-Souci
(3:28) 8. Fast Future People
(5:50) 9. Bluesette
(6:37) 10. Sacret Love and Soul Enlightening Blues

Fay Claassen is a Netherlands-based Jazz singer with a career of over 25 years and is a regular guest of highly renowned big bands and orchestras, from the Metropole Orkest, the Residentie Orkest and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra to the WDR Big Band. In 2011, Claassen was asked by pianist, trombonist and arranger Bob Brookmeyer to take the vocal role for his last album Standards (Artistshare), recorded in Munich and featuring his New Art Orchestra. Other jazz greats Claassen has worked with over the years include Toots Thielemans, Vince Mendoza, Paquito D’Rivera, Tom Harrell, Michael Abene, James Carter, Eric Vloeimans and Benjamin Herman. 

Although very busy on the European continent Fay has hardly ever appeared in the UK. Last year she appeared at Scarborough Jazz Festival with pianist Barry Green who now lives in Rotterdam and rising star of the saxophone Emma Rawicz.

There has been quite a long gap since her last original band album (Luck Child, 2018), for which she won two Edison Awards (Vocal National & Audience), due to a combination of international collaborations with orchestras, her 25th anniversary tour, the pandemic, and several large-scale projects. 

For the album Soulprint Claassen wrote nearly all of the material herself, or co-wrote it with her longtime bandmates: pianist Karel Boehlee, guitarist Peter Tiehuis, bassist Theo de Jong , and drummer Martijn Vink (New Cool Collective, Metropole Orchestra). Two songs were written by Claassen’s husband, Paul Heller of the WDR Big Band.

The songs on Soulprint present a musical reflection of her soul, a personal blueprint. At times quirky and complex, at others deeply connective and loving, the album tells her story as a wife, mother, and daughter and the personal development that has shaped her.

It’s nice to hear Claassen backed by a small band which generally features either acoustic piano or Fender Rhodes, electric guitar, electric bass and drums. On four of the tunes on the album there are no drums which leads to an even more intimate feel. When the drums are present they come across with real impact. On quite a few of the songs the sounds, harmonies, grooves and textures of the band evoke Steely Dan. This is an ideal accompaniment to Claassen’s voice. She has great delivery, tone, intonation and diction, with all the lyrics being conveyed very clearly.

The album opens with the song “Purity” which is a quiet rocky ballad written by Karel Boehlee and Simone Pormes. The song talks of the need to reconnect, stopping being someone else and being ready to agree to this purity.

“Vincente 78” is another light rock based song and relates the fact that she found out shortly before her father’s death that she has a half brother born in 1978 that she has never met.

“Feel The Beat” is an up tempo collaboration with Belgian singer David Linx which starts with a rubato section over sustained electric piano and guitar chords moving into a steady groove. The song features solos by guitar, electric piano and some scatting by Claassen.

“La Dame du Sans-Souci” has another lyric by David Linx, this time in French that follows a walk through Paris and is inspired by the film “La Passante du Sans Souci”. This reminds me of song that could have been written by Sting.

“Simple Song” is the first contribution by Paul Heller, Claassen’s husband and tenor sax player in the WDR Big Band. This slow shuffle has been recorded before both as an instrumental and vocal. “Good Times” is also by Paul Heller with a lyric by Robin Meloy Goldsby. This funk shuffle was written as birthday present to Claassen. This has also been previously recorded. Claassen joins in with the guitar solo on this scatting in unison then again trading a few phrases towards the end of the song.

There are two pieces on the album with a connection to Toots Thielemans, “Smiling Tears (For Toots)” and Thielemans’ jazz standard “Bluesette”.

“Smiling Tears (For Toots)” is a collaboration between Claassen and bass player Theo de Jong. This song evokes something that could have been written by Bill Evans in his latter years. This includes solos by fretless bass and piano.

“Bluesette” takes its standard intro with altered chords and changes it slightly then the song is performed as a samba rather than the usual Jazz waltz. This song allows all players to take a solo and Claassen also takes a scat solo. The intro is reused as an outro but with Claassen joining in.

“Fast Future People” written by Karel Boehlee with lyric by Claassen has a medium rock type groove and is about making one’s own choices in world driven by social media and AI.

The album finishes with the Latin groove of “Sacred Love and Soul Enlightening Blues”, a collaboration between guitarist Peter Tiehaus and Claassen. The chord progression to this song is a really good vehicle for improvisation with guitar and electric piano both soloing to good effect.

This is a very enjoyable album with some really good songs played by a fine band, showing not only Fay Claassen’s skills as a vocalist in a variety of different styles, but also as a writer.  https://ukjazznews.com/fay-claassen-soulprint/

Soulprint

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Simone Kopmajer - Very Strauss

Styles: Jazz

Year: 2025
Time: 19:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 45,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:44) 1. Birthday Roses
(4:01) 2. In the Clearing of the Forest
(3:36) 3. The Way We Make Our Love Our Own
(3:29) 4. Your Smile´s a Work of Art
(3:19) 5. Tipsy Song
(2:22) 6. By and By

In 2025, the world celebrates the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss Jr. – the composer who made Vienna dance and whose melodies have long since become part of the city's soul. For two centuries, his name has stood for elegance, romance, and rhythm. But what happens when this timeless beauty speaks the language of modern jazz?

A voice like Simone Kopmajer's knows the answer. With unmistakable warmth and effortless phrasing, she takes Strauss from the 19th-century ballroom and transports him to a contemporary jazz club – where chandeliers give way to soft light and the rustling of silk blends into the delicate play of drum brushes.

Every piece on this album is both homage and transformation. Simone doesn't imitate, she translates. Her English lyrics preserve Strauss's romanticism and tenderness, but add a modern soul and intimacy. The arrangements shine with delicate harmonies, carried by a walking bass and gentle grooves – a soundscape between nostalgia and curiosity. For the bicentenary of the birth of Johann Strauss' son, this project connects centuries and styles – Vienna in the sound of jazz: where time dissolves and melody begins to dance anew. Close your eyes. Imagine the city at night and let Simone Kopmajer's voice guide you through a new Vienna – graceful, bold, and timeless.

https://www.simonekopmajer.com/news/2025/11/3/new-ep-very-strauss-out-now

Personnel:

Simone Kopmajer - Vocals

Geri Schuller - Piano

Danny Ziemann - Bass

Reinhardt Winkler – Drums

Scott Robinson – Tenor Sax

Wesley Amorim – Guitar (4)

Laurinho  Bandeira - Percussion (4)

Very Strauss

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Paul Heller - Good Times

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:01
Size: 137.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[5:47] 1. Felicidado
[6:06] 2. Wings
[6:10] 3. Drivin'
[8:27] 4. Moon Song
[7:34] 5. Good Times
[5:23] 6. Night Shift
[6:48] 7. Finding You
[5:16] 8. Remembering
[7:29] 9. Daybreak
[0:57] 10. Miniature No. 7

Paul Heller - tenor sax; Peter Tiehus - guitar; Olaf Polziehn - piano; Ingmar Heller - bass; Wolfgang Haffner - drums.

Paul Heller has proved that he can serve up classic and modern across a number of albums. And on the album Good Times, Paul Heller displays a new aspect; Good Times grooves like hell. The 10 original compositions really make you want to dance! Paul Heller is a WDR Big Band saxophonist and the artistic director of his own concert series "Next Level Jazz" in Cologne. A true all-star line-up was invited into the Hansahaus Studio in Bonn for this energetic three and a half hour recording session that bubbles over with exuberant playing. He tailor-made nine compositions for the group as well as a bonus track recorded during an overdub session:

Good Times

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Sonny Rollins - The Standard Sonny Rollins

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:15
Size: 166,6 MB
Art: Front

( 2:59)  1. Autumn Nocturne
( 3:17)  2. Night and day
( 3:26)  3. Love Letters
( 5:58)  4. My one and Only Love
( 2:13)  5. Three Little Words
( 4:06)  6. Trav'lin' Light
( 1:36)  7. I'll be Seeing you
( 4:11)  8. My Ship
( 4:18)  9. It Could Happen to you
( 2:47) 10. Long ago (and far Away)
( 5:17) 11. Winter Wonderland
( 3:16) 12. When you Wish Upon a Star
(12:44) 13. Trav'lin'  Light

I tend to think of Sonny Rollins in terms of his tenures with the various labels he has recorded for over the past almost 50 years. In the '50s it was Prestige, Blue Note, Riverside, and Contemporary. The saxophonist would then drop off the scene in the early '60s, followed by a brief stay with RCA Victor that was followed up with three albums for Impulse and then his lengthy and often disappointing stay with Milestone. Clearly, the RCA period was one of the finest of his career, yet is has also proven to be the one most difficult to collect thanks to RCA's hodge-podge approach to reissues (remember those Bluebird compilations with the ugly drawings on the covers from the '80s?). Of course, if you're a Rollins nut then you'll have all the RCA recordings as collected on a recent boxed set. On the other hand, the task of collecting the individual albums has gotten easier with a new Classic Edition version of The Standard Sonny Rollins. While The Bridge has got to be the quintessential accomplishment of the period, this collection of standards is worthy of praise too. The cast assembled is sure to sound familiar- Herbie Hancock, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, and Jim Hall. 

Each standard is given a brief performance that basically gives us a solid dose of Rollins waxing rhapsodic, sometimes backed by just bass and drums, with guitar and piano added sparingly. Exceptions are two takes (one long and one short) of "Trav'lin' Light" with Hancock, Hall, bassists Teddy Smith and David Izenson, and drummer Stu Martin. Izenson's bowed work makes each one of the performances unique and beautiful. Three additional performances from the same sessions that made up the original vinyl release are added, putting all this music under one roof for the first time on CD. It all adds up to a mighty package that contains small, but ample doses of undiluted Rollins. Enjoy! 

~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-standard-sonny-rollins-sonny-rollins-rca-victor-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel:  Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Herbie Hancock, piano; Bob Cranshaw, Teddi Smith, David Izenson, bass; Jim Hall, guitar; Stu Martin, Mickey Roker, drums

The Standard Sonny Rollins

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Joe La Barbera Quintet - Silver Streams

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2012
Time: 62:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 142,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:59) 1. Afluencia
( 7:08) 2. Bradley's, 2am
( 6:50) 3. Monkey Tree
( 7:03) 4. Bite Your Grandmother
( 6:21) 5. Jade Visions
(13:37) 6. Silver Streams
( 4:47) 7. Grace
( 8:27) 8. E.J.'s Blues

If there is a stream of any kind that runs through Silver Streams by The Joe La Barbera Quintet, it is the flow of energy—intense to the point of ignition—that is tapped. No meandering "Old Man River," this team drinks from the source with gusto and unified creativity. That shouldn't be a surprise, since La Barbera and his mates—each a Los Angeles first call musician—have performed together for decades.

La Barbera, one-third of a celebrated jazz family, with brothers saxophonist Pat La Barberaand composer/arranger/educator John La Barbera, is one of the busiest, most respected and beloved drummers in the business. He's performed worldwide with singer Tony Bennett, pianist Bill Evans and others in the jazz pantheon. Here he takes the leader's role and performs with his usual meticulous time, brilliant cymbal and set work and total immersion into the creative forces around him.

The eight selections, all superb originals, provide a diverse platform from which frontline performers and rhythm section deliver. The groove gamut is covered from classic hard bop ("Afluencia," "E.J.'s Blues") and straight-ahead stroll ("Bradley's, 2 AM?") to Frank Zappa-esque quirk ("Bite Your Grandmother"). Throughout the session the intensity and creative energy never let up.

The interplay between these superb players, elegantly subtle at times and in-your-face intense at others, is a joy. Front-liners Bob Sheppard (saxophones) and Clay Jenkins (trumpet) deliver ideas and interpretations which flitter back and forth with little or no regard for their respective instruments' limitations. Each pushes the other's envelope relentlessly, but never in a competitive manner.

Sheppard's saxophones blow from the serene ("Jade Visions") to sublime ("Grace"). His is a creative approach of sustained surprise and rhythmic invention. Jenkins, playing in a highly stylized manner, unabashedly channels Miles Davis and startles with his sound, technical gymnastics, lyric lines and utterly intelligent approach. Pianist Bill Cunliffe beautifully explores tonalities from the Impressionist to the post-Modern and bassist Tom Warrington is a rock throughout. The ensemble's moments of freer group play are a veritable highlight show.

Bill Evans talked about a "Universal Mind Force," into which the finest musicians tap. Silver Streams demonstrates what is ultimately possible when five stellar players merge to simultaneously access that force and deliver its awesome power through their magnificent music.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/silver-streams-jazz-compass-review-by-nicholas-f-mondello

Personnel:

Joe La Barbera: drums;

Clay Jenkins: trumpet;

Bob Sheppard: tenor and soprano saxophone;

Bill Cunliffe: piano;

Tom Warrington: bass.

Silver Streams

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Scott Silbert Quartet - Dream Dancing: Celebrating Zoot Sims At 100

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2025
Time: 73:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 169,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:19) 1. Dream Dancing
(5:15) 2. Louisiana
(5:51) 3. It's That Ole Devil Called Love
(6:34) 4. Deep In A Dream
(5:39) 5. All Too Soon
(5:50) 6. You Go To My Head
(3:39) 7. Blues For Louise (feat. Scott Silbert & Amy Shook)
(4:17) 8. Someday Sweetheart
(7:09) 9. Low Life
(5:20) 10. Round My Old Deserted Farm
(5:33) 11. Shadow Waltz
(6:22) 12. Ballad for Very Tired and Very Sad Lotus Eaters
(4:35) 13. Wee Dot

Eighty-one years after his recording debut, 44 years following his last recording session and 100 years since his birth, the music of John Haley “Zoot” Sims comes to life on Dream Dancing, Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100.

Like any Sims performance, the music of Scott Silbert and his quartet of Robert Redd on piano, Amy Shook on bass and Chuck Redd on drums is melodically rich, unassumingly timeless and unapologetically swinging.

Silbert, who spent 15 years as a woodwind player and arranger in the U.S. Navy Band, does an admirable job of capturing the warmth and soul of Sims on a set of familiar and some obscure standards as well as one original. Silbert floats over the bossa nova beat of Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing” and Harry Warren’s “Shadow Waltz.” His ballad playing on familiar tunes such as “Deep in a Dream,” You Go to My Head” and “All Too Soon” is pure and honest as is his playing on under recoded ballads such as “It’s That Ole Devil Called Love,” “Low Life” and “Round My Old Deserted Farm.” He and the band swing hard on up-tempo numbers such as J.C. Johnson’s “Louisiana” and J.J. Johnson’s “Wee Dot.”  Like Sims, Silbert shows his soprano sax prowess on ‘Someday Sweetheart” as well as his ability to play the blues on a composition he wrote in honor of Sim’s wife — “Blues for Louise.” The rhythm section of Redd, Shook and Redd are in synch with Silbert much like folks such as Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Rowles, George Mraz, Jake Hanna and Mel Lewis who supported Sims on his numerous recordings.

One suggestion for volume 2 of Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100 would be to include some of the memorable tunes Sims wrote or tunes he made famous as a member of the Woody Herman Band or working with Al Cohn or Gerry Mulligan. Although Silbert’s Dream Dancing,

Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100 is a pleasant way to remember the warm sound and style Sims brought to jazz, a more meaningful way to celebrate Sim’s 100th years is to pick up one of the more than 100 recordings he appeared on during his four decades as a melodically rich, unassumingly timeless and unapologetically swinging jazz musician.

https://papatamusredux.com/2025/11/07/scott-sibert-dream-dancing-celebrating-zoot-sims-at-100/

Personnel:

Scott Silbert - tenor and soprano saxes

Amy Shook - acoustic bass

Robert Redd - piano

Chuck Redd - drums

Dream Dancing: Celebrating Zoot Sims At 100

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Joe La Barbera Quintet - Mark Time

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2003
Time: 67:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 153,8 MB
Art: Front

( 6:26) 1. Chick It Out
( 6:57) 2. Suite Sixteen
(10:12) 3. Automaton
( 8:47) 4. For Gillian
( 9:25) 5. Mark Time
( 8:42) 6. Contour
( 7:44) 7. Bella Luce (For Conte Candoli)
( 8:56) 8. S'Matta

Drummer Joe La Barbera leads an all-star group of top Los Angeles-based players on Mark Time. Trumpeter Clay Jenkins, pianist Bill Cunliffe, and bassist Tom Warrington all contribute many colorful statements along the way while Bob Sheppard (on tenor and soprano) often takes solo honors. The quintet performs two songs by La Barbera (including a melancholy ballad for the late trumpeter Conte Candoli called "Bella Luce"), a pair of numbers from Cunliffe, and selections by Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, and Kenny Drew ("Contour"). The music includes some adventurous post-bop explorations (Sheppard is excellent on "Automaton" and "Suite Sixteen") and boppish renditions of "Contour" and Cunliffe's up-tempo blues "Chick It Out." The musicians were clearly inspired by each other and this moody and modern straight-ahead set has many bright moments along the way. ~ Scott Yanow

https://catalog.ccclib.org/?section=resource&resourceid=1093102577&currentIndex=2&view=fullDetailsDetailsTab

Personnel:

Bass – Tom Warrington

Drums – Joe La Barbera

Photography By – James Frank Dean

Piano – Bill Cunliffe

Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Bob Sheppard

Trumpet – Clay Jenkins

Mark Time

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Peter O´Mara - SYMMETRY

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1995/2025
Time: 66:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:52) 1. Fifth Dimension
(7:31) 2. The Gift
(7:50) 3. Catalyst
(7:32) 4. Seven Up
(5:41) 5. Chances
(8:08) 6. Symmetry
(7:35) 7. Steppin Out
(9:02) 8. Expressions
(6:51) 9. Blues Dues

Born in Sydney, Australia in 1957. Early Studies at Academy of the Guitar under George Golla, Sydney Conservatorium as well as jazz clinics with Jamey Aebersold, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, John Scofield & Hal Galper.

Professional work around Australia 1976-81. Prizewinner for Jazz Composition 1980 & 1982, awarded by the NSW Jazz Action Society. First record album "Peter O´Mara" released 1980, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Awarded the "Don Banks Memorial Fellowship" for overseas study. 1981 studies in New York under Dave Liebman, John Scofield, Roland Hanna, Jimmy Raney & Attila Zoller.

Moved to Munich, Germany in late 1981 and has since worked with many musicians on the European Jazz scene including... Kenny Wheeler, Jon Christensen, Joe Nay, Maria Joao, Uli Beckerhoff, John Marshall,John Taylor, Anders Jormin, Adelhard Roidinger, Randy Brecker, Rainer Brüninghaus, David Friedman, Peter Herbolzheimer, Charlie Mariano, Benny Bailey, Robben Ford, Mike Nock, Albert Manglesdorf, Ack van Rooyen, Herman Breuer, Johnny Griffin...

1995 CD "Symmetry" on GLM Records, featuring Bob Mintzer, Marc Johnson & young German drummer Falk Willis. Tour in March/April with this group to promote the CD. European festival tour with own quartet, performing at Northsea,Munich, Düsseldorf & Wiesen, Austria. , European tour & CD with "Passport". A brief return to Australia end of the year brought him together with Adam Armstrong (bass) & Andrew Gander (drums). This trio was acclaimed by Peter Jordan (SMH) as "scintillating" and O´Mara "one of our less well-known success stories...startling!"

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/peter-omara/

Personnel:

Acoustic Bass – Marc Johnson (2)

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Peter O'Mara

Drums – Falk Willis

Recorded By, Mixed By – Joe Marciano, Mike Marciano*

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bob Mintzer

Symmetry

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The Rein de Graaff trio with Herb Geller & John Marshall - Blue Lights: The Music of Gigi Gryce

Styles: Jazz

The Joe La Barbera Quintet - The Joe La Barbera Quintet Live !

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2002
Time: 70:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 160,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:04) 1. On the Q.T
(11:29) 2. Speak Softly
(10:14) 3. Evidence
( 9:17) 4. Soul Eyes
( 8:43) 5. East Broadway Rundown
( 9:41) 6. Kind of Bill (For Bill Evans)
(10:36) 7. Message from Art (For Art Blakey)

Stung too often by inscrutable contracts and creative bookkeeping, a growing number of jazz musicians are taking matters into their own hands, producing and distributing albums on their own independent labels as an alternative to the bondage in which they’ve long been held by corporate overseers. Four of these artists trumpeter Clay Jenkins, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Joe LaBarbera have come together to form Jazz Compass Records, an online label whose mandate is to “provide the serious listener with outstanding improvisational music,” presented “as they envision it, without compromise.”

This is the second Jazz Compass album I’ve heard, and each of them upholds the admirable standards expressed in that statement. Bassist Warrington, who led the other one ( Corduroy Road ), is a sideman this time with drummer LaBarbera’s quintet, recorded in concert nearly four years ago at Rocco, which I presume is a nightclub somewhere in the US (most probably California). Trumpeter Jenkins is there too, manning the front line with saxophonist Bob Sheppard, while pianist Bill Cunliffe rounds out the rhythm section. This is a roomy blowing session (the seven tracks average around ten minutes apiece) and everyone makes the most of the opportunity to stretch.

LaBarbera opens with engaging tunes by Freddie Hubbard (“On the Q.T.”), Phil Dwyer (“Speak Softly”), Thelonious Monk (“Evidence”), Mal Waldron (“Soul Eyes”) and Sonny Rollins (“East Broadway Rundown”), then wraps things up with his soulful ballad “Kind of Bill (Evans)” and swinging “Message for Art (Blakey).” Cunliffe and Sheppard (soprano) are mesmerizing on “Kind of Bill,” which salutes the drummer’s membership in Evans’ last trio, while LaBarbera is surprisingly reserved on “Blakey,” comping superbly but earmarking no solo space for himself. In fact, LaBarbera solos at length only on “Q.T.,” which he introduces with an exciting two-and-one-half-minute enfilade that prefaces cogent remarks by Cunliffe, Sheppard (tenor) and Jenkins.

Elsewhere, LaBarbera seems content to play a supporting role, which he does extremely well. Warrington, another resourceful cast member, takes an impressive solo on “Speak Softly,” with Sheppard shining again on soprano. Jenkins, whose bright sound and broad vocabulary serve him well, is featured on “Soul Eyes” as Sheppard sits that one out, returning to offer a hot-blooded impression of Rollins on “Rundown.”

This is an admirable quintet, one whose members work extremely well together and have strong voices of their own (but you probably already knew that). The excellent sound and generous 70- minute playing time help make this endorsement clear-cut and simple. By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-joe-labarbera-jazz-compass-review-by-jack-bowers

The Joe La Barbera Quintet Live !

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