RFCCBH

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen - Eleven Nights and Two Early Mornings

2012-01-30T03:53:00.000Z

Label: Amigo
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2004
Quality/Bitrate: xld-flac.cue.log
Size: 366MB(recovery 5%)

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen kommer fra Sykkylven og synger standardjazz med svake islett av både kabaret og karibisk, og hun gjør det med en selvsikkerhet som nesten er skremmende. Ikke bare det - hun skriver sangene selv også. Med en cool, men samtidig frekk - sensuell, men samtidig med sting - holdning til sitt eget stoff, synger hun silkemykt til luftig akkompagnement fra trommer, bass, piano samt en og annen blåser. Med munnen lukket nærmer skjelven i stemmen seg den karakteristiske snerten hos klassiske Billie Holiday - en klang hun mer enn gjerne kan utforske enda mer. Hør spor som «Tell Me Tomorrow», «In Your Wildest Dreams» og ikke minst «You've Got Me» og bli bergtatt!

1. There Had to Be a Song for You (3:01)
2. Strange Full Moon (4:19)
3. I Made Me Fall (4:42)
4. The Beauty of Us (4:22)
5. Tell Me Tomorrow (4:07)
6. In Your Wildest Dreams (4:44)
7. Too Hot (3:23)
8. You've Got Me (4:34)
9. Hush Little Girl (3:12)
10. Goodbye Lonesome (4:33)
11. The Sweetest Refrain (4:04)
12. What I Want for You (5:10)
13. Baby Ain't Safe (5:27)
14. Amazing Stories (3:08)

Bass [Acoustic] - Roger Williamsen
Bass, Cello - Ole Marius Melhuus
Drums - Klaus Blomvik
Percussion - Totto Hansen
Piano - Per Husby
Trumpet - Kåre Nymark Jr.
Vocals - Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen - Eleven Nights and Two Early Mornings

Connie Evingson - Some Cats Know

2012-01-27T03:37:00.000Z

Label: Minnehaha Music
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1999
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 451 MB(recovery 5%)

Just prior to Some Cats Know, Connie Evingson released Fever, her tribute album to Peggy Lee. A glance at the title of this new release might lead one to conclude that this is another album paying homage to Lee. Not at all. While there is a nod or two to the inestimable Peggy Lee, like the title tune, this album is an exhilarating, entertaining exposition of Evingson's considerable vocal skills accentuated by the presence of great veteran jazz players. Their talents, and those of the several local musicians on this session, are not wasted. A good deal of attention has been given to the arrangement of each of the songs on this varied play list. "More Than You Know" is a tour de force with Sanford Moore's funky, low-down piano providing most of the backstopping on this bluesy rendition of this tune from the 1929 musical Great Day. The tenor saxophones of Dave Karr and the legendary Chicago horn man Von Freeman engage in a musical conversation on a very upbeat "It's Alright With Me," with Sanford Moore moving in as Evingson segues into "I Love Paris." Karr's haunting flute is the musical passport to a plaintive vocal version of "Close Your Eyes." Toots Thielemans gets on board with his harmonica as he and Evingson romp through his jazz standard, "Bluesette." This tune also features Reuben Ristrom's Barry Galbraith-like guitar strumming behind Evingson, with Jimmy Hamilton's straightforward, no-nonsense piano getting a lot of play on this tune Doc Severinsen's muted trumpet joins Evingson on "I've Got the World on a String" and is also prominent on a sultry, lush version of "'Round Midnight." "More Than You Know" conjures a small, smoke-filled New York lounge with a chantuese backed by a rhythm section, with guitar. Rather than the usual swing arrangement for "Accentuate the Positive," Evingson gives it a Ray Charles treatment -- funky with an off-center beat. She is ably assisted by Al Grey's growling trombone, Sanford Moore's saloon piano, and Dave Karr's New Orleans' clarinet. This performance is one of the highlights of an album where picking a highlight is difficult. "All the Things You Are" reveals the supreme confidence these performers have in their individuality coupled with their ease in coalescing with those they share the stage with. Evingson does the lyrics in a midtempo, but Jeanne Arland Peterson's piano is comping faster than Evingson's time while Irv Williams is doing his own thing on tenor, and it works, as does every cut on the album, which is highly recommended. ~ Dave Nathan

1. Some Cats Know
2. I Love Paris / It's Alright With Me
3. Close Your Eyes
4. More Than You Know
5. Bluesette
6. I Wanna Be Loved
7. I've Got the World on a String
8. Yesterday / Yesterdays
9. Accentuate the Positive
10. All the Things You Are
11. 'Round Midnight
12. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair
13. Anthropology

Connie Evingson (vocals); Reuben Ristrom (guitar); Von Freeman, Dave Karr, Irv Williams (tenor saxophone); Doc Severinsen, Gene Adams (trumpet); Al Grey (trombone); Toots Thieleman (harmonica); Sanford Moore, Jimmy Hamilton, Jeanne Arland Peterson (piano); Jack McDuff (Hammond B-3 organ); Terry Burns, Jay Young, Godry Johnson, Gary Raynor, Ray Brown (bass); Phil Hey, Joe Pulice (drums).

Connie Evingson - Some Cats Know

Yours Truly (Gine Gaustad Anderssen and Ove Alexander Billington) - Yours Truly

2012-01-17T16:59:00.001Z

Label: Jazzaway Records
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2009
Quality/Bitrate: flac.pictures
Size: 217MB(recovery 5%)

Gine Anderssen sings "Miss Otis Regrets"

Eigen Kino | Myspace Video

Yours Truly started back in 2002. Their music has a rich, soft and modern sound with a heavy focus on improvisation. They mainly play tunes from the standard repertoire in jazz, they express a great respect for the jazz-tradition. Their next record, which was recorded in the famous Rainbow Studios in Oslo consist of several well known tunes and some not so well known ones.  In May 2008, the members of the band toured in Japan with Yasuhito Mori’s Scandinavian Connection. During the concerts they always performed some of the material from this record with great success, and there were a great demand for records from the audience during this tour.

Gine Gaustad Andersen (born in Molde – Norway, 1980) has been working as a freelance musician in- and outside Norway since 1999. During this time she has also found the time to complete a bachelor degree in music at the University of Trondheim, Norway and a master degree in jazz vocal at The School of Music and Theatre in Gothenburg, Sweden. There she studied with the renowned bass player Professor Anders Jormin. She has also been teaching vocals and improvisation at several schools in the Norway and Sweden. In recent years she has also been touring frequently with different groups in Japan, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark.

Ove Alexander Billington (born in Fredrikstad – Norway, 1979) is well known in Norway as a freelance/session musician since 1997. He has worked with several of the best Norwegian musicians like Petter Wettre, Tore Johansen, Marvin Charles, Bodil Niska and Staffan William-Olsson. He is also an experienced composer and band leader. From 2002-2006 he studied at University of Trondheim where he earned a bachelor degree in jazz piano.

Yours Truly "My Funny Valentine"

Eigen Kino | Myspace Video

1 You Must Believe In Spring
2 The Old Country
3 A Time For Love
4 But Not For Me
5 A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
6 When I Fall In Love
7 Blame It On My Youth
8 I Fall In Love Too Easily
9 My Funny Valentine
10 Miss Otis Regrets

Gine Gaustad Anderssen (Vocal)
Ove Alexander Billington (Piano)

Yours Truly - Yours Truly

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen - Divin' At The Ocean Sound

2012-01-13T19:21:00.000Z

Label: Grappa
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2011
Quality/Bitrate: flac.pictures
Size: 217MB(recovery 5%)

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen er en både travel og flink. Våren 2011hadde hun hovedrollen i musikalen "The Producers", hun vant NRKs dirigentkonkurranse "Maestro" og som ikke det var nok har hun rukket å utgi en ny CD. Vårprosjektene er imponerende i seg selv, men mest imponerende er den nye plata. Den er basert på hennes eget materiale fra tidligere utgivelser og grepet denne gangen er å spille disse live i studio. Det har hun gjort i platestudio med publikum til stede. Stedet var Oceansound på Giske og i Basses Bibliotek i Oslo. Resultatet er meget overbevisende og engasjerende. Når publikum er til stede skjer det noe med bandet og Asbjørnsen. Her spruter det av energi og spilleglede. Lydkvaliteten er av ypperste slag og hverken produsenten og mastering-folket har falt for å komprimere lydbildet. Derfor oppleves platen som en ekstremt levende og dynamisk innspilling som bokstaveligtalt swinger. Asbjørnsens kvaliteter som jazzsangerinne har hun dokumentert til gangs på sine tidligere utgivelser. På denne platen tar hun virkelig av i ordets mest positive betydning. Hun synger med autoritet, engasjement og uttrykk – alt på en svært overbevisende og nesten perfekt måte. Vokalarbeidet er det virkelig flukt over. Musikerne blomster også, og spilleglede og virtuositet smitter over på publikum. De gir spontane applaus under veis. Dette er slik jazz kan være på sitt aller beste; tilgjengelig, interessant og engasjerende! Siden Asbjørnsen har plukket det beste fra sine tidligere utgivelser står vi igjen med en utgivelse hvor det meste klaffer. "Divin' at the Oceansound" er en fantastisk musikalsk og audiofil reise med musikalske og dynamiske detaljer på gourmet nivå! Pure nytelse!

1 Yellow days
2 Autumn is near
3 Goodbye Lonesome
4 Tell me tomorrow
5 Spring song
6 Dragon fly
7 Amazing stories
8 Trans siberia
9 Birdie blues
10 It's gonna rain again

Anders Aarum - Piano
Svein Erik Martinsen - Guitar
Jens Fossum - Bass
Hilde Louise Asbjornsen - Vocal

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen - Divin' At The Ocean Sound

Yosuke Yamashita - Standards

2011-12-15T08:18:00.000Z

Label: Kitty
Styles: Piano Jazz
Original Release Date: 1996
Quality/Bitrate: flac.cue.
Size: 201MB(recovery 5%)

1. Over the Rainbow (E. Y. Harburg-H. Arlen)
2. Humoresque (A. Dvorak)
3. Tea for Two (I. Caesar-V. Youmans)
4. Rhapsody in Blue (G. Gershwin)
5. The Maiden's Prayer (B. Zewska)
6. I Loves You Porgy (I. Gershwin-D. Heyward-G. Gershwin)
7. Someone to Watch Over Me (I. Gershwin-G. Gershwin)
8. Embraceable You (I. Gershwin-G. Gershwin)

Personnel:
Yosuke Yamashita piano
Cecil McBee bass
Pheeroan Aklaff drums

Yosuke Yamashita - Standards

Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic Songs

2011-12-13T15:56:00.000Z

Label: ACT Music
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 270MB(recovery 5%)

The fifth solo release by Norwegian vocalist Solveig Slettahjell finds her in a domestic environment. This intimate album was indeed recorded at Slettahjell's home, and most of the songs feature Slettahjell's vocals with the beautiful sounding new Steinway piano that she recently purchased after winning the Norwegian Kongsberg Jazzfestival's Vital-Pris, with some spare ensemble arrangements. As such the focus is on Slettahjell's arresting warm vocal, that can stretch to a surprising range, and her wise and restrained slow motion phrasing, that charges every line with subtle, poetic nuance.

The fourteen songs are accompanied by members of Slettahjell's Slow Motion Quintet, mainly by trumpeter Sjur Milijeteig—one of a new generation of Norwegian trumpet players including Arve Henriksen and Mathias Eick—and multi-instrumentalist Peder Kjellsby, who contributes lyrics, arrangements and produced the recording. Their focus on the bare essentials only solidifies the quiet and moody environment.

But these songs do not portray an idyllic domesticity. They evoke memories, emotions, dreams and intimate ruminations, mainly about the many faces of love, but without surrendering to nostalgia. Slettahjell offers consolation in dreams on "4:30 AM, surprises in her straight-forward and innocent declaration of love in "I Do, features a more playful side of intimate relationships together with the entire ensemble on "One of These Days, and expands on her affinity to her home country, its people and scenery on "This is My People. She concludes with a quiet, sonically updated interpretation to John Lennon's "Because," with its promise that "love is all," and with a slow cover of Tom Waits' "Time, that stresses her as a sensitive and wise interpreter, but returns to the same topic and advises that "it is time that you love.

"Match Perfect," with its child-like melody, speaks about yearning for an early close and embracing surrounding. Her understated reading of American poet Dorothy Parker's "Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom" retains the sharp and careful observation of daily life of the poem, but her warm vocal lends a more life-affirming tone to Parker's words. She follows with two beautiful arrangements of traditional lullabies—a modest and simple "Bed is Too Small" and, with the full ensemble on "Baby's Bed's a Silver Moon. "Leave Me Here" offers a humble resignation about an inevitable break-up with a close one. The only vocal arrangement of the traditional lullaby "Oh, Sweetly," with her brother Olav Slettahjell, is beautiful in its fragility. Slettahjell concludes this arresting gem of a disc with "Never Forget the Good Ones, and returns to the binding theme of this recording—the close ones, inside and outside your domestic surroundings, that keep charging your vision about life.

1. 4.30 AM - Solveig Slettahjell, Kjellsby, P.
2. I Do - Solveig Slettahjell, Slettahjell, S.
3. One of These Days - Solveig Slettahjell, Miljeteig, S.
4. This Is These Days - Solveig Slettahjell, Miljeteig, S.
5. Because - Solveig Slettahjell, Lennon
6. Time - Solveig Slettahjell, Waits, T.
7. Snowfall - Solveig Slettahjell, Slettahjell, S.
8. Match Perfect - Solveig Slettahjell, Kjellsby, P.
9. Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom - Solveig Slettahjell, Miljeteig, S.
10. Bed Is Too Small - Solveig Slettahjell, Qvenild, M.
11. Baby's Bed's a Silver Moon - Solveig Slettahjell, Miljeteig, S.
12. Leave Me Here - Solveig Slettahjell, Miljeteig, S.
13. Oh, Sweetly - Solveig Slettahjell, Slettahjell, S.
14. Never Forget the Good Ones - Solveig Slettahjell, Kjellsby, P.
15. Birds and Hopes - Solveig Slettahjell, Slettahjell, S.

Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic Songs

Natalie Dessay - Vocalises

2011-12-11T15:49:00.003Z

Label: EMI Classics France
Styles: Female Vocal,Opera
Original Release Date: 1998
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.scans
Size: 348MB(recovery 5%)

1. Vocalise (Rachmaninov)
2. Salaviei - Le Rossignol (Alabiev)
3. Le Rossignol Et La Rose (Saint-Saens)
4. Les Filles De Cadix (Delibes)
5. Vocalise En Forme De Habanera (Ravel)
6. La Maya Y El Ruisenor (Granados)
7. 'Deh, Torna Mio Bene', Air & Variations (Proch)
8. Villanelle 'J'Ai Vu Passer L'Hirondelle' (Dell'Acqua)
9. Concerto Pour Soprano Colorature & Orchestre (Gliere)
10. Concerto Pour Soprano Colorature & Orchestre (Gliere)
11. Fruhlingsstimmen-Walzer ('Voix Du Printemps') (Strauss J.)

Natalie Dessay - Vocalises

Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale - Hotsy-Totsy

2011-12-09T14:51:00.000Z

Label: Linnzi Zaorski
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2004
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 342MB(recovery 5%)

Somewhere in New Orleans ninth ward is an exceptional torch singer that appears to be a cross between Cyndi Lauper and Betty Boop. Her name is Linnzi Zaorski, and in the broad field of New Orleans Jazz artists she is an extreme breath of fresh air. Her voice maybe somewhat high pitched and she might be playing it all up as camp, but Linnzi Zaorski is a unique musical commodity and her CD, 'Hotsy Totsy'is a sheer delight to listen to.

Ms. Zaorski is the kind of artist that you find standing in front of a 1940s style microphone, in a long flowing black gown, gardenia in her hair, and lighted so gently as to only see two pair of fire red lips belt out the tunes of Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, and Johnny Mercer to a smoke filled cabaret. She and her 'Hotsy Totsy'CD are a throwback to an era that many might have forgot.

1. Better Off Dead 3:50
2. Undecided 4:43
3. Hernando's Hideaway 5:36
4. It Don't Mean A Thing 3:20
5. Sugar 4:38
6. All Of Me 3:17
7. Caravan 6:12
8. If You Were Mine 4:37
9. When I Get Low 2:35
10. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 3:56
11. Nice Work If You Can Get It 3:36
12. If I Could Be With You One Hour 2:36
13. Evenin' 3:57

PERSONNEL
Linnzi Zaorski - vocals
Seva Venet - guitar
Charlie Fardella - trumpet
Robert Snow - bass
Matt Rhody - violin
Chaz Leary - washboard

Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale - Hotsy-Totsy

Johanne Blouin and Vic Vogel - Until I Met You

2011-12-07T16:55:00.003Z

Label: Justin Time Records
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2004
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 384MB(recovery 5%)

Johanne Blouin. Singer, b St-Hyacinthe, Que, 19 Sep 1955. Her mother, Lena Cushen, was a jazz singer, and her father, Claude Blouin, a trombonist who accompanied Trenet, Sinatra, Liberace, and Garland. She began to sing in night-clubs at 16. In 1980 she was a chorister in the rock opera Starmania and in Carole Laure and Lewis Furey's show Vous auriez dû mentir. In 1987 during the first week of the Semaine de la chanson française d'ici, she performed Félix Leclerc's 'Le P'tit Bonheur'. Her first LP, Merci Félix (1988, Guy Cloutier Productions PGC-904), composed entirely of songs by Leclerc and released shortly before his death, sold more than 200,000 copies and won her the Félix Award for performer of the year. Her second LP, Johanne Blouin (1989, PGC-910), featuring songs by Michel Rivard, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Louise Forestier, and Jim Corcoran, won the Félix for best pop album of 1990. 'Dors Caroline,' a song by Pierre Flynn, was first on the Radio-Activité chart in October 1989. She made a third recording in 1990, the CD Sainte Nuit (PGC-CD-914). The richness of her voice and the quality of the songwriters who wrote for her made her a much-loved singer in a remarkably short time. As Paul Cauchon wrote, 'in performance, she looks like a next-door neighbour. With a direct and easy manner, she can make the public sing as if she were in a parish hall' (Montreal Le Devoir, 22 Oct 1988).

1     Until I met you     02:46
2     Since I fell for you     03:57
3     Deedles Blues     03:11
4     You've changed     04:32
5     Besame Mucho     04:39
6     At last     03:04
7     Cry me a river     03:17
8     Some other time     03:52
9     Blues in the night     03:50
10     I get a kick out of you     02:12
11     Bewitched, bothered & bewildered     04:03
12     I can't make you love me     03:49
13     Same as you     04:00
14     Here's to life     04:27
15     Smile     03:13

Johanne Blouin and Vic Vogel - Until I Met You

Dan Nimmer Trio - Modern Day Blues

2011-12-05T15:49:00.002Z

Label: Venus Records
Styles: Piano Jazz
Original Release Date: 2010
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 459MB(recovery 5%)

Dan Nimmer was born in 1982 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An old soul in a young body, Mr. Nimmer plays with the spirit, the passion and the soul of someone who has been on the planet much longer. With prodigious technique and innate sense of swing, his playing often recalls that of his own heroes, specifically Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Erroll Garner and Art Tatum. As a young man, Mr. Nimmer's family inherited a piano and he started playing by ear; he was, if you will, "called" by the instrument. Soon, he asked his parents for some piano lessons. He then began to study classical music with pianist Barbara Bunge. It wasn't long before he was studying with jazz pianist Mark Davis at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. At the same time, he began playing gigs in Milwaukee with renowned saxophonist Berkley Fudge. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Nimmer left Milwaukee to study music at Northern Illinois University. It didn't take him long to become one of Chicago's busiest piano players. He was making his mark on the scene playing with all of the Chicago heavyweights. It was because of this that Mr. Nimmer decided to leave school following his second year and make the big move to New York City where he immediately emerged into the New York scene. After being in New York for about a year, playing with many different musicians, Mr. Nimmer got a recommendation to play in Wynton Marsalis' band. In 2005, Wynton heard him and hired him to become a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, both in which he has been member ever since.. In addition to Wynton Marsalis, Mr. Nimmer has performed and or recorded with Jimmy Cobb, Norah Jones, Dianne Reeves, George Benson, Frank Wess, Clark Terry, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Cassandra Wilson, Benny Golson, Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Ed Thigpen, Wes "Warmdaddy" Anderson, Fareed Haque and many more. Nimmer has appeared numerous times on television including the The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno, The Late Show w/ David Letterman, The View, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Kennedy Center Honors, Live From Abbey Road, Live From Lincoln Center-PBS. You can also catch him in Apple's video I-pod commercial "Sparks". He has released four of his own albums on the Venus label.

1. Blue Bossa (K.Dorham)
2. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing (S.Fain)
3. Cleopatra's Dream (B.Powell)
4. Out Of The Past (B.Golson)
5. Black Pearls (J.Coltrane)
6. Le Coiffeur (D.Gordon)
7. Wabash (C.Adderley)
8. How Could You Do A Thing Like That To Me (A.Roberts)
9. Uh Huh (H.Mobley)
10. I'm An Old Cowhand (J.Mercer)
11. Modern - Day Blues (D.Nimmer)

Dan Nimmer (piano), David Wong (bass), Pete Van Nostrand (drums)

Dan Nimmer Trio - Modern Day Blues

Carol Welsman - Swing Ladies, Swing

2011-12-03T04:03:00.004Z

Label: Welcar Music
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1999
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 355MB(recovery 5%)

This version of Carol's exciting Swing Ladies, Swing! show has been adapted for Big Band! Carol highlights several singers covering many great popular song hits of the Swing Era. She also incorporates songs from her many recordings that have now been arranged for Big Band. She recounts anecdotes about the songs and her favorite singers, and how they have inspired her. The music is elegant and rich. The arrangements are written by James Dale and Dan Bonsanti.

1. Honeysuckle Rose 3:37
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? 4:50
3. Fever 3:28
4. Never Let Me Go 5:55
5. More Than You Know 4:11
6. Cheek to Cheek 4:11
7. Black Coffee 5:08
8. Taking a Chance On Love 3:54
9. Over the Rainbow 5:02
10. If I Were a Bell 3:29
11. God Bless the Child 5:20
12. Do It Again 3:44

Carol Welsman - Swing Ladies, Swing - A Tribute to the Singers of the Swing Era

Chie Ayado — Ballads

2011-12-01T03:56:00.001Z

Label: PID
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.cover
Size: 375MB(recovery 5%)

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she's a superstar jazz performer with tens of millions recordings sold. She's so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, EWE, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado's unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

01. Amazing Grace
02. Natural Woman
03. Your Song
04. El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
05. A Time For Love
06. Everything Must Change
07. The Way We Were
08. The Rose
09. Love
10. Wonderful Tonight
11. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
12. My Funny Valentine
13. The River of No Return
14. My Way
15. Tennessee Waltz (Bonus Track)

Chie Ayado — Ballads

Patricia Petibon - French Touch

2011-11-29T03:36:00.001Z

Label: Decca
Styles: Female Vocal,Opera
Original Release Date: 2003
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 322MB(recovery 5%)

The soprano Patricia Petibon was born in Montargis, France. Already interested in the piano and fine arts as a child, she earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology at the Paris Conservatoire and then went on to study singing there with Professor Rachel Yakar, graduating with a first prize in 1995. She was discovered by the acclaimed American conductor and harpsichordist William Christie and consequently often worked with his orchestra Les Arts Florissants, an ensemble devoted to Baroque music, appearing with Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, La Scala in Milan, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Wigmore Hall in London. She has also appeared with other preeminent conductors including Fabio Biondi, Charles Dutoit, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Marc Minkowski, Sir Roger Norrington and Christophe Rousset. Patricia Petibon has been awarded three Victoires de la musique classique – as “Best Young Talent” in 1998 and as “Best Opera Singer” in 2001 and 2003.

In 1996 she made a successful debut at the Opéra de Paris in Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, and subsequently appeared in a variety of roles including Blonde in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Olympia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. She has performed at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the opera houses in Lyon and Nancy, the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse and in Strasbourg, following with debuts at the Opéra Bastille in Paris in Massenet’s Manon, the Zurich Opera as Blonde and the Vienna State Opera as Olympia and Sophie. In 2006 she made her role debut as Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in Nancy and in 2007 she appeared as Olympia at the Paris Opéra Bastille and as Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. Highlights of 2008 include the roles of Camille in Hérold’s Zampa at the Opéra Comique in Paris, the Duchess Carolina in the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda by Federico Moreno Torroba at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna alongside Plácido Domingo and Offenbach’s Olympia in Geneva.

The soprano has also performed numerous Baroque opera roles, including Phani and Zima in Rameau’s Les Indes galantes under William Christie at the Paris Opéra Bastille, Dalinda in Ariodante conducted by Marc Minkowski and Amor in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice under Sir John Eliot Gardiner at the reopening of the Théâtre du Châtelet. A particular success was her performance as Zelmira in Haydn’s Armida at the Vienna Musikverein, with Cecilia Bartoli and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She has since worked frequently with Harnoncourt, appearing under his baton as Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor in Salzburg and in Vienna’s Musikverein, Giunia in Mozart’s Lucio Silla at the Theater an der Wien, Angelica in Haydn’s Orlando paladino at the Styriarte Festival in Graz and Worldliness in Mozart’s Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots in the Theater an der Wien, Lucerne and Salzburg.

2009 saw her in Handel’s Alcina in Milan’s La Scala, in Mozart’s Mitridate at the Theater an der Wien, as Despina in Così fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival, as well as in concert performances as Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide in Vienna and Bremen. Plans for 2010 include her debut as Luluin Geneva followed by further productions of Berg’s opera in Barcelona and at the Salzburg Festival.

Patricia Petibon is also frequently heard as a recitalist. She appeared at the Salzburg Festival 2006 together with Michael Schade and the actor Tobias Moretti in a special Mozart programme of arias and selected texts; in 2007 she could be heard in Vienna, Luxembourg and Japan, in 2008 she went on a recital tour of Japan and appeared with Concentus Musicus Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt in a programme of arias by Haydn and Mozart in Vienna and Luxembourg and with Concerto Köln singing arias by Gluck, Haydn and Mozart in Strasbourg, Paris, Versailles and Cologne. In 2009 she presented a French Baroque programme with William Christie in Paris, Versailles, Metz and London; Vivaldi and Handel in Rennes and Paris; Haydn, Gluck and Mozart with the Basle Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland and Munich; she was also heard in recital in Strasbourg, Tokyo and at the Salzburg Festival. In 2010 she will sing Orff’s Carmina burana under Daniel Harding in Munich, Mozart’s Il sogno di Scipione under Harnoncourt in Vienna and a programme featuring Italian Baroque arias with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and Andrea Marcon in Schwetzingen and Paris. Her recital venues will include Vienna, Geneva, Aix-en-Provence and London.

In 2008 Patricia Petibon signed an exclusive recording agreement with Deutsche Grammophon. Her debut album, Amoureuses – arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck with Concerto Köln and Daniel Harding –, was released in autumn 2008 and won 2009’s BBC Music Magazine Award for “Best Opera Album”. She is also to be seen and heard on the DVD A Mozart Gala from Salzburg, which features such renowned Deutsche Grammophon stars as Anna Netrebko and Magdalena Kožená. 2010 sees the release of her latest recording, Rosso, an album of Italian Baroque arias accompanied by the Venice Baroque Orchestra and conducted by Andrea Marcon.

01 - Roméo et Juliette: "Ah, je veux vivre dans ce reve"
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 3:31

02 - Fortunio: L'orsque j'etais enfant
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 2:14

03 - L'Amour masqué - operetta: J'ai deux amants
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 3:08

04 - Les filles de Cadix
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 5:16

05 - Lakmé: Viens, Mallika, ... Dôme épais (Flower Duet)
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Karine Deshayes [Mezzo-Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 5:39

06 - Lakmé: Où va la jeune Indoue (Bell song)
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 6:13

07 - Manon: Adieu, notre petite table
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 2:17

08 - Manon: Je marche sur les chemins
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Choeur de l'Opera National de Lyon [Chorus] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 5:23

09 - Cendrillon - opera in 4 acts: Ah! douce enfant, ta plainte légère (Air de la fée)
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 8:33

10 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann: "Les oiseaux dans la charmille"
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Choeur de l'Opera National de Lyon [Chorus] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 6:40

11 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Entr'acte (Barcarolle) - "Messieurs, silence!" - "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour"
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Karine Deshayes [Mezzo-Soprano] / Choeur de l'Opera National de Lyon [Chorus] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 3:32

12 - L'Etoile: Romance de l'etoile
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Choeur de l'Opera National de Lyon [Chorus] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 3:49

13 - L'Etoile: Enfin je me sens mieux (Couplets de Lazuli)
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 1:28

14 - Brummel: Couplets de Lady Eversharp
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 3:14

15 - Je t'aime: Je t'aime
Patricia Petibon [Soprano] / Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon [Orchestra] / Yves Abel [Conductor] 4:03

Patricia Petibon - French Touch

Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons

2011-11-27T05:06:00.001Z

Label: Jazzland
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2010
Quality/Bitrate: xld - flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 308 MB(recovery 5%)

On this, her Norwegian Grammy nominated sixth album, Solveig's voice, mellow, sometimes breathy, sometimes almost crystalline in its clarity, rests within the folds of a warm, full-bodied music. It could almost feel like a cool stream flowing through a lush valley. Blues and gospel influences throw both light and shade on her beautifully measured performances on this collection of songs. From opening to close, it is not difficult to hear why Solveig is one of Norway's most lauded vocalists.

The music itself is an organic, breathing force, multi-textured, and often positioning elements that should feel misplaced in such a way as to feel like there could have been no other option. All the songs are new compositions by Solveig, Sjur Miljeteig and Per Oddvar Johansen, with some of the words based upon or taken directly from the American poet, Emily Dickinson.

The blue jazz overtones of the songs are underpinned by lo-fi electronica (with an unexpected feeling of necessity in "How They Shine" that is counterpointed by Sjur Miljeteig's near-formant trumpet playing), and grungy guitars (creeping in throughout the album, making a strange beauty from sounds that sometimes tilt very close to pure noise).

All this comes with dissonant sounds from a variety of sources that magically become harmonic, little snatches of mellotron flutes, glitchy analog synths, British Colliery Brass Band swells (notably on "Your River", which - at its peak - somehow manages to sound like a Wally Stott arrangement for Scott Walker is happening in the room downstairs!), and countless other unexpected textural elements.

This is a rich feast of beautifully composed soundscapes, and indeed - to paraphrase Emily Dickinson, whose presence is both ethereal and literal throughout the album - "Tarpan Seasons" gives the unmistakeable feeling that it is mapping a "landscape of the spirit". And while the prevailing voices of the music are emanating from jazz, blues, and gospel, there are distinct traces of Tom Waits-like New Orleans gumbo (as in the opening song, "Precise Content" that evolves steadily until Solveig is accompanied by a full male voice chant; in "Visit", one of the songs where Emily Dickinson's words are placed in a surprising new context; and in the Per Oddvar Johansen composition, "The Ballad of Jimmi Crawler", held steady by Andreas Ulvo's organ-chords, while Morten Qvenild's harp provides the digression from the norm); Country Music ("December Song" in particular, with its country waltz spirit, although the textures created by Morten Qvenild's Marxophone, Per Oddvar Johansen's bowed saw, Sjur Miljeteig's brass swells and Even Hermansen's tremelo guitar take it somewhere completely new; yet Andreas Ulvo's organ, both here and elsewhere, maintain the country feeling); and moments of Post-Rock anthem (notably "Your River", where after several listens, it's difficult not to sing along; and in "Be Steady" which begins like a late night dark side of the mood jazz bar classic before unravelling itself majestically into a true show-stopping moment with Solveig's voice soaring free above).

The arrangements sidestep well-trodden paths of blue jazz to include the kind of drama found in the music of Angelo Badalamenti and even the quasi-minimalist broken textures of late Talk Talk. By contrast, the near-whimsical "You Go I Go" displays Solveig's voice in multiple layers and harmonies - harmonies so precise they feel like a single voice - while hiding traces of a chain-gang chant beneath its lighter lyrics. "Into The Night" carries a stumbling chord pattern on baritone guitar and organ, each change like a new surprise, some more unexpected than others, resolving into a memorable chorus. Sjur Miljeteig's contributions to this album cannot be underestimated, but it is on "Three Hearts In A Bowl" that his playing is given the full expanse of a remarkable solo to shine. "Right As Rain" begins with expressionistic evocations of raindrops by Jo Berger Myhre's bass - Sjur Miljeteig's solo and Even Hermansen's growling guitar suggest that perhaps everything might not be right as rain before the song changes into a displaced middle-8 filled with a greater optimism and reassurance that everything is as it should be after all. "A Day" closes the album, a tranquil song, where the finals words are again those of Emily Dickinson. It is the essence of a single day carefully wrought in simple words and music, with a wonderfully understated vocal by Solveig.

For those familiar with Solveig's previous outings, there will be many moments that surprise and delight in equal measure, as this album marks a very distinct growth in new directions - but a growth stemming from familiar territory. For newcomers, the rest of us can only envy the experience that awaits them.

1. Precise Content
2. The Ballad of Jimmy Crawler
3. Your river
4. How They Shine
5. Right as Rain
6. December Song
7. Three Hearts in a Bowl
8. Into the Night
9. Visit
10. You Go I Go
11. Be Steady
12. A Day

Solveig Slettahjell: vocals
Sjur Miljeteig: trumpet
Even Heltense Herman: guitar
Morten Qvenild: piano, electronics
Jo Berger Myhre: bass
Per Oddvar Johansen: drums, electronics

Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons

Antonio Adolfo e Carol Saboya - Ao Vivo (Live)

2011-11-25T18:13:00.000Z

Label: Points South
Styles: Piano Jazz,Bossa Nova
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 411MB(recovery 5%)

01 Abertura (Ouverture) - Rhapsody in Blue, Aquarela do Brasil, Garota de Ipanema (Tom Jobim/ Vinicius de Moraes/ George Gershwin/ Ary Barroso) 03:23
02 Você e Eu (Carlos Lyra/ Vinicius de Moraes) 03:34
03 Fotografia (Tom Jobim) 03:59
04 Meu Limão, Meu Limoeiro / De Onde Vem o Baião / O Cantador (Folklore/ Gilberto Gil/ Dori Caymmi/ Nelson Motta) 04:40
05 Bonita (Tom Jobim/ Ray Gilbert) 03:28
06 Canto de Ossanha (Baden Powell/ Vinicius de Moraes) 04:30
07 Carinhoso / Bambino - Você Me Dá (Ernesto Nazareth/ Catulo da Paixão Cearense/ Pixinguinha/ João de Barro) 07:45
08 Insensatez (Tom Jobim/ Vinicius de Moraes) 04:21
09 Wave (Tom Jobim) 04:00
10 Passarim / Chovendo na Roseira (Tom Jobim/ Tom Jobim) 05:51
11 Sa Marina (Antonio Adolfo/ Tibério Gaspar) 03:13
12 Milagre (Dorival Caymmi) 04:39
13 Corrida de Jangada (Edu Lobo/ José Carlos Capinam) 03:24

When we began to develop the repertory and the overall conception of the show Bossa Nova Forever, that originated this album, Carol and I desired to pay tribute to Bossa, to Samba Jazz and to that one with whom I had worked and had moments of great musical happiness: Elis Regina. We also wanted to combine all that with the repertory Carol had recorded on her four CDs in Brazil and two others for Japan, in addition to the repertory from shows we had done, mostly outside of Brazil.

We rehearsed only twice with the musicians, Claudio Spiewak (acoustic and electric guitars), Gabriel Vivas (double bass), and Carlomagno Araya (drums).

During the show, we played freely and happily, not imagining that it would become a record. And it is that which is stimulating and really differentiates live and studio recording.

I began with an improvisation (Ouverture), demonstrating a healthy connection between Rhapsody in Blue, Aquarela do Brasil and Garota de Ipanema, with quotations from the works, and, I believe, a surprise, because in the moment that it seems we would come in with Garota de Ipanema, we play Voce e eu, a song by my master and godfather Carlos Lyra with his lyricist partner Vinicius de Moraes. There is a magnificent solo by the Brazilian guitarist Claudio Spiewak, who has settled in Florida.

Next, Carol enters, snapping her fingers. She is accompanied in the introduction by the Venezuelan bassist Gabriel Vivas; afterwards the rest of the quartet enters one by one. The song is Fotografia, in a swing style as it was originally recorded and became well known.

From there we go on to folk music, with the beautiful Meu limao, meu limoeiro, with an arrangement based on that of Mauricio Maestro for Carol's recording Sessao Passatempo, directed by Herminio Bello de Carvalho. It mixes the folk theme with a swinging tune full of charm, De onde vem o baiao, by Gilberto Gil, finishing with a quote from O cantador by Dori Caymmi and Nelson Motta.

The audience seems relaxed, in the groove, and in the next number, in an introspective mood, Carol presents Bonita, recorded with Nelson Faria on a disc she made for Lumiar and produced by Almir Chediak, as a homage to Jobim in 1998. I play an introduction with notes leading the harmony with descending and ascending half steps, which is one of the characteristics of the songs of master Antonio Carlos Jobim. We play the first section, and then the other musicians join us. Here everything is very jazzy in a total Bossa Nova synthesis.

Then comes Canto de Ossanha, by the genial partners Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, in a competent and most animated arrangement, like the one who created it, the Bossa Nova master Oscar Castro-Neves. We had played this arrangement a year before at Lincoln Center in New York, in a show with Carol, Paulo Jobim, Oscar, and others.

Carol then passes the ball to me, and in the same number I play two beautiful pieces which transcend any style, while being able to be placed in the ample line of Bossa Nova, owing to the richness of their melodies and harmonies and the strengths of their creators: the masters Pixinguinha and Nazareth, who composed, respectively, Carinhoso and Bambino. And speaking of masters, I follow with a performance of one of the most beautiful songs I know, Insensatez, by Jobim, which features a bass solo interposed with modulations of key led by the piano.

Back on stage again, Carol sings Wave, by Jobim, in my arrangement, whose ending I took from the one we did for Elis in the shows in '68 and '69. Carol plays with the audience in the middle of the arrangement and scats. The audience seems to vibrate.

And then comes one of the big moments of the show: Carol sings unaccompanied another arrangement by Mauricio Maestro, taken from the recording Sessao Passatempo, the beautiful Passarim. The quartet enters as she begins the no less lovely Chovendo na roseira, both by mestre Antonio Carlos Jobim.

An interpretation of Sa Marina, a song recorded by Carol on her second Japanese record, this time with an arrangement by me, one of the writers of the song, with an insertion in the intermezzo taken from the beautiful arrangement Luiz Avellar made for Carol, prepares the way for the last two numbers of the show to follow. Milagre, a most beautiful composition by the immortal Dorival Caymmi, recorded for a record Carol made for Japan, is followed finally by Corrida de jangada, by Edu Lobo and Capinam, in an arrangement imported from that which we created and played many times with Elis Regina.

Lots of applause and much commemoration.

Upon hearing the recording, we resolved to register and share this natural moment which appened on a night of great energy and happiness. Even knowing that we could not count on the resources of a super production for live recording, in which one records a show at least two or three times, we knew we could make a CD, one with no retakes; (Carol's performance remains intact, just as she sang there, at that time). We could make a CD for whoever wants to travel musically with us.

Antonio Adolfo e Carol Saboya - Ao Vivo (Live)

Boz Scaggs - But Beautiful

2011-11-24T14:52:00.000Z

Label: Mailboat
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2003
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.covers
Size: 341MB(recovery 5%)

In keeping with the cool, sophisticated image he's cultivated going back to his SILK DEGREES days back in the '70s, Boz Scaggs takes a whack at the great American songbook with BUT BEAUTIFUL, STANDARDS: VOLUME 1. Showing young bucks like Michael Cincotti and Michael Buble a trick or two, Scaggs takes up with pianist/arranger Paul Nagle and company for time well spent with some of the greatest composers of standards.

When he's not offering a lightly phrased delivery of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," the dashing vocalist is taking a delicate trip through the Gershwins' "How Long Has This Been Going On." Somewhere, Frank Sinatra is smiling as this Ohio native also takes a winning crack at numbers closely associated with the Chairman's oeuvre, including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," the title cut, and "I Should Care." Aided by the laid-back accompaniment of his accomplished sidemen, Scaggs sets the kind of mood you'll find in a dark, cozy cocktail lounge right around last call, complete with the hint of lingering smoke and clinking glasses.

1 What's New?
2 Never Let Me Go
3 How Long Has This Been Going On?
4 Sophisticated Lady
5 But Beautiful
6 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
7 Easy Living
8 I Should Care
9 You Don't Know What Love Is
10 For All We Know

Boz Scaggs - vocals
Jason Lewis - drums
Eric Crystal - saxophone
Paul Nagel - piano

Boz Scaggs - But Beautiful

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Miss Smith To You

2011-11-21T03:58:00.000Z

Label: Fat Note
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2009
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 411MB(recovery 5%)

With her vintage dresses and unabashedly sexy posturing, Lavay Smith evokes a bygone era, one when jazz was for dancing rather than for sitting and ing to, and when jump blues hadn't yet been displaced by rock & roll. The other thing that is unabashed about Smith is her repertoire, which on her third album consists primarily of standards -- and not just any standards, but songs so familiar they border on period cliche: "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "'Deed I Do," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," even (heaven help us) "When the Saints Go Marching In." What can justify a program like this is any combination of the following: innovative arrangements; tremendous energy; a voice that either surprises or simply knocks down the walls; or undeniable chops. All of those elements are in evidence in various combinations throughout Miss Smith to You. Smith's voice is a very fine thing, powerful and flexible, capable of both purring insinuation and brazen assertion, and always full of joy. Her band is, if anything, even better: pianist Chris Siebert has created brilliant arrangements that combine comfortably mainstream principles of horn voicing with subtly crafty articulations and filigrees that tend not to assert themselves brassily, but rather lurk in the background for you to discover if you make the effort to for them. The three original songs are almost as good as the classics that make up the rest of the program, which is high praise indeed. ~ Rick Anderson

1. Miss Brown To You
2. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
3. Daddy
4. With My Man
5. I'm Not Evil
6. 'Deed I Do
7. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
8. Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)
9. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
10. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
11. Jumpin' In The Morning
12. When The Saints Go Marching In

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Miss Smith To You

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin Bout Miss Thing

2011-11-18T06:34:00.000Z

Label: Comet
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2005
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.cover
Size: 465MB(recovery 5%)

If you like swinging big-band blues, this is a no-lose proposition. The eight-member backup outfit consists of jazz veterans who have played with giants like Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington; lead singer Smith, a kid by comparison, only sounds as if she lived through the big-band era. Half a dozen of the San Francisco group's sparkling originals fit right in with classics first popularized by the likes of Helen Humes, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, and Count Basie. The spirited performances benefit from first-rate musicianship, a sense of humor, and the group's refusal to try to update the genre they call home. As they prove on every one of the 16 tracks, this music works just as well today as it did in the '20s, '30s, '40s, and '50s.

1 The Busy Woman's Blues 6:12
2 Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing 3:11
3 Big Fine Daddy 4:06
4 Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You? 5:06
5 Now or Never 3:46
6 I've Got a Feelin' 3:41
7 Roll the Boogie 3:59
8 Honey Pie 4:10
9 I Want a Little Boy 6:10
10 Blow Me a Fat Note 3:25
11 Voo-It 5:06
12 He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped 3:32
13 Hootie Blues 4:06
14 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? 5:15
15 Sent for You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today) 4:11
16 Winter Wonderland 2:20

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers: Lavay Smith (vocals); Charlie Siebert (guitar); Jules Broussard (alto & tenor saxophone); Bill Stewart (alto saxophone); Ron Stallings (tenor & baritone saxophone); Herman Riley (tenor saxophone); Allen Smith, Bill Ortiz (trumpet); Marty Wehner, Danny Armstrong (trombone); Chris Siebert (piano); Bing Nathan (string bass); Sly Randolph, Mark Lee (drums); Jesus Diaz (bongos); Michael Spiro (congas).

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin Bout Miss Thing

Halie Loren - They Oughta Write a Song

2011-11-16T12:19:00.000Z

Label: White Moon Productions
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2008
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.covers
Size: 406MB(recovery 5%)

They Oughta Write a Song sees the 24-year-old Halie Loren getting back to her roots as a jazz singer. The album consists of 13 tracks, including not only jazz standards, but three originals and a half-handful of "jazzified" classic covers. Those new to jazz would be hard-pressed to tell one from the other, so deftly do Loren and her backing band—pianist Matt Treder, bassist Mark Schneider, percussionist Brian West and trumpeter Tim McLaughlin on trumpet—dive in and make themselves home in a sea of lush, jazzy warmth.

The opening title track sounds like a standard (and, if there is any sense of fairness in the world, it will be someday) but is actually an original, co-written by Loren at the tender age of 18 in Nashville. The other two originals, "How Should I Know?" and "I Don't Miss It That Much" sound remarkably similar to tracks from the soundtrack to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil(1997), but are likewise a well-balanced mixture of classic jazz and modern sass.

Loren's interpretation of non-jazz classics is equally competent, taking familiar songs from other genres and reinterpreting them in novel ways. Procol Harem's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" dials back the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" vibe and replaces it with something smokier, sassier, and quite different. Pete Seeger's "My Rainbow Race" loses the folksy focus and goes a bit more Latin, with percussion and bass underlining Loren's thick, rich vocals. Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" gets a somewhat less melancholy interpretation, retaining the song's soulful wistfulness while adding a bit more bounce and sway.

The bulk of the album, however, is composed of jazz standards, which necessarily draw comparisons with other such covers. "Autumn Leaves," covered by everyone from Nat King Cole to Paula Cole, is, by way of comparison, minimalist. While other versions of the song contain layers of instrumentation—Paula Cole's version, on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Warner Bros., 1997) soundtrack, even adds percussion to mimic the sound of rustling leaves—here it's just Loren and Treder, voice and piano, boiling the song down to its basics. Osvaldo Farres' "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" appears as well, sung half in Spanish and half in English and, while clocking in at about the same length as Cake's cover on Fashion Nugget(Capricorn, 1996), is distinctly more traditional and definitely sexier.

George Gershwin's "Summertime" is also worth a special mention. Originally composed for Porgy and Bess (1935), the jazz standard has been covered by everyone from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Janis Joplin, always serving to frame each singer's particular vocal talents regardless of instrumentation—Joplin's mournful shrieks atop electric guitar; Fitzgerald's warmth contrasted with Armstrong's growl. Here, Loren's clear-as-a-bell lilt and tease is half "drifting off to sleep" lullaby and half "stay up till sunrise" striptease, allowing her to make the song her own.

1. They Oughta Write a Song 3:06
2. A Whiter Shade of Pale 4:43
3. Blue Skies 3:36
4. Autumn Leaves 3:50
5. Fever 4:07
6. God Bless the Child 6:13
7. My Rainbow Race 3:27
8. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps 2:21
9. How Should I Know 3:58
10. Summertime 5:07
11. I Don't Miss It That Much 2:50
12. The Dock of the Bay 4:51
13. As Time Goes By 4:34

Personnel:
Halie Loren: vocals;
Matt Treder: piano, keys;
Mark Schneider: bass;
Brian West: drums;
Tim McLaughlin: trumpet.

Halie Loren - They Oughta Write a Song

Rebecca Martin - When I Was Long Ago

2011-11-14T06:45:00.000Z

Label: Sunnyside Records
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2010
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 234MB(recovery 5%)

Rebecca Martin's vocals are like Modigiliani portraits. They share a sharply honed, less-is-more sensibility that, paradoxically, adds to their depth, their denseness and their haunting aftereffects. Martin has covered standards before, most recently and notably as guest artists on the fourth volume of Paul Motian's exceptional On Broadway series. Then, as now, by reducing them to their essence and allowing them to gradually unfurl, she enables remarkably fresh perspectives. Consider, for instance, how she strips away the pathos that habitually envelops "For All We Know" and, led by Bill McHenry's luring sax, reveals a sensuous fatalism that is far more cunning. Then listen to how craftily she intensifies the ache of "Lush Life" by inverting the expected path, tracing the hollows rather than riding the swells. And appreciate how she brightens the sweet optimism of "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" not, as is too often the case, with blinding sunniness, but with a gentle contentment that seems shaped of slow-floating clouds.

Exceptional as all eight of the album's standards are, it is the two least-familiar tracks that prove most affecting, in contrasting ways. First is "Cheer Up Charlie" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, solely propelled by Larry Grenadier's bass and sung with pure, naked devotion to Martin and Grenadier's infant son, Charlie. It is immediately followed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's menacingly atmospheric "Low Key Lightly" from the Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack, imbued by Martin with wistful, world-weary discernment and impishly retitled "Lucky in Love."
- Christopher Loudon

01. For All We Know (4:10)
02. But Not For Me (5:49)
03. Lush Life (5:42)
04. No Moon At All (4:37)
05. Charlie Sings... (0:36)
06. Cheer Up Charlie (2:57)
07. Low Key Lightly (Lucky In Love) (4:50)
08. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (2:54)
09. Someone To Watch Over Me (5:11)
10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (4:03)
11. Willow Weep For Me (5:24)

Personnel:

Rebecca Martin - Voice
Larry Grenadier - Bass
Bill McHenry - Tenor, Alto and Soprano Saxophones

Rebecca Martin - When I Was Long Ago

Chet Baker - Silent Nights: A Christmas Jazz Album

2011-11-12T14:10:00.000Z

Label: Varrick
Styles: Cool Jazz
Original Release Date: 1987
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.covers
Size: 232MB(recovery 5%)

1. Silent Night - 2:50
2. The First Noel - 2:06
3. We Three Kings - 2:27
4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - 2:01
5. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen - 3:57
6. Amazing Grace - 3:36
7. Come All Ye Faithful - 4:28
8. Joy to the World - 2:40
9. Amen - 1:41
10. It Came upon a Midnight Clear - 1:57
11. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - 3:24
12. Silent Night - 4:03

A nice outing for Baker. He has a good supporting cast and some fresh arrangements of traditional Christmas songs and spirituals.

Chet Baker - Trumpet
Christopher Mason - Alto Sax
Mike Pellara - Piano
Jim Singleton - Bass
Johnny Vidacovich - Drums

Chet Baker - Silent Nights

Richie Beirach - Some Other Time: A Tribute To Chet Baker

2011-11-11T04:01:00.001Z

Label: Triloka
Styles: Cool Jazz
Original Release Date: 1990
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 339MB(recovery 5%)

Recorded a year after Chet Baker's death, this tribute album (which was organized by pianist Richie Beirach) features trumpeter Randy Brecker, tenor-great Michael Brecker, guitarist John Scofield, Beirach, bassist George Mraz and drummer Adam Nussbaum on material associated with Baker. Actually Beirach contributed five of the ten songs and, since Baker rarely if ever performed three of them, this session's purpose gets watered down a bit. However the solos are generally of high quality and the music of this modern mainstream session holds one's interest throughout.

1         Broken Wing     5:44
2         Sunday Song     6:53
3         Alone Together     6:04
4         Young & Foolish     6:27
5         Leaving     6:02
6         In Your Own Sweet Way     7:57
7         Some Other Time     6:20
8         Inborn     6:58
9         Paradox     6:48
10         My Funny Valentine     4:43

    * Bass – George Mraz
    * Drums – Adam Nussbaum
    * Guitar – John Scofield
    * Piano – Richie Beirach
    * Saxophone [Tenor] – Michael Brecker
    * Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker

Richie Beirach - Some Other Time: A Tribute To Chet Baker

Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys - Put a Flavor to Love

2011-11-05T06:34:00.000Z

Label: Coeur De Jeanette
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2002
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log
Size: 365MB(recovery 5%)

Contains obscure, naughty and lovely songs from the 1910s, 20s and 30s, with soulful, rustic and authentically inspired interpretations of early 20th century hot-jazz, late ragtime, ballads, blues and novelty tunes. Chock full of lovely adornments and alluring vintage photos from Janet's collection.Janet Klein and her distinctive musician pals bring to life 22 rare, diverse and lively songs from the 1910's, 20's and 30's with Janet's third and most ambitious CD: PUT A FLAVOR TO LOVE.. The charming Ms. Klein and her band The Parlor Boys deliver a bundle of spirited and inspired renditions of cleverly fun but forgotten Tin Pan Alley, early hot jazz, saucy bits and late ragtime gems. Adding to the band's already extensive performing repertoire of early jazz tunes these merry-makers zestfully branch into obscure vaudeville and Vitaphone numbers, Hawaiian, Yiddish and French knock-out ballads. The CD's 22 song selections of rich musical heritage are once again gorgeously packaged, inspired by early 20th century ephemera and designed by Janet and friends.PUT A FLAVOR TO LOVE is a feast for the ears, eyes and heart!Included songs of note are: Put A Flavor to Love, written and originally rendered only as a test pressing by the unique clarinetist and vaudeville contortionist Wilton Crawley, diamond in the ruff bluesy Troubled Waters once performed by Mae West, two delightful but obscure Vitaphone numbers Lambchops, originally performed by George Burns and Gracie Allen, and anomalous Biscuit Medley, which survived only as a soundtrack to a lost film.Also lost and found are Hurry on Down which was banned from radio broadcast in the 30's, Ian Whitcomb's Uncle Stanley Dameroll's wonderfully quirky song Fairy On The Clock, Janet's oy tipsy rendition of the Klezmir/Hawaiian novelty tune Yiddish Hula Boy, and two beautiful ballads, the wistful Nuages, a Django Reinhardt tune featuring rarely performed French lyrics and the stunningly sublime All My Life originally recorded by a 19 year old Ella Fitzgerald in the early 30's will leave you spellbound and swooning.

1. Put a Flavor to Love 4:25
2. Troubled Waters 4:22
3. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight 2:59
4. My Bundle of Love 2:43
5. Happy Feet 3:45
6. Red Hot Flo From Ko-ko-mo 3:29
7. Biscuit Medley 5:08
8. Cotton Picker Rag 2:18
9. Hurry On Down 2:44
10. I'm Tired of Everything but You 3:06
11. When Jenny Does Her Lowdown Dance 3:15
12. Sittin' On a Rubbish Can 2:42
13. All My Life 3:37
14. Monmartre 3:03
15. Nuages 5:46
16. Fairy On the Clock 2:30
17. I'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Look 1:17
18. I Like You 2:28
19. Yiddish Hula Boy (Becky I Ain't Coming Back) 2:59
20. Lambchops (Do You Believe Me?) 2:59
21. Mestizia 3:06
22. Smile Your Bluesies Away 3:05

Janet Klein – Vocal & Ukulele
Parlor Boys
Benny Brydern * Violin and Stroh Violin
Corey Gemme * Cornet & trombone
Marquis Howell * Stand-Up Bass
Brad Kay * Piano
Tom Marion * Guitar
John Reynolds * National Steel Guitar, Plectrum Banjo, whistling and vocal
Dan Weinstein * Trombone, Cornet & Violin
Ian Whitcomb * Accordion, Ukulele, Piano and Vocal
Randy Woltz * Piano, Xylophone, Percussion and Vibraphone

Musician Guest Artists
Chloe Feoranzo * Alto, Tenor & C-Melody Sax, Clarinet
Daniel Glass * Vintage Drums and Percussion
Dan Levinson * C-Melody Sax and Clarinet
Robert Loveless * Marxophone, Uklin and Mandolin

Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys - Put a Flavor to Love

Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky

2011-11-02T03:49:00.000Z

Label: 788200
Styles: Female Vocal ,Indie
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 235MB(recovery 5%)

Miss Li's second album appeared a mere six months after her first, and it's cut from similar cloth, with ten more songs of the mongrel musical theater pop that's this impish Swedish songbird's version of cabaret jazz. The most notable differences this time out are a couple of unconvincing stabs at political/social commentary -- the snarky "I'm Glad I'm Not a Proud American" and "Kings and Queens" (sample lyric: "Rich men in pretty suits aren't meant to make up all the rules/when all they really care about is guns and bombs and bigger boobs") -- and a few halfway decent ballads, which could almost be affecting if Li had a bit more vocal restraint. Her charm, such as it is, stems from her campy amateurism, which is infectious enough to sell hammy numbers like "I'm Sorry, He's Mine," an ode to stealing a friend's man that one could imagine Lily Allen sinking her snide little teeth into, and bouncy trifles like "All I Need Is You." But frankly, unlike the similarly precocious (and prolific) Nellie McKay, with whom she shares more than a few influences, Li doesn't really seem to have the originality, songwriting talent, or charismatic spark to make you care when she tries to get a bit
more serious.

1. Let her go 2:19
2. All I need is you 1:51
3. I'm glad I'm not a proud American 3:05
4. Don't try to fool me 3:41
5. Autumn cold 2:05
6. I'm sorry, he's mine 2:55
7. The songs we used to sing 3:44
8. Kings & Queens 2:11
9. The happy sinner 4:58
10. A song about me and a boy 6:49

Personnel
Miss Li (Linda Carlsson) - vocal
Pelle Halvarsson - cello
Sonny Boy Gustafsson - guitar, piano, percussion

Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky

Linnzi Zaorski - Hot Wax and Whiskey

2011-10-30T10:14:00.000Z

Label: Linnzi Zaorski
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 275MB(recovery 5%)

Hot Wax and Whiskey reviewGambit Weekly 10/13/07Ninth Ward chanteuse Linnzi Zaorski is a familiar and beguiling sight, holding down the stage anywhere cocktails are served. With vintage mic and dresses, and a gardenia tucked into her platinum locks, it's hard to separate her live appeal from the supper-club set dressing aspect. Live, she turns a barroom into a speakeasy with a wink and a whisper. On the record, her light, girlish voice and Delta Royale band turn out standards with aplomb. It's tough to make a mark on swinging standards like 'Bei Meir Bist Du Schoen," and on emotionally drenched tracks like 'Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" and Billie Holiday's aching 'Good Morning Heartache," but Zaorski, along with other familiar downtown faces like Rob Wagner on sax and the fresh touch of Washboard Chaz on a few tracks " did Glenn Miller have a washboard? " does admirably. Sweet and a little spicy, Zaorski adds a kick to a familiar recipe, but for the full effect, catch her after dark with a drink in your hand. --Alison Fensterstock

1 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 2:14
2 The Object Of My Affection 3:29
3 I Hate Myself (For Being Mean To You) 3:58
4 This Can't Be Love 2:45
5 Good Morning Heartache 5:02
6 How Deep Is The Ocean 3:15
7 Rhythm In Me 2:08
8 It's Too Hot For Words 2:05
9 Just One Of Those Things 3:13
10 You Turned The Tables On Me 3:14
11 Deed I Do 2:23
12 The Lady In Red 3:59
13 Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen 3:48
14 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans 3:30

     * Bass – Robert Snow
    * Clarinet – Bruce Brackman
    * Guitar – Matt Johnson
    * Saxophone – Rob Wagner
    * Trumpet – Charlie Fardella
    * Violin – Matt Rhody
    * Vocals – Linnzi Zaorski

Linnzi Zaorski - Hot Wax and Whiskey

Bethany and Rufus - 900 Miles

2011-10-28T10:02:00.000+01:00

Label: HYENA Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: January 30, 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log
Size: 238MB(recovery 5%)

“Unbelievable!” is the word most used by audiences when first hearing Bethany & Rufus whose cello and voice duo breaks new musical ground, sliding with seamless ease between groove, jazz and a gritty, unvarnished approach to traditional folk music. With its often exuberant and sometimes achingly sad songs, their debut CD, “900 MILES” blends Bethany Yarrow’s hauntingly beautiful yet explosively powerful voice with the mind-blowing, genre-bending cello playing of Rufus Cappadocia, pushing the boundaries of American roots music far into unexpected territory where intense groove meets sweet, heartbreaking soul. “900 MILES,” which was released on January 30th on Hyena Records, is an intentionally spare production, its sounds chosen with exquisite care and an unflinching honesty that honors the songs’ history, bringing them a new relevance to today’s world and tomorrow’s ears.It often seems that the best music being made today completely defies category, and Bethany & Rufus do just that, mixing influences from dusty American field recordings to modern jazz, from delicate folk pop to the Griot traditions of Africa. By reaching back to traditional folk songs, Bethany & Rufus take a surprising step forward, blending their vast influences through the minimalist combination of voice and cello on traditionals such as “St. James Infirmary,” “East Virginia” and “Linin’ Track.” The results on their debut CD “900 MILES” are both haunting and utterly gorgeous, drawing comparisons as easily to Cassandra Wilson and Nina Simone as to the Cowboy Junkies and Jolie Holland.“I guess the folk music tradition from which my dad comes is alive and well amongst people of his generation”, says Bethany Yarrow, daughter of folk legend Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary), “but there aren’t too many younger people who hear these old folk songs as relevant to today’s music. It has been an incredible experience to re-interpret this music, to stand on stage and feel like I’m riding a wave with 200 years of history behind it and really hold that place in the present. We live in crazy times but this music grounds me – there is no denying its ‘reality’ and it’s an amazing well from which to draw.”Bethany & Rufus first met in 1999 at a friend’s late night gig at the Knitting Factory in New York City. The two of them began experimenting with old folk songs as a lark, but quickly realized that the unadorned cello and voice combined with the rooted power of dirt-under-the-nails work songs, blues, spirituals, chain-gang songs and ballads from the dust bowl created a starkly beautiful sound that defied the words “folk music” as they’re perceived today and reached across musical genres and generations.Although Bethany absorbed much of this music by osmosis in her early years, it is her born-to-perform, mesmerizing stage presence coupled with her deep knowledge of this material that validates her and Rufus’ approach as they turn roots songs inside out, finding a vibrant inner pulse that resonates with an “in the blood” authenticity that used to characterize the music of decades past, but is all too rare in today’s music scene. This fresh approach to folk music brought rave reviews to Rock Island, the CD that Bethany released in 2003 under her own name. Rock Island featured the traditional slave lullabies and prison songs that lie at the core of the American musical vernacular, yet re-imagined, she says, as "a kind of electronic pop that I called deep folk music." Blending an edgy contemporary style with banjos, dulcimers, harmonicas, slide guitars, gospel choirs, and even the voices of great blues singers, Bethany charted a unique musical terrain that she and Rufus continue to explore in ways faroutside of any conventional music box.Rufus Cappadocia is both a musical maverick to the bone and one of the leading voices of cutting edge cello today. His jaw dropping technique and musicianship inspire awe in even the most discerning critics, who have characterized his playing as “powerful…exploring territory that is positively otherworldly.” He has toured throughout the Americas and Europe with both fringe and famous groups that are legion amongst those who search for peerless musicianship, and is celebrated for his unique collaborations with artists from across the globe -- from the Balkans to the Caribbean, from West Africa to North America. Rufus has toured as a founding member of numerous groups such as Urban Tap and The Paradox Trio; has co-produced a CD with Barney Mcall (piano Gary Bartz) and Badal Roy (tabla Miles Davis); and has just finished recording and co-producing a new project, Vodou Drums of Haiti, with “Bonga” Jean-Baptiste as well as a CD of unaccompanied solo cello, called “Songs for Cello.”"My journey into American folk music has been an unexpected revelation. Although I have worked with roots music from Haiti to Mali to India to Bulgaria, it wasn't until I began exploring the American folk tradition that I understood the connection between all the different styles I had been playing; there is a deep commonality to all these folk styles that speaks directly to the heart," states Cappadocia. "I think that is why the simplicity of the cello and voice duo has had such a profound effect on audiences when we play around the world. Even those who have never heard these traditional songs before respond to the purity of emotion contained in the two voices. It’s something undeniable."New York Newsday hailed a Town Hall performance by Rufus (at the Black Rock Coalition’s Tribute to Hendrix Concert) as “the evening’s most mesmerizing moment,” and Rufus has made a career of going where few cellists have gone before, appearing on CD’s with Ross Daly, Kif with David Fiuczynski, DJ Cheb i Sabbah, Esma, The Paradox Trio, Odetta, Michael Blake, and Tamalalou, among others. Rufus has also performed with Kasse Mady, Aretha Franklin, The Black Rock Coalition, Theodossi Spassoff, Seamus Egan, Eileen Eivers, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Vernon Reid, and many more. After years of experimentation and creative revision, Rufus plays a self-designed five-string electric cello that extends the bass range of the cello and through amplification expands its tonal possibilities, creating new sounds by what was once known only as a classical music instrument."Bethany delivers low, smoky tones that call to mind Nina Simone or Cassandra Wilson delving into field recordings...Cappadocia bows and plucks [his] cello with dramatic tension and stately grace. With stunning imagination, Bethany & Rufus move music linked with her father's era in arresting new directions. Bravo!"-- GOLDMINE MAGAZINE"Nearly all the songs are traditional, but every one is reinterpreted in a way that takes them to a place you’ve never dreamed of, no matter how many times you’ve heard them before... leaving you utterly transfixed... where the cumulative effect and intensity are simply astonishing."-- AMERICANA UK

1. 900 Miles
2. East Virginia
3. Linin' Track
4. The Swallow
5. St. James Infirmary
6. Isn't That So
7. If I Had My Way
8. No More Songs
9. Forgiveness
10. Asturiana

Bethany and Rufus - 900 Miles

Chet Baker - Seven Faces of Valentine

2011-10-25T15:00:00.000+01:00

Label: Philology
Styles: Cool Jazz
Original Release Date: 1990
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log
Size: 340MB(recovery 5%)

Compilation of mostly bootleg-quality recordings of "My Funny Valentine" from various jazz festivals and club dates throughout the eighties. The opening track from 1985 starts with Chet apparently forgetting the lines to his most popular song. Just as it appears to be saved by a short, but sweet trumpet solo, sound problems prevent you from enjoying the ending. Track 2 is an alternate take on the title tune from Soft Journey session with Enrico Pierannunzi. You're better off hearing the original. Things get a little better by track 3, with Chet giving a spirited performance at the Pescara Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, the track is very short (perhaps an incomplete take). The 4th "Valentine" is a nice, intimate performance with just Chet and Michel Grallier. The next track is long, with very little Chet, and a lot of the sidemen. Track 6 is from Chet's brief 1983 tour with Stan Getz. Chet doesn't play with much passion, but Getz has pretty good solo. The last track could be the best on the CD, with Baker swinging pretty on a long solo.

1. My Funny Valentine (4/85) - 11:30
2. My Funny Valentine (1/80) - 8:19
3. My Funny Valentine (7/75) - 3:18
4. My Funny Valentine (3/83) - 8:46
5. My Funny Valentine (5/87) - 15:40
6. My Funny Valentine (2/83) - 10:01
7. My Funny Valentine (9/85) - 5:55

Chet Baker - Trumpet, Vocals
Philip Catherine - Guitar (1)
Jean-Louis Rassinfosse - Bass (1)
Larry Ridley - Bass (3)
Furio Di Castri - Bass (5)
George Mraz - Bass (6)
Edy Olivieri - Bass (7)
Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano (2)
Kenny Drew - Piano (3)
Michel Grallier - Piano (4)
Mike Melillo - Piano (5)
Gil Goldstein - Piano (6)
Nino Bisceglie - Piano (7)
Nicola Stilo - Flute (5)
Stan Getz - Tenor sax (6)
David Lee - Drums (3)
Victor Lewis - Drums (6)
Ilario De Marinas - Drums (7)

Chet Baker - Seven Faces of Valentine

Smoking Time Jazz Club - Livin' In A Great Big Way!

2011-10-24T08:28:00.000+01:00

Label: Smoking Time Jazz Club
Styles: Vocal Jazz,New Orleans Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2010
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log
Size: 401MB(recovery 5%)

1.Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia (04:44)
2.Lover Come Back To Me (03:49)
3.St. Louis Gal (04:19)
4.East St. Louis Tootle-Oo (03:28)
5.Sweet Sue (04:46)
6.Stardust (04:38)
7.Livin' In A Great Big Way! (04:08)
8.The Mooch (04:37)
9.Sugar (04:23)
10.Sweethearts On Parade (05:28)
11.Delta Bound (04:28)
12.West End Blues (04:36)
13.Muskrat Ramble (05:01)
14.Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (05:05)
15.Midnite Poppa (05:10)
16.Cakewalkin' Babies From Home (04:33)

Sarah Peterson: vocalsJohn Joyce: upright bassBlu Beverage: banjoJason King: guitarMike Volker : percussionColin Myers & Peter Loggins: trombonesChristopher Johnson & Diesel Dan Ostreicher: saxophonesJack Pritchett: trumpetJimbino Vegan: clarinet.

Smoking Time Jazz Club - Livin' In A Great Big Way!

Charlie Haden - Gitane

2011-10-22T16:17:00.000+01:00

Label: Dreyfus
Styles: Mainstream jazz
Original Release Date: 2000
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 181MB(recovery 5%)

During the late '70s, Charlie Haden recorded all manner of duo sessions with musicians ranging from Ornette Coleman to Keith Jarrett, but one of the more unusual was this one with gypsy guitarist and Django Reinhardt devotee Christian Escoude. Not odd because of musical incompatibility; indeed, these two mesh together quite well. It's just that the two come from such different backgrounds that one might suspect they'd be unlikely to meet, much less think about playing together. But this album made up largely of Reinhardt covers works quite well, Haden playing with romantic fervor and Escoude not merely aping his idol, but playing in a relaxed and timeless manner. Beginning with an almost funky rendition of the John Lewis homage "Django," the musicians feel quite at home with the material and each other, never venturing too far from the themes and listening intently. The title track, a bass solo by Haden, is a special gem. A warm, unhurried session, one that Haden fans will enjoy for both his prominence and creativity as well as for Escoude's carefully considered contributions. ~ Brian Olewnick

1. Django
2. Bolero
3. Manoir de Mes Reves
4. Gitane
5. Nuages
6. Dinette
7. Improvisation


Charlie Hade - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Christian Escoude - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Performer

Charlie Haden - Gitane

Eden Atwood – Turn Me Loose

2011-10-19T06:20:00.000+01:00

Label: Boundee
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: May 19, 2010
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 364MB(recovery 5%)

It has been a while since I heard Eden Atwood’s last release. Reportedly, this CD is her first new recording in five years. It shows that she has matured significantly from her Concord years. Atwood’s singing now has more depth, the range of her expression has widened, and her technique has improved. Listening to this passionate album, one can tell that she spent a lot of time preparing for it and did not hold back. At age 40, she is entering the most productive phase of her career, and her confidence is reflected in the selections and interpretations of songs contained here. With this CD, Atwood sheds the image of “a good-looking singer with a beautiful voice,” created during her Concord years, and reveals herself as a real jazz singer. Her range of expression has widened significantly, and the simple accompaniment by a piano trio is perfect here, allowing Atwood more freedom. The arrangements by David Morgenroth, the pianist and musical director for this album, are also superb. At the hands of Atwood and Morgenroth, even familiar standards are transformed into something entirely different, fresh and exciting. The selection of “Don’t Fence Me In” is particularly impressive. Jazz singers seldom sing this number, made into a huge hit by Bing Crosby, and Atwood truly makes it her own. The bluesy “Miss Celie’s Blues,” and “True North” takes her to a new musical territory, but perhaps this is a manifestation of her Southern blood, as she was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Atwood’s deep and heartfelt interpretations of “Ill Wind” and “True North” and the very slow rendition of Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Any More” are just a few of many surprising, and very entertaining, twists in this album.
Swing Journal
Yozo Iwanami

    1    Home
    2    Don't Fence Me In
    3    I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
    4    Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again
    5    Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)
    6    Pure Imagination
    7    Ill Wind
    8    True North
    9    Girl Talk
    10    Don't Get Around Much Anymore
    11    Best Is Yet To Come
    12    I'll Close My Eyes
    13    Lazy River

Bass – Chris Colangelo
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Piano – David Morgenroth
Vocals – Eden Atwood

Eden Atwood – Turn Me Loose

Linnzi Zaorski - Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale

2011-10-16T06:11:00.000+01:00

Label: Linnzi Zaorski
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2002
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 302MB(recovery 5%)

While technique, control and tone are important aspects of jazz singing, it is a performer's individual style that gets them recognized. You can learn technique, but not style. Throwback torch singer Linnzi Zaorski understands the importance of style as her debut album is brimming with it.Throughout, Zaorski is backed by a sympathetic quartet including Ryan Burrage on reeds, Jackson Square Band veteran Seva Venet on guitar,Charlie Fardela on trumpet and Robert snow providing the backbone on upright bass. Unlike her other gig with the New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Delta Royale veers away from the Hot Club swing into more of a singer's repertoire of popular standards made famous by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday. But Zaorski finds a voice outside of these singing giants on oft-covered classics like "Lullaby of Birdland" and"Stars fell On Alabama." Eschewing the pathos of Billie Holiday and the studied perfection of Ella, Zaorski evokes the great mildred Bailey (especially on the Bailey vehicle "Rockin Chair") with her stylized enunciation and bright tone. While it is Zaorski's affair, the band takes the spotlight swinging mightily on a hotversion of "What A Little Moonlight Can Do." But it is to the band's credit as accompanists that the focus remains on the voice of Zaorski.Even when singing laments like "Why Was I Born?" you get the impression thatbeneath the pout, there is an assured smirk, that when she declares "Our Love Is Here To Stay," shes crosing her fingers. This girl's definately got style. --Christopher Blagg

1. Me, Myself and I    3:14
2. The Way You Look Tonight    4:11
3. Mean to Me    4:48
4. Rockin' Chair    5:09
5. Carelessly    2:27
6. Lullaby of Birdland    3:17
7. Don't Be That Way    4:16
8. What a Little Moonlight Can Do    6:38
9. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key    2:05
10. Our Love Is Here to Stay    4:44
11. Stars Fell On Alabama    2:57
12. Why Was I Born?    6:18
13. Dream a Little Dream    5:37

PERSONNEL
Ryan Burrage - alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet
Charlie Fardela - trumpet
Robert Snow - bass
Seva Venet - guitar
Linnzi Zaorski - vocals

Linnzi Zaorski - Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale

The Chazz Cats - Roadhouse Swing

2011-10-12T08:54:00.000+01:00

Label: Chazz Cats Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 1998
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log
Size: 321MB(recovery 5%)

A fine retro swing band, the Chazz Cats mostly revive familiar songs on this CD other than Fats Waller's "Come and Get It." The key members of the group are singer D'Lilah Monroe, Greg Laakso on tenor and clarinet, and Ted Silverman, whose mandolin playing gives a country feel to some of the songs. While none of these renditions are on the same level as the originals and Laakso has an odd tone on clarinet (his tenor playing is much better), the Chazz Cats (a sextet that also utilizes a few guest players) put on an enjoyable show and certainly display plenty of spirit.

1 The Joint Is Jumpin'     3:05
2 I Can't Give You Anything But Love     3:31
3 You Came a Long Way from St.Louis     4:42
4 The Sheik of Araby     4:42
5 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? 5:58
6 The Reefer Song     3:10
7 Till Tom Special     3:13
8 Russian Lullaby     3:47
9 Shine     3:32
10 Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You     5:30
11 Deep River Blues     4:23
12 Come and Get It         3:51
13 Mood Indigo     4:57

Marty Bresloff     Vocals
D'Lilah Monroe     Vocals
Charlie Casey     Guitar, Vocals
Joe Craven     Violin
Tom Drohan     Bass
Kirk Fisher     Cornet
Bryan Gould     Trombone
Greg Laasko     Clarinet, Saxophone
Michael "Winky The Tinkler" Mackintosh     Piano
Ted Silverman     Mandolin, Vocals
Don Noble Downing Ward     Drums

The Chazz Cats - Roadhouse Swing

Tin Pan - Underdogs and Thundercats

2011-10-07T18:55:00.002+01:00

Label: Tin Pan
Styles: Blues,Vocal Jazz,New York Street Band
Original Release Date: 2011
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 326MB(recovery 5%)

Tin Pan connotes a world from the past – the most dominant and enlightened strains of American music of the early part of the 20th century – jazz, blues and American popular song. But it would be a mistake to say that Tin Pan is fixed in that past. Rather, it is music created to be enjoyed profoundly and joyously in the present. The band has created a rabid following by playing music that resonates powerfully because its intention is pure – to make people dance, smile and conjure with the spirit of music itself. On their new album, Hound’s Tooth, the band has perfected their sonic vision – effortless, wondrous and festive, feeling much like, as the band describes themselves, Ray Charles and Tom Waits at a Bourbon Street Parade.

Comprised of Jesse Selengut on trumpet, lead vocals and compositions, Clifton Hyde on guitar and hollerin’, Stefan Zeniuk on reeds and boy soprano vocals, and Peter “Baby Hands” Maness on bass and some singin’, Tin Pan evokes everything from Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong to Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael. Founded in 2006 by Selengut, a long time New York based musician, and the curator of the Williamsburg Jazz Festival, the band sprung from what he calls, “a need for this kind of music.” He elaborates, “As soon as I started playing this music, it just felt so easy and natural. It’s simplicity demands that you be totally committed to it – there’s no hiding behind theory or pose.”

Finding players to fit his vision was challenging, but when Selengut met Mississippi native Clifton Hyde, who has played with Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Blue Man Group and others, he knew he found the right man. “I auditioned about 25 different guitarists,” Jesse recalls, “and right away I knew Clifton was perfect. He’s experienced with blues and jazz but isn’t constrained by excessive training. And he has an intuitive understanding of what dancers need.” Stefan Zeniuk entered the picture through Clifton, bringing in a touch of the avant-garde to the proceedings. “I’m not even sure Stefan is that interested in jazz. He’s just got incredible energy – (saxophonist) Tim Berne was his babysitter. I think that affected him for life,” says Selengut with a laugh. Bassist Pete “Baby Hands” Maness was chosen because we discovered that he could slap the bass, spin the bass, and get every girl’s phone number all in the same tune.

Describing themselves as a “street band,” they often play in Central Park and in the New York City transit system. It’s the embodiment of the band’s belief that their music should be accessible – literally and figuratively. With two previous CD releases, Early Jazz and Americana and Alice McNulty, they sold a total of 6000 CD’s in 2008, a phenomenal total for an completely unsigned band, and earned rave notices in the New York Times and Huffington Post, among others.

And the singularity of their sound, coupled with the sheer pleasure of it, has earned the band a multitude of exposure, with some seemingly strange bedfellows. “We played a campaign event for (New York City) Mayor Bloomberg, we’ve played the Guggenheim…and we’ve played supporting for MC Hammer. It’s sort of surreal,” notes Jesse. Playing around 180 shows per year, mainly in New York, the band lives out their commitment to enliven through sharing this music.

On Hound’s Tooth, the band has honed and distilled their music to its most profound essence. Produced by Clifton and Jesse, the recording process is simple: set up the microphones and play. From the opening notes of “If The Sea Was Whiskey,” what you’re hearing are master craftsman recreating Americana anew. Clifton’s guitar meshes perfectly with the stand-up bass, and the horns are by turn mournful and celebratory, triumphant and heartbreaking – the sound of a newly found romance in a late night speakeasy, filled with foreboding passion. Jesse’s vocals, fervent and impassioned, are uniquely his own – he has found a space that encompasses everything from Bessie Smith to Tom Waits.

The band is expanding their reach – they are beginning to tour nationally and have found a place in the enormous swing dancing community. Best Buy has taken Hound’s Tooth into their stores for national distribution. And they’ll be playing the influential venue Joe’s Pub in June – another huge sign that this band has arrived. “We may have been together for three years already,” declares Jesse, “but I feel like it’s all just starting now. The band is playing beautifully. I’ve become more confident as a front man. We’re really starting to grab people and have them in the palm of our hand.” In the coming months, it seems assured that the legend of Tin Pan will only grow, as word of their excellence travels, but even more importantly, from the love with which they play.

         1 Careless        4:18
       2 Bei Mir    4:14
       3 South        3:58
       4 Lord        3:27
       5 Ice Cream        3:41
       6 Jericho        3:16
       7 Kate        3:54
       8 Drunk Driving    3:50
       9 Summertime    3:52
       10 Lazy River        5:19
       11 Shake        4:14
       12 Blue Nature        4:36

The Main Players:
Jesse Selengut – vocals, trumpet, compositions
Clifton Hyde – resonator guitar, mandolin, voclas
Pete “Baby Hands” Maness – upright bass, vocals
Stefan Zeniuk – saxophones and clarinets
The Tin Pan Collective
“Alabama” Steve Lewis – guitar, trombone, bass
“Tuba” Joe Exley – tuba
Cassidy Holden – bass
Elizabeth! – trombone, vocals
Brian Petway – bass
Sean Condron – resonator guitar
Chris Pistorino – bass
Nick Russo – guitar, banjo

Tin Pan - Underdogs and Thundercats

Rebecca Martin - People Behave Like Ballads

2011-10-05T18:00:00.001+01:00

Label: Max Jazz Records
Styles: Vocal Pop Jazz
Original Release Date: 2004
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.covers
Size: 352MB(recovery 5%)

For Rebecca Martin, the comparisons to Norah Jones will be inevitable when critical ears listen to "Here the Same but Different" from Martin's People Behave Like Ballads. The song has the same breezy folk-pop appeal of Jones' hit "Don't Know Why" and Martin's delivery of the song is just as relaxed and carefree. But the comparison is somewhat unfair as Martin debuted her jazzy blend of folk-pop in 1999 on Thoroughfare, three years before Jones's breakthrough. She also worked with Jesse Harris (writer of "Don't Know Why") in the group Once Blue prior to his Grammy-winning work with Jones. In reality, people should be comparing Jones to Martin, but all in music is not fair. However, the folks who have already discovered Martin will be eager to spread the news that her third solo disc successfully refines her style and showcases her talent as a songwriter. People Behave Like Ballads is the appropriate title for Martin's collection as she fills the disc with unhurried songs about people dealing with relationships and their own place in the world. In the beautiful "Lead Us," relationship roles are reversed as the stronger of the two recognizes they have "got a handicap" and calls to their partner to "take the reigns," while ghosts from doomed romances begin to haunt a prospective relationship in "I'd Like to Think It's Coming." These personal explorations are often complex but the lightness in which the music is presented makes them seem simpler than they are. Martin's music leans toward folk but is shaded by jazz influences and a '70s singer/songwriter style, much like the mid-career recordings of Joni Mitchell. In fact, the influence of Mitchell can be heard within "East Andover" and "Lonesome Town" as the tracks sound like quality leftovers from Mitchell's Hejira. These two songs along with the barely up-tempo tracks "Old Familiar Song" and "I'm Not Afraid" provide the best block of music on the disc. But with all of the songs kept at a laid-back pace, at 16 tracks the disc is a little lengthy and the final songs lose identity and begin to blend into each other. Nonetheless, People Behave Like Ballads is an excellent step forward and perhaps the people who lifted Norah Jones to success will discover Rebecca Martin and give her the proper exposure she deserves. ~ Aaron Latham

1. Lead Us
2. Here the Same But Different
3. These Bones Are Yours Alone
4. If Only
5. I’d Like to Think It’s Coming
6. It’s Only Love
7. When the Rain Comes
8. It Won’t Be Long
9. Learning
10. East Andover
11. Old Familiar
12. Lonesome Town
13. I’m Not Afraid
14. Gone Like the Season Does
15. I’m the One
16. Play For Me

Personnel: Rebecca Martin (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Rebecca Martin; Peter Rende (pedal steel guitar, mandolin, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, Hammond b-3 organ, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ, background vocals); Matt Penman (acoustic bass, double bass); Steve Cardenas, Ben Monder (electric guitar); Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone); Darren Beckett (drums).

Rebecca Martin - People Behave Like Ballads

Linnzi Zaorski - Naughty Sweetie

2011-09-27T18:18:00.000+01:00

Label: Linnzi Zaorski
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: 2011
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 256MB(recovery 5%)

Linnzi Zaorski has been a staple and is considered one of the founding performers inthe neo-trad jazz scene originating on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, specializingin 1930s depression-era swing. Her performance career started in 2001 as the singerfor the New Orleans Jazz Vipers. She recorded an album with them in early 2002, thenwent on to record her first self-titled solo album later that same year with her then band,Delta Royale. She has since released “ Hotsy-Totsy” in 2004, “ Hot Wax and Whiskey” in2007 and the holiday album “ It’ s a Wonderful Record” in 2009. Her fifth solo album iscurrently in the works and scheduled to be released in March 2011.Though she’ s traveled in and out of New Orleans quite a bit since Hurricane Katrina,shortly residing in the Southern California desert, New York City and even mostrecently a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she has now found her way back toNew Orleans once again and will be settling back down home. You can often find herperforming at such notable Frenchmen Street venues as d.b.a. and Three Muses andcurrently she is in residence as the singer for Burlesque Ballroom every Friday nightat Irvin Mayfield’ s Jazz Playhouse located in the Royale Sonesta Hotel in the FrenchQuarter. She is also scheduled to perform at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and HeritageFestival after a six year hiatus. Other notable gigs have included opening for Tom Jonesat the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA and performing at the Festival d’ Ile de Francein Paris in 2007. She’ s performed extensively in Southern California, New York andToronto as well. In 2006 her music and career were featured on NPR’ s “ All ThingsConsidered” in a story by Andrei Codrescu. She and her music have also receiveda handful of film credits including a singing role in the upcoming feature film “ TheMechanic” directed by Simon West scheduled to open in theaters nationwide in January 2011.

    1. Sheik of Araby     2:24
    2. Blue Skies     2:28
    3. After You've Gone     3:04
    4. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me     2:52
    5. Sweet Lorraine     2:34
    6. There'll Be Some Changes Made     2:34
    7. Better Off Dead     2:31
    8. Shine On Harvest Moon     3:17
    9. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams     3:28
    10. Lover Come Back To Me     3:04
    11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home     2:31
    12. Ja-Da     1:58
    13. Some Of These Days     2:09
    14. Smoke Rings     5:05

PERSONNEL
Linnzi Zaorski - vocals
Matt Johnson - guitar, sax
Robert Snow - bass
Charlie Fardella - trumpet
Matt Rhody - violin
Rob Wagner - sax/clarinet
Chaz Leary - washboard

Linnzi Zaorski - Naughty Sweetie

Jeanie Bryson - Tonight I Need You So

2011-09-18T13:46:00.000+01:00

Label: TJZ
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1994
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 345MB(recovery 5%)

Bryson's soft warm voice at times recalls Maxine Sullivan and on "Solamente Tu" she comes very close to the fragility of Astrud Gilberto. There are a few memorable selections on her second
Telarc disc, most notably the exuberant "Simple Song" (which has some jubilant playing from altoist Paquito D'Rivera), a sensuous "Honeysuckle Rose" and a fine version of "Skydive."
Unfortunately the set also has an excess of forgettable poppish material that weighs down the content somewhat. However Bryson mostly overcomes the material and her likable and easygoing style compensates. This release is not essential but is enjoyable.



       1 Simple Song    4:21
       2 Honeysuckle Rose   5:16
       3 Tonight I Need You So   4:19
       4 Willow Weep for Me   5:17
       5 I Don't Want to Fall   5:41
       6 Moonlight in Vermont    5:07
       7 Two Hump Ride   6:56
       8 The Face I Love    5:59
       9 Solamente Tu    5:50
      10 What Can a Miracle Do   4:27
      11 Too Shy to Say    3:01
      12 Sky Dive   6:10


Jay Ashby Trombone
Ignacio Berroa Drums
Rudy Bird Percussion
Don Braden Sax (Tenor)
Jeanie Bryson Vocals
Ron Davis Drums
Paquito d'Rivera Sax (Alto)
Vic Juris Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
Christian McBride Bass
Steve Nelson Vibraphone
Danilo Perez Piano
Claudio Roditi Trumpet

Jeanie Bryson - Tonight I Need You So

Jeanie Bryson Sings Songs Of Peggy Lee - Some Cats Know

2011-09-16T13:37:00.000+01:00

Label: TJZ
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: Apr 23, 1996
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 317MB(recovery 5%)

Sultry, soulful, hypnotic, rare---there is no shortage of adjectives to describe Jeanie Bryson, whose extraordinary singing voice is at once reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee, and uniquely modern, original and inviting.

It is her unerring sense of swing that most defines Jeanie's style. She is best known for her warm, velvety sound and impeccable phrasing - "She has created a performance language rare in its ability to portray desire and humor", writes Peter Watrous in the New York Times. When he says "the effect is intimacy", he's right on. It feels like being cuddled in front of a smoldering fire when Jeanie Bryson sings.

Hardly surprising given her musical pedigree; she's the daughter of legendary jazz great Dizzy Gillespie and gifted songwriter Connie Bryson. Learning from her mother how a song is crafted, Jeanie acquired a strong sense of lyricism and storytelling that she brings to her music. Her enthusiasm for performance and the sense of joy that it brings to both performer and audience bespeak the many nights she spent in the company of her father and his band, taking it all in both off stage and on.

Jeanie, who earned a degree in anthropology from Rutgers University, found her life's passion by taking full advantage of the world-class jazz department on campus. She began to develop her uniquely personal singing style, and, with her father's legacy and the influence of one of her professors, Kenny Barron, her love of jazz singing happily blossomed into a career.

Having performed and travelled extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Far East, Jeanie has received international acclaim. Along with being a guest vocalist on several outstanding recordings over the years, Jeanie has five solo recordings to her credit: "Deja Blue", on Koch Jazz, and “I Love Being Here With You", "Tonight I Need You So", and "Some Cats Know", all on the Telarc Jazz label, and "Live at the Warsaw Jazz Festival 1991", an import from Germany.

Fans and critics alike eagerly await Jeanie's newest project - "The Dizzy Gillespie Songbook", a loving and fitting tribute that celebrates her father's life, his music, and above all, his legacy. Jeanie directs her attention to her father's music as only a daughter can - CON ALMA - with soul.

1.    I Don't Know Enough About You
2.    'Deed I Do
3.    Some Cats Know
4.    Why Don't You Do Right?
5.    You're My Thrill
6.    Fever
7.    I'm In Love Again
8.    Close Your Eyes
9.    Lover
10.    You Let My Love Get Cold
11.    I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
12.    You're Blase
13.    That Sugar Baby O' Mine
14.    Where In the World Are You?

Personnel: Jeanie Bryson (vocals); Red Holloway (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Buttacavoli (flugelhorn, trumpet); Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet); Terry Trotter (piano); John Chiodini (electric & acoustic guitars); Jim Hughart (bass); Harold Jones (drums); Mayra Casales (percussion).

Jeanie Bryson Sings Songs Of Peggy Lee: Some Cats Know

Midnight Serenaders - Hot Lovin'

2011-09-14T05:09:00.000+01:00

Label: Midnight Serenaders
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz
Original Release Date: 2011
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 360MB(recovery 5%)

The Serenaders have released their third album, "Hot Lovin," after their first two albums "Magnolia" (2007) and "Sweet Nothin's" (2009) were release to critical acclaim. The Portland Tribune declared that their first album "revived lost classics from the vintage jazz era while keeping the inherent giddiness of that time perfectly intact," and Portland Monthly says of their second album: "Plenty of bands attempt to recapture the jive sounds of the Roaring Twenties, but most of them just sound, well, jive. Midnight Serenaders...sashay from torch song to hot jazz with panache and a genuine respect for yesterday s hit parade." Their new album features some new originals by Settlemier and ups the ante with the presence of several special guests with notable Portland jazz pianist/composer Andrew Oliver on piano and on accordion Eric Stern, leader of the popular Eastern European cabaret act Vagabond Opera. The Midnight Serenaders continue to swing along in the modern age, helping to ensure that the joyous swing of one of America's most original art forms will
never be forgotten.

1 My Honey's Lovin' Arms
2 I've Got A Hankerin' (For Some Love)
3 Victim Of Love 4 I'm Playing In Your Parlour Game
5 Hot Lovin'
6 Man-o-phile
7 You're Barking Up the Right Tree
8 You Don't Understand
9 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
10 Swingin' On Nothin'
11 Hawaiian War Chant
12 That Ain't Right
13 What a pretty Miss
14 Junk Man
15 Mademoiselle
16 It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Dee Settlemier - ukulele & vocals
David Evans - clarinet & saxophone
Doug Sammons - guitar & vocals
Garner Pruitt - trumpet & vocals
Henry Bogdan - Hawaiian Steel Guitar
Pete Lampe - upright bass

Midnight Serenaders - Hot Lovin'

Jeanie Bryson - I Love Being Here With You

2011-09-12T17:16:00.000+01:00

Label: TJZ
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1993
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.scans
Size: 296 MB(recovery 5%)

Jeanie Bryson, Dizzy Gillespie's daughter, made her recording debut on this CD. Her voice is highly appealing and often sensuous, hinting at Peggy Lee and Susannah McCorkle. A fine middle-of-the-road song stylist (rather than a jazz singer), Bryson does an excellent job on a set dominated by standards. She mostly concentrates on melody statements with subtle improvising and is at her best on ballads. Steve Nelson's vibes fit in well during his appearances and trumpeter Wallace Roney (as usual sounding like Miles Davis) also takes some good solos. This is a promising beginning for Jeanie Bryson. ~ Scott Yanow

1 Cheek To Cheek 3:59
2 Squeeze Me 4:51
3 Bittersweet 5:29
4 Sleepin' Bee 3:51
5 Love Dance 8:35
6 I Feel So Smoochie 4:12
7 You've Changed 5:10
8 Sunshower 6:40
9 Cloudy Morning 2:58
10 Change Partners 4:21
11 I Love Being Here with You 4:42

Kenny Barron - piano
Steve Nelson - vibraphone
Jeanie Bryson - vocals
Vic Juris - guitar
Don Braden - tenor saxophone
Wallace Roney - trumpet

Jeanie Bryson - I Love Being Here With You

Midnight Serenaders - Sweet Nothin's

2011-09-10T04:39:00.000+01:00

Label: Zefear
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz
Original Release Date: 2009
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 290MB(recovery 5%)

The Midnight Serenaders are back with a follow-up to their very popular debut 2007 release "Magnolia" with this new collection of 1920's and 30's influenced jazz and pop songs. This recording features four original songs penned by singer/ukulele player Dee Settlemier. The Midnight Serenaders perform an infectious blend of old-time jazz and early swing, offering up a sweet collection of songs and tunes from the early 20th century. Fronted by guitar slinger/crooner Doug Sammons and ukulele-plinking chanteuse Dee Settlemier, this Portland, Oregon-based sextet energizes audiences, and transports them on a melodic, swing-crazy journey to the dance-happy era known as “the Jazz Age,” where a catchy melody was queen and rhythm ruled the land.

1 I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby
2 Swing Brother Swing
3 He's A Curbstone Cutie
4 Pettin' In The Rain
5 I Can't Dance I Got Ants In My Pants
6 Sweet Nothin's
7 How'd Ya Do
8 Diga Diga Do
9 Daddy Won't You Please Come Home
10 Who Walks In When I Walk Out
11 Some of These Days
12 Comes Love
13 There'll Be Some Changes Made
14 Down In Shangri-La
15 Baby (Darlin') Baby

Dee Settlemier - ukulele & vocals
David Evans - clarinet & saxophone
Doug Sammons - guitar & vocals
Garner Pruitt - trumpet & vocals
Henry Bogdan - Hawaiian Steel Guitar
Pete Lampe - upright bass

Midnight Serenaders - Sweet Nothin's

Ruth Cameron - Roadhouse

2011-09-08T16:59:00.000+01:00

Label: UJF
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2000
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 357MB(recovery 5%)

A follow on to Ruth Cameron's first album for Verve, First Songs, her latest album also features a class standard play list with some differences. The most significant one is playing time. Her first album didn't even hit the 26-minute mark, while this one offers more than an hour of music. The theme of this album is music one heard at road houses during the 1950's. The roadhouses I frequented during this period were noted for louder, more up tempo - in fact raucous - material, until around midnight. The music then got romantic and sexy to fit the mood of the dancers who by then were a bit boozy. That's the category into which the music on this album fits. Another departure from her first CD is that during the four days that this album was being recorded, five different pianists (all top drawer) were brought in. Given the ballad driven ballad agenda, the reason for the mix of accompanists escapes me since they all play in a slow, moody style to back Cameron who's singing
that way.

But the bottom line is that this album is good vocal stuff. Cameron's soft, cool, wispy style recalls Jeri Southern, Peggy Lee (when Lee wanted to be soft and wispy) and, since her teacher was Sue Raney, that singer as well. She also includes the verses to some of the songs, like "Body and Soul". Gary Foster's tenor noodles underneath a soft, poignant version of "My old Flame" with a sensuous tinge in Cameron's voice making one recall Peggy Lee's 1969 rendition of this tune favored by singers who lean toward the ballad form. There is one medium tempo, and fun, piece and that's the album's coda "Waitin' for the Train to Come in" with Federico Ruiz's violin doing the bulk of the accompanying honors ably supported by Chris Dawson on piano. Ralph Moore's tenor underpins Cameron on five tracks and is especially soulful on "One for My Baby and One More for the Road".

1 Something Cool 5:23
2 One For My Baby 5:11
3 My Old Flame 5:02
4 Body And Soul 5:59
5 Again 4:53
6 Willow Weep For Me 5:33
7 Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe 5:17
8 Detour Ahead 5:50
9 A Sunday Kind Of Love 4:53
10 All About Ronnie 4:21
11 Give Me Time 6:05
12 Waitin' For The Train To Come in 3:10

Personnel: Ruth Cameron (vocals); Ralph Moore, Gary Foster (tenor saxophone); Federico Britos Ruiz (violin); Alan Broadbent, Brad Mehldau, Mike Melvoin, Chris Dawson (piano); Charlie Haden (bass); Larance Marable (drums).

Ruth Cameron - Roadhouse

Mark Rivett,Emma Pask with the John Morrision Big Band - Accentuate the Positive

2011-09-06T11:38:00.000+01:00

Label: Rajon Entertainment
Styles: Vocal Jazz,Big Band
Original Release Date: 2003
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 385MB(recovery 5%)

An Australian ad campaign used Johnny Mercer's bubbly 1940's hit "Accentuate the Positive" and the song became a smash hit in the land "down under." To capitalize on it's success, Emma Pask (who covered the song for the TV spot) and Matt Rivett collaborated on more covers for this swinging album backed by the fabulous John Morrison Big Band.In the post was years of the forties, songwriter Johnny Mercer penned and sang what became a number one hit with the up beat swinging tune "Accentuate The Positive". The song was just what ws needed. An antidote to the tough times and a beacon of hope and positiveness. More recently, in Australia, the song was adopted for an advertising campaign and due to its great success the advertisers have been inspired to instigate a conceptual album drawing in 14 other like minded, classic songs under the banner of "Accentuate The Positive". The album is produced by the production company Song Zu who made the new version for the campaign and the recordings feature singer/musician Mark Rivett who sang the song so well in the commercial. To embellish the project futher, noted singer Emma Pask has been brought in to join Rivett as featured vocalists on the album.First singing with her high school band at 14, she was first discovered by Morrison at a school performance in 1994 at 16. From then on, Emma has been the vocal feature of the bands of James Morrison.

01. More
02. L-O-V-E
03. You Make Me Feel So Young
04. You Gotta Have Heart
05. Sunny Side Of The Street
06. Beyond The Sea
07. Almost Like Being In Love
08. It Don't Mean A Thing
09. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
10. T'aint What You Do
11. Come Rain Or Shine
12. Come Fly With Me
13. It's A Good Day
14. Sing Sing Sing
15. Accentuate The Positive

Mark Rivett,Emma Pask with the John Morrision Big Band - Accentuate the Positive

Midnight Serenaders - Magnolia

2011-09-04T18:51:00.000+01:00

Label: Midnight Serenaders
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vintage Jazz
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 350MB(recovery 5%)

The MIDNIGHT SERENADERS' debut album "Magnolia" is a recording inspired by the blues singers, crooners, and hot jazz ensembles of the 1920's and 30's.Riding the crest of the neo-traditional jazz craze presently occurring on the West Coast, the MIDNIGHT SERENADERS are a six-piece swing band playing regularly to enthusiastic audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest. Performing vintage pop, Hot Jazz, and Hawaiian instrumentals, as well as an expanding collection of Jazz Age-sounding original songs, these six veteran musicians strive to share their love for the music of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. With an exciting stage show, tight musical arrangements, and outstanding solo and harmony vocals, MIDNIGHT SERENADERS fans include nostalgists, swing dancers, melody junkies, retro-clothing hounds, and folks who simply appreciate good quality, jubilant music.

Proving that hot jazz and vintage pop of the 1920’s and 30’s is as relevant as ever in the present day, the Midnight Serenaders provide an infectious and irreverent take on the raucous and carefree music of “The Jazz Age.” Far from a simple repertory band, they infuse their repertoire with a genuine groove and energy truly appropriate to this revolutionary music that took the country by storm in its heyday. Led by the charming frontline of crooner/rhythm guitarist Doug Sammons and ukelele-strumming chanteuse Dee Settlemier, the Serenaders’ repertoire consists of classics by the likes of Fats Waller and Ethel Waters, obscure tunes by Clarence Williams carefully unearthed by the band, and an increasing number of Settlemier’s originals which mesh indistinguishably with the classic repertoire.Sammons and Settlemier’s vocals and strumming are backed up by a cast of fine musicians from the vibrant Portland, Oregon music scene. Bassist Pete Lampe’s casual on-stage swagger belies his rock solid groove, which when combined with Sammons’ mastery of the rhythm guitar creates such a solid pulse that no drummer is required. The unique and brilliant addition of Henry Bodgan on Hawaiian steel guitar is one of the band’s strongest points. Bodgan floats over the steady swing, providing just the right amount of vintage tropical flair to elevate the ensemble sound to a unique level, and even provides an occasional Hawaiian instrumental number for a stylistic change of pace. The ensemble is rounded out by the melodious clarinet and saxophone of David Evans, a long-time New Orleans resident who brings the bluesy grit of the Crescent City to the Pacific Northwest, and the thrilling and powerful trumpet of Garner Pruitt, whose crackling style bursts out from behind his vintage red-and-white bucket mute.The Midnight Serenaders have been a fixture on Portland’s music scene since 2005 and have built up a strong fan base across many demographics. At a Serenaders show you’ll find a healthy sampling of Portland’s many swing dancers, traditional and modern jazz enthusiasts, young couples out for a classy evening, folks who remember this music from their own youth, hipsters in vintage clothing, and many others who appreciate the band’s tight and thrilling fast numbers, sultry and risque blueses, and beautifully harmonized ballads. The band has performed at many of Portland’s finest venues and festivals around the region such as the Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree, Cascade Head Music Festival, Willamette Valley Music Festival, and Portland Lindy Exchange.The Serenaders have recently released their third album, “Hot Lovin,” after their first two albums “Magnolia” (2007) and “Sweet Nothin’s” (2009) were release to critical acclaim. The Portland Tribune declared that their first album “revived lost classics from the vintage jazz era while keeping the inherent giddiness of that time perfectly intact,” and Portland Monthly says of their second album: “Plenty of bands attempt to recapture the jive sounds of the Roaring Twenties, but most of them just sound, well, jive. Midnight Serenaders...sashay from torch song to hot jazz with panache and a genuine respect for yesterday s hit parade.” Their new album features some new originals by Settlemier and ups the ante with the presence of several special guests with notable Portland jazz pianist/composer Andrew Oliver on piano and on accordion Eric Stern, leader of the popular Bohemian Cabaret act Vagabond Opera. The Midnight Serenaders continue to swing along in the modern age, helping to ensure that the joyous swing of one of America’s most original art forms will never be forgotten.

1 (Lookie Lookie Lookie) Here Comes Cookie
2 Porter's Love Song To A Chambermaid
3 How'm I Doin' 4 I Must Have That Man
5 What Makes Me Love You So
6 My Carolina Sunshine Girl
7 My Handyman
8 Magnolia
9 Sand
10 World's Jazz Crazy
11 Lazybones
12 You Got to Give Me Some
13 Dirt Dishin' Daisy
14 Six Feet of Papa
15 Everybody Loves My Baby

Dee Settlemier - ukulele & vocals
David Evans - clarinet & saxophone
Doug Sammons - guitar & vocals
Garner Pruitt - trumpet & vocals
Henry Bogdan - Hawaiian Steel Guitar
Pete Lampe - upright bass

Midnight Serenaders - Magnolia

Caro Emerald with the Grandmono Orchestra - Live in Concert at the Heineken Music Hall

2011-08-26T17:56:00.001+01:00

Label: Grandmono Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz,Neo-Swing
Original Release Date: 2011
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 515 MB(recovery 5%)

01. Intro Greg Shapiro 01:31.10
02. Zoot Suit Theme 01:58.06
03. Absolutely Me 01:40.25
04. Just One Dance 04:22.01
05. You Don't Love Me 04:18.68
06. Muchos Besos 00:58.10
07. Back It Up 04:49.37
08. The Other Woman 07:48.36
09. Close To Me 01:34.02
10. Riviera Life 04:04.45
11. Dr Wannado 03:25.53
12. Caro's Lament 01:32.54
13. I Know That He's Mine 04:56.00
14. The Lipstick On His Collar 06:16.04
15. Bad Romance 04:17.61
16. That Man 03:53.17
17. A Night Like This 06:53.36
18. Two Hearts 03:43.15
19. Stuck 05:48.38

Caro Emerald - Live in Concert at the Heineken Music Hall

Little Miss Higgins - Across The Plains

2011-08-23T19:57:00.005+01:00

Label: Outside Music
Styles: Blues,Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: Apr 20, 2010
Quality/Bitrate: xld-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 296 MB(recovery 5%)

From the Great Northern Plains of Western Canada, Little Miss Higgins struts and serenades her way, guitar in hand, lips blazoned red, onto any stage. As if she just drove in off the back-road of another time with gravel dust and a sunset trailing behind her, this pocket-sized powerhouse plays music brewed up in old-time country blues sprinkled with a little jazz and maybe a hint of folk. Whether it’s songs about passion or songs about panties, she writes about real things in a rooted and poetic way.

This is all too true on her fourth release, “Across The Plains” (2010). A testament to the roots of the music Higgins plays, much of her singing and guitar playing is accompanied by an old-school horn section, guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, muck-bucket bass, and chunky percussion. As well as writing and performing on all the songs, Higgins coproduced the album alongside fellow musician and producer Jaxon Haldane.

Little Miss Higgins (aka Jolene Higgins) was born in Brooks, Alberta, and raised in Independence, Kansas.

Music entered her life early.

“When I was about four my dad bought this old piano at a local bar,” she recalls. “It was a mini grand piano. He brought it home and told me it was mine. I carved my name in the side and started taking piano lessons.”

Growing up playing piano, Higgins now uses guitar and voice as her main instruments as well as her theatre background to bring a “refreshing sound and story to the stage.” She spent a number of years after studying theatre at a college in Alberta, roaming Western Canada, acting in plays, frequenting blues clubs and playing her guitar. Higgins finally settled down in Saskatchewan and that’s when music took the driver’s seat.

Her stage name, Little Miss Higgins suits the undeniably inflammatory mix of her blues and country music repertoire but the moniker was largely accidental. “When I moved to Saskatchewan in 2002 I started hanging out with this Greek guy,” she recalls “He started calling me Little Miss Higgins so I used it on poster for a gig I was doing and it just stuck.”

Over the past five years, Little Miss Higgins has built a strong national reputation throughout Canada, appearing in clubs and on festival stages in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Owen Sound, and Canso, Nova Scotia performing most often as a duo with partner and guitar player, Foy Taylor.

As a songwriter, she has been influenced by a range of artists from Memphis Minnie, Billy Holiday, Big Bill Broonzy to Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton and Bob Dylan.

Her first two studio albums “Cobbler Shop Sessions” (2006) and “Junction City” (2007) superbly showcase Little Miss Higgins as a highly-developed songwriter as well as a remarkable country blues performer in a style gracefully highlighted by her partner, guitarist Foy Taylor and occasionally a handful of other roots musicians.

The release of “Junction City” resulted in a handful of honours for Little Miss Higgins including JUNO and Maple Blues Awards nominations and won as Outstanding Blues Recording at Western Canadian Music Awards and Favourite Blues Artist/Group or Duo of the Year category of the 8th Annual Indies Awards.

To her fan’s delight, there was the 2009 release “Little Miss Higgins Live: Two Nights In March”. The album was recorded at Amigo’s Cantina in Saskatoon, and Engineered Air Theatre in Calgary. The album features such favourite performance fare as “The Dirty Ol Tractor Song,” “Velvet Barley Bed,” “In The Middle Of Nowhere” and “I’m Gonna Bake My Biscuits.” As well as a couple of previously unreleased songs including “Snowin’ Today: A Lament For Louis Riel.”

With her newest release, “Across The Plains” and partner Foy Taylor, Little Miss Higgins now enters international waters with a tour to the UK in the spring of 2011.

"Saskatchewan's economy is boomin' and so is the province's music scene. Leading the way is blues/folk/roots singer Little Miss Higgins, who sings with the soul of a flapper."
--Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal

"Unfortunately, I found myself prosecuted by the court of Murphy's Law which decreed that I not be in my seat but at the bar when Little Miss Higgins finally took to the stage. She's got a twenties or thirties sound thing goin' on and a voice that's smooth like a prohibition fog rolling in on a lake of honey surrounded by cotton ball trees... with Mint Juleps scattered around the beach, of course."
--Super Turbo Bunny

“As a 65 year old lawyer who has been in jazz and blues clubs from Greenwich Village to Yonge Street to Bourbon Street to San Fran for over 45 years, I was just blown away by what I have just seen and heard in 30 minutes tonight! Wow! She's been to the Crossroads and she got all of the devil's tunes! And then her own words, personality and Foy's foil made them all better! I turned to my partner after 15 minutes and said that I hadn't heard such down home raw talent since my previous reincarnation in the 1930's!”
--Neil Robertson, a fan.

1 Beautiful Sun
2 Tornado Song
3 Bargain! Shop Panties
4 Wash These Blues Away
5 Snowin' Today: A Lament For Louis Riel
6 Hope You Don't Feel Blue
7 Gather My Fruit
8 My Love
9 Glad Your Whiskey Fits Inside My Purse
10 Slaughterhouse (Revisited)

Little Miss Higgins - Across The Plains

Beata Przybytek Group - WonderLand

2011-08-21T16:22:00.001+01:00

Label: Not Two Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2005
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 301 MB(recovery 5%)

1. Cryin' Through The Night [04:43]
2. As [05:00]
3. Have A Talk With God [04:41]
4. All In Love Is Fair [05:00]
5. Isn't She Lovely [05:52]
6. Lately [05:16]
7. My Eyes Don't Cry [04:49]
8. Summer Soft [04:34]
9. You Will Know [04:45]
10. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life [03:38]

Beata Przybytek - vocals
Dorota Zaziąbło - piano
Konrad Basiuk - bass
Ryszard Balcer - drums
Sławomir Berny - percussion (1-3, 5, 8)
Jacek Królik - guitar (3, 8)
Janusz Muniak - tenor sax (7)
Jarosław Śmietana - guitar (9)

Beata Przybytek Group - WonderLand

Bobby Darin - Live from Las Vegas(Recorded Live at the Flamingo)

2011-08-20T17:08:00.001+01:00

Label: EMI
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1963\2005
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.front cover
Size: 310 MB(recovery 5%)

This stellar nightclub performance, from November 11, 1963, somehow remained under wraps for nearly four decades. Thankfully, it was discovered and issued, first in 2000 by independent mail-order specialists Collectors' Choice Music, then in 2005 by Capitol as part of the Las Vegas Centennial Collection series. In addition to the unique qualities of an unheard vintage recording, Bobby Darin had also cited this run -- at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas -- to be his last lengthy tour or nightclub engagement due to increasing health concerns. So, it is indeed a special affair. It was rare for a performer to be so accepted as both a sophisticated balladeer as well as a rebellious rocker. Live From Las Vegas reveals both sides of Darin's underappreciated talent of interpretation. Handling ballads such as "My Funny Valentine" and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" with sensitivity and control, Darin conversely rips open up-tempo numbers such as the "Hits Medley: Splish Splash/Beyond the Sea/Artificial Flowers/Clementine." Darin also swings through a spellbinding version of his trademark, "Mack the Knife." This in no way sounds like a man suffering from a rheumatic heart condition. In addition to the music, Darin offers up several spoken word interludes. The aptly titled "Comedy Routine" features several impersonations by Darin as set to "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)." However, when introducing the closer, "The Curtain Falls," Darin is somber, leading to an emotional climax -- not only for this performance, but for a brilliant live career as well. There is little information given in the liner note text regarding the brilliant orchestra heard accompanying Darin during this run. However, their efforts are noted by the star and rightfully so, as they swing right along with him -- never overpowering, but infinitely enhancing, underscoring, and punctuating the proceedings.

1 Intro/Hello Young Lovers 2:04
2 Ace in the Hole 2:26
3 You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You 3:25
4 Hits Medley: Splish Splash/Beyond The Sea/Artificial Flowers/Cleme ... 2:53
5 My Funny Valentine 3:54
6 I Walk the Line 1:37
7 18 Yellow Roses 2:40
8 Mack the Knife 3:31
9 Comedy Routine 9:32
10 Work Song 3:14
11 Michael Row the Boat Ashore 3:13
12 Mary Don't You Weep 3:13
13 I'm On My Way Great God 4:48
14 The Curtain Falls 5:43

Bobby Darin - Live from Las Vegas : PART1 + PART2 + PART3 + PART4

Connie Evingson and the Hot Club of Sweden - Stockholm Sweetnin'

2011-06-27T18:37:00.001+01:00

Label: Minnehaha Music
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Gypsy Jazz
Original Release Date: July 5, 2006
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 414 MB(recovery 5%)

Connie Evingson has a warm, sultry no-nonsense voice. It is a sinuous voice that evokes intimate smoky clubs of the 20's and 30's.There's a distinct air of decadence evident in the delivery and presentation of the songs.

That voice is a perfect foil for the gentle swing provided by the Hot Club of Sweden and the featured guest artists.

The sound is instantly recognisable, as was first performed by Django Reinhart/Stefan Grappelli, and probably around scores of gypsy campfires. But make no mistake. This is not just a re-creation of a very distinctive sound, but rather a fresh take on this well-loved genre. And how refreshing it is.

Much of the success of this venture could be attributed to the melding of Connie's voice and style of singing and the very hot Hot Club of Sweden's swinging guitar-based sound.

Another factor that makes this cd so eminently enjoyable, is the almost perfect selection of songs, and songwriters of the calibre of Cole Porter (It's alright with me), Count Basie (Swingin' the blues), Consuelo Velazquez (Besame mucho), and Duke Ellington (In a sentimental mood), to name but a few.

This style of music was popularized in the 30's, but has been around a lot longer than that, and thanks to albums like this one, will be around for a long, long time. Maybe till the end of time. I hope.

If you want music that is at once nostalgic and modern, superbly produced, well sung and equally well accompanied, “Stockholm Sweetnin” should without a doubt be part of your collection.

1. Stockholm Sweetnin'    4:24
2. It's Alright with Me    4:23
3. Lover Man    5:10
4. Comes Love    4:01
5. Swingin' the Blues    3:44
6. Besame Mucho    6:36
7. If I Had You    4:37
8. Windmills of Your Mind    4:01
9. I Can't Give You Anything but Love    2:55
10. In a Sentimental Mood    4:24
11. Throw it Away    3:55
12. Out of Nowhere    3:26
13. Si Tu Savais    5:16
14. After You've Gone    3:10
15. Autumn in Kokkola    3:55

Connie Evingson Vocals
Gustav Lundgren Acoustic and electric guitar (R channel)
Andreas Orberg Acoustic and electric guitar (L channel)
Hampus Lundgren Bass
Frederick Lindberg Tenor sax
Marc Anderson Percussion
Tony Baluff Clarinet
Dan Choulnard Accordion
Jay Epstein Drums
Joan Griffith Spanish Guitar

Connie Evingson and the Hot Club of Sweden - Stockholm Sweetnin'

Sasha Dobson - Modern Romance

2011-06-24T04:55:00.000+01:00

Label: Secret Sun
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2006
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 273 MB(recovery 5%)

This 27-year old Santa Cruz native comes from a family of jazz musicians. Her mother's a singer. Her brother's a drummer, and her late father was one of the Bay Area's most respected pianists. Though Sasha embraced the family tradition, singing standards for years in piano bars, she didn't find her true voice until she fell in with a pair of acoustic singer-songwriters from Brooklyn.

Jesse Harris and Richard Julian, both artists on their own, are also the ones who discovered Norah Jones, and subsequently wrote songs for her. Impressed by Dobson, the pair collaborated with her to produce this winning album of boho folk-jazz.

Dobson's voice is like cool water--light, clear, refreshingly direct in an era of gross oversinging. While the comparison to Norah Jones is probably inevitable, especially on cocktail strolls like "Without You," "Follow Through," and the lovely "End Of Autumn," Dobson branches out beyond the Greenwich Village jazz sound. "Cold To Colder" coasts on a Tejano bounce while "Spring Is Just Around The Corner" and "Four Leaf Clover" are laced with the kind of laconic country feel that brings to mind Lyle Lovett at his best. Dobson casts her net even further by covering Duke Ellington ("Mood Indigo") and the punk band the Yeah Yeah Yeah's ("Modern Romance").

A low-key charmer, this is the kind of album that, while it may not sell millions a la Norah Jones, still feels like it could be the beginning of a distinguished career. • Bill DeMain

01. Without You 02:51.54
02. Modern Romance 03:36.42
03. Been Here Before 03:15.73
04. Cold To Colder 02:31.13
05. Four Leaf Clover 04:39.68
06. Crescent 03:06.54
07. If Not For Dreams 02:44.72
08. Follow Through 04:07.73
09. Spring Is Just Around The Corner 02:18.62
10. Young And Free 04:11.68
11. End Of Autumn 02:02.15
12. I Never Changed My Mind 03:34.34
13. Mood Indigo 04:26.63

Sasha Dobson - Modern Romance

The Jive Bombers - Hit the Deck! It's... The Jive Bombers

2011-06-22T07:26:00.001+01:00

Label: Texas Jamboree Records
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Swing
Original Release Date: Aug 24, 1999
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 195 MB(recovery 5%)

Over the past 20 years the Jive Bombers have established themselves as Australia's leading dance band. Having won major awards for both jazz and rock n roll. The band has a large and loyal following of dancers and dance teachers; one of our original tracks "JB Boogie" has even had a dance created for it. However, gaining the praise of Frankie Manning, one of the worlds' greatest dance innovators, was very special.

The strength of this band comes from the experience and quality of its members. Musicians working with the Jive Bombers have performed and/or recorded with everyone from the Beatles to Little Richard, Frank Sinatra to Roy Orbison. And the repertoire is probably the most eclectic of any band, containing award winning original songs and custom arrangements of the great songs from the past.

1 Whirlin' 3:04
2 Walk the Chalk Line 2:29
3 Home Cooking 2:46
4 Daddy Likes to Mambo 2:15
5 Misunderstood 2:29
6 I Don't Believe 2:39
7 Each Day 2:10
8 The Wine Goes in (And the Truth Comes Out) 2:26
9 Gotta Gimme What'cha Got 2:46
10 Oh, What a Dream 3:12
11 Walkin' Slippin' and Slidin' 3:02
12 The Hucklebuck 3:10
13 Travelin' Baby 3:29
14 Missouri Pacific on Santa Fe 3:59
15 Beat on the Boogie 2:25

Dana Dattalo Vocals
Vance Hazen Bass
Bobby Horton Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
T.D. Motycka Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Derek Peterson Piano, Vocals (Background)
Shaun Young Trap Kit, Vocals

The Jive Bombers - Hit the Deck! It's... The Jive Bombers

Lita Roza - Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea

2011-06-16T06:48:00.005+01:00

Label: DECCA
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1957
Quality/Bitrate: flac.cue
Size: 192 MB(recovery 5%)

Lita Roza was born Lilian Patricia Lita Roza on March 14, 1926 in Liverpool to Elizabeth Anne and Francis Vincent Roza, a Spanish marine engineer and part-time pianist at a local nightclub. The eldest of seven children, she auditioned as a dancer at the age of 12 in a pantomime to help support the family, eventually working up to performing with the comedian Ted Ray and actress Noel Gordon in the show Black Velvet. Because life was becoming too dangerous in London during the blitz of 1940, her family wanted her back in Liverpool. She turned to singing on her return and managed to get a job as a resident singer in a Merseyside club called The New Yorker. Shortly afterwards, she signed to become a singer with the Harry Roy Orchestra, one of Britain's leading wartime big bands, although when Roy was booked to tour the Middle East, the young Lita Roza was not allowed to join them, being only 17 years old.

At just 18, she retired from show business, marrying James Shepherd Holland, one of the Canadian servicemen who was stationed in the U.K.; they moved to Miami. The marriage did not last, however, and after the war she returned to Britain, finding work with another top bandleader of the time, Ted Heath, alongside Dickie Valentine and Denis Lotis. As many of her contemporaries, she combined working with a big band with a career as a solo singer, and in 1953, she recorded a version of Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window," which topped the charts in April for one week, easily beating off the challenge of the Page version, and only the eighth number one song in the then recently introduced British charts. Despite its success, Roza hated the song and would never perform it in public.

She left the Ted Heath band and married Ron Hughes, a trumpet player. She was voted Top Girl Singer of 1951-1952 in the Melody Maker dance band polls and won the Top Female Singer category in New Musical Express from 1951-1955 consecutively. Another couple of minor solo hits followed, "Hey There" and "Jimmy Unknown," but despite releasing a total of 55 singles and four albums on Decca -- Presenting Lita Roza, Listening in the After-Hours, Love Is the Answer, and Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea -- her record sales were halted by the arrival of rock & roll and in the mid-'50s she concentrated on television work (including her own show Lita Roza Sings and several appearances with Ted Heath and on the new TV pop show Six Five Special, the only pop show on TV in the mid-'50s) and working in cabarets around the world including in Australia, New Zealand, and the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.

She was asked to join a series of Ted Heath reunion concerts in 1982 along with Denis Lotis and Don Lusher and most of the original musicians from the band. In 2001, Roza was honored as the first artist with a bronze disc placed on the Wall of Fame in Matthew Street, opposite the Cavern Club, which featured all the acts from Liverpool who had achieved a number one to date including everyone from Frankie Vaughan, Michael Holiday, and the Beatles to Sonia, Mel C, and Atomic Kitten. Throughout the late '90s and into the 21st century, Universal Music, which owns the rights to Roza's Decca recordings, released several compilations of her songs as well as her final album, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and Ted Heath Singles 1951-1953. She gave her final performance on Radio Merseyside in November 2002. Lita Roza died at her home in London on August 14, 2008; she was 82 years old. ~ Sharon Mawer, Rovi

1 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 2:48

2 Willow Weep For Me 3:13

3 Little White Lies 3:16

4 Moon Song 3:43

5 Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams 3:33

6 I Only Have Eyes For You 2:44

7 You Turned the Tables on Me 2:18

8 I Cover the Waterfront 3:32

9 You're Driving Me Crazy 2:58

10 Moonglow 3:06

11 You Took Advantage Of Me 2:29

12 No Moon At All 2:40

13 My One And Only Love 2:52

Personnel:
Lita Roza - vocals
Ronnie Hughes - trumpet
George Chisholm - trombone
Ken Wray - trombone
George Hunter - alto
Don Rendell - tenor
Bill Le Sage - vibes
Alan Clare - piano
Ike Isaacs - guitar
Joe Muddel - bass
Lennie Bush - bass
Eddie Taylor - drums
Jack Peach - drums

Lita Roza - Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea

OR

Mirror : PART1 + PART2

Roseanna Vitro - Catchin' Some Rays: The Music of Ray Charles

2011-06-14T02:09:00.001+01:00

Label: Telarc Jazz Zone
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: August 26, 1997
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 377 MB(recovery 5%)

Roseanna Vitro is a very talented and versatile singer, as she proves throughout this highly enjoyable set. Vitro performs 14 songs (including a pair of two-song medleys) associated with Ray Charles. Although jazz has long been only a small part of Charles' music, the tunes are transformed into swinging and soulful jazz by Vitro. The instrumentation changes throughout the date, but often features pianist Ken Werner (who duets with the singer on a medley of "You Don't Know Me" and "Ruby"), trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, among others; some of the songs utilize a larger than usual band. Highlights include "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'," a swinging "One Mint Julep," "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Lonely Avenue." Thankfully, Roseanna Vitro avoids many of Brother Ray's best-known hits (including "Georgia On My Mind") in favor of songs better suited to her style and to this setting.

1 Unchain My Heart 5:27
2 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' 5:22
3 One Mint Julep 4:40
4 Night Time Is the Right Time/But, on the Other Hand 6:28
5 Them That's Got 6:17
6 I Don't Need No Doctor 4:41
7 Tell Me You'll Wait for Me 5:16
8 Sticks and Stones 4:09
9 The Danger Zone 5:25
10 Roll with My Baby 3:05
11 Lonely Avenue 3:43
12 You Don't Know Me/Ruby 6:22

Roseanna Vitro - Catchin' Some Rays: The Music of Ray Charles

or

MIRROR : PART1+PART2+PART3+PART4

WINTERPLAY - Songs Of Colored Love

2011-06-12T03:29:00.001+01:00

Label: Phantom
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: Jun 29, 2010
Quality/Bitrate: xld-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 303 MB(recovery 5%)

Winterplay isn’t a conventional jazz band, though it’s hardly a typical pop group. Normally, jazz musicians have some time off in the winter, so the band initially formed with the idea of only performing in the winter. That’s why they took on the name ‘Winterplay.’ Originating from Korea, Winterplay are fronted by Haewon ; After entering Dankook University, she heard Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Too Darn Hot’ which enchanted Haewon to jazz.

While still in college, she developed her own unique learning method to pronounce and sing songs in English, although she had never traveled outside Korea until last year. Juhan Lee is the creative force. His father was a diplomat, so he experienced many countries and cultures. He started to play trumpet in the elementary school band in Iran. Soon after arriving in Korea in 1993, after a 27 year absence, he found himself playing for many famous Korean artists and movie soundtracks, but it his partnership with Haewon that has brought Winterplay prominence as one of Asia’s foremost Jazz outfits.

1 Songs Of Colored Love
2 Hot Sauce
3 Melon Man
4 Serivora
5 Quando, Quando, Quando
6 Moon over Bourbon Street
7 Who Are You?
8 Happy Bubble
9 Cannot Forget
10 I Need To Be In Love
11 Hey Bob
12 You're In My Heart
13 Men Are No Good

WINTERPLAY - Songs Of Colored Love

Miss Sophie Lee - Tallulah Moon

2011-06-09T17:58:00.000+01:00

Label: Miss Sophie Lee
Styles: New Orleans Jazz,Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2009
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 244 MB(recovery 5%)

Vocalist Miss Sophie Lee's Tallulah Moon is a throwback to simpler days, when a song took its own sweet time to develop and tell the story. Right from violinist Matt Rhody's intro on "Delta Bound," there is a mellow New Orleans flavor which is performed with genuineness by the accompanying musicians.

Lee has steeped herself in the traditional sounds of the Crescent City, where she is making a name for herself by singing the music from the early acoustic days of Dixieland and swing. She goes into "Swing Brother Swing" with confidence and authority, while clarinetist Bruce Brackman, trumpeter Charlie Fardella, and pianist Bart Ramsey do a fine job of setting the groove. They are also the core of the band on most of the tracks. Without a drummer, they are firmly rooted by alternating upright bassists Robert Snow and Tommy Sciple.

The original title track is a picturesque number featuring John Rodli s laidback guitar work; a dedication to Lee's Louisiana roots and the highlight of the record. "A Little Bird Told Me," and "There'll Be Some Changes Made" are given a Cajun touch by bringing in Washboard Chaz Leary to add the familiar washboard scratching that is unique to Louisiana music. The record ends with "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues," where Glen David Andrews' moaning trombone and St. Louis Slim's blues guitar carry the song out into the back alley, while Lee conjures up images of lost love.

Lee has found her original voice, utilizing a clear, smooth-flowing style of phrasing. She is singer who picked her musicians carefully and wisely for Tallulah Moon, the result being a pleasant mix of jazz songs brought back from obscurity and given a fresh approach, while remaining true to the soul of the music.

1. Delta Bound 4:12
2. Swing Brother Swing 3:55
3. A Litttle Bird Told Me 3:36
4. We Can't Go On This Way 3:53
5. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 2:53
6. Tallulah Moon 2:54
7. Pennies From Heaven 3:13
8. There'll Be Some Changes Made 4:38
9. Rhythm And Romance 2:46
10. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 3:59

Tallulah Moon, the latest from singer Miss Sophie Lee, sees her accompanied by a band culled largely from members of the Cottonmouth Kings. The sound is New Orleans jazz meets gypsy swing, the latter suggested by John Rodli’s briskly strummed guitar and Matt Rhody’s highflying violin.

Miss Lee’s singing has a highly conversational quality, and the more fun she sounds like she’s having, the more fun we have listening. It’s an approach that can bring warmth and intimacy to the music, but gone awry it can make things rather dreary.

Consider the album’s opener (and strongest track), “Delta Bound.” Every lilt and twirl of Miss Lee’s voice is full of infectious glee; what she lacks in raw “oomph” she makes up for in grace and zeal. It’s hard not to smile (and maybe even to sing along).

Alternately, consider “We Can’t Go on This Way,” a track that is utterly charming but for the flatness of Miss Sophie’s vocal. This song ought to be right up her alley; it is, after all, a “you and me”-type love song, perfectly suited to her nod-and-a-wink style. Yet she doesn’t seem to be feeling it, so neither do we.

The musicians play their parts well; Bruce Brackman and Charlie Fardella, on clarinet and trumpet, respectively, wail with great gusto. The sound quality of the live tracks (recorded at Mimi’s in the Marigny) leaves a little to be desired, but this is a lively record, satisfying if inconsistent.

Personnel: Miss Sophie Lee: vocals; Bart Ramsey: piano (all tracks) accordion (6); Washboard Chaz Leary: washboard (3, 8); St. Louis Slim: guitar (3, 8); Andy J. Forest: harmonica (3, 8); Bruce Brackman: clarinet (1, 2, 4, 9); Charlie Fardella: trumpet (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9); Matt Rhody: violin (1, 2, 4, 8); John Rodli: guitar (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10); Robert Snow: upright bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10); Glen David Andrews: Trombone (10); Matt Bell: guitar (5, 7); Matt Johnson: guitar (5, 6, 7, 10); Tommy Sciple: upright bass (3, 5, 7, 8).

Miss Sophie Lee - Tallulah Moon

Stevie Holland - Before Love Has Gone

2011-06-07T17:25:00.000+01:00

Label: 150 Music
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2008
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 248 MB(recovery 5%)

Vocalist Stevie Holland is gifted with a rich, expressive alto, clear diction, and an ability to bring out something fresh in familiar songs. Buoyed by a strong rhythm section consisting of pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Edward Perez, and drummer Willie Jones III, Holland catches the nuances of the sensual "Carioca" without falling into a tired routine as do many lounge singers, often backed solely by Perez. She restores the oft-omitted verse to Rodgers & Hart's "Where or When," then savors its romantic lyrics in an updated treatment of this decades-old standard. Tenor saxophonist Ole Mathisen is added for her lush, deliberate treatment of "Lazy Afternoon," though Holland's powerful duet with Bejerano of "How Deep Is the Ocean" is easily the high point of her CD. Guitarist Paul Bollenback joins the rhythm section for her swinging interpretation of Ferde Grofй's "Daybreak" (with the guitarist opening his solo with a bit of Grofй's well-known "On the Trail"). She also collaborates with composer Gary William Friedman on two strong originals. Her midtempo bossa nova "The Music in Me That Plays" is an upbeat affair, with Bollenback playing acoustic guitar. Mathiesen returns for Holland's melancholy ballad "Before Love Has Gone," with the singer delivering her longing lyrics in a heartfelt manner. Carly Simon's "Riverboat Gambler" seems an unlikely choice for a jazz vocalist, but Holland takes on the challenge and makes it work. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden

01. Carioca    03:43.23
02. Before Love Has Gone    05:06.14
03. Where Or When    03:34.69
04. Lazy Afternoon    05:18.23
05. The Music In Me That Plays    04:09.46
06. Make Our Gardens Grow    03:56.35
07. Daybreak    02:46.32
08. How Deep Is The Ocean    04:10.03
09. Riverboat Gambler    03:23.55
10. Here's To Your Illusions    05:12.58

Personnel
Paul Bollenback - guitar
Willie Jones, III - drums
Ole Mathisen - saxophone
Edward Perez - upright bass
Martin Bejerano - piano
Stevie Holland - vocals

Stevie Holland - Before Love Has Gone

Anna Buturlina - Black Coffee

2011-06-02T06:58:00.001+01:00

Label: Evergreen Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2002
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log
Size: 331 MB(recovery 5%)

1. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me (Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal)
2. Mas Que Nada (Jorge Ben)
3. Everything I Love (Cole Porter)
4. Embraceable You (George&Ira Gershwin)
5. Sister Sadie (Horace Silver) Instrumental
6. Зеркало (Yuri Saulsky / Nikolay Denisov)
7. Nobody Else But Me (Oscar Hammerstein/Jerome Kern)
8. Black Coffee (Paul Francis Webster/Sonny Burke)
9. Boogie Blues (Remo Biondi/Gene Krupa)

Anna Buturlina(vo)
Vitaly Golovniov (tp) Quartet

Anna Buturlina - Black Coffee

Jane Horrocks - The Further Adventures of Little Voice

2011-06-01T07:27:00.001+01:00

Label: Liberty
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2005
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 309 MB(recovery 5%)

1. Hello Dolly   Jane Horrocks   3:47
2. The Best Is Yet To Come   Jane Horrocks   3:04
3. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)   Jane Horrocks   5:03
4. Dream A Little Dream Of Me   Jane Horrocks   3:50
5. Just In Time   Jane Horrocks   3:45
6. You're Just In Love (From 'Call Me Madam')   Jane Horrocks And Ewan McGregor   3:35
7. It Was A Very Good Year   Jane Horrocks   5:56
8. That Old Black Magic   Jane Horrocks And Robbie Williams   3:14
9. Crazy   Jane Horrocks   3:45
10. Too Close For Comfort (Mr Wonderful)   Jane Horrocks   3:37
11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home   Jane Horrocks And Dean Martin   4:12
12. Once I Loved (O Amor Em Paz)   Jane Horrocks   1:53

Personnel: Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Andy Fusco (clarinet, alto saxophone); Dave d'Angelo, Gary Keller (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Kenny Berger (clarinet, baritone saxophone); Pete Long (clarinet); Alex Garnett (saxophone); Leo Green (tenor saxophone, percussion); Ray Gelato (tenor saxophone); Tony Kadleck, Glenn Drewes, Earl Gardner (trumpet, flugelhorn); Andy Cuss (trumpet); Andy Baker , Bruce Bonvissuto, Sam Burtis, John Mosca (trombone); Robin Aspland, Ted Rosenthal (piano); Frank Ricotti (xylophone); Anders Janes, Tony Scherr (double bass); Dennis Mackrel (drums).

Jane Horrocks - The Further Adventures of Little Voice

Ann Hampton Callaway - Easy Living

2011-05-30T06:50:00.000+01:00

Label: Shanachie Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2005
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 293 MB(recovery 5%)

This is Ann Hampton Callaway's seventh recording, Easy Living, and is one of her very best. It's a program of well-known standards and fairly stock arrangements, but in the middle is her pristine, well-defined, flexible voice. She retains a lower-end range in her style that suggests only one singer: Sarah Vaughan. She's joined by several different rhythm sections and soloists, including pianists Benny Green (six cuts), Bill Charlap (five), and Kenny Barron (two); bassists Peter Washington or Neal Miner; drummers Clarence "Tootsie" Bean and Lewis Nash; percussionist Jim Saporito; saxophonists Andy Farber, Nelson Rangell, and Gerry Niewood; and on three selections, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. A collection of love songs sung convincingly and with no frills, Callaway shows great depth in ballad singing. Hard evidence is presented in her takes of "Skylark" and "The Very Thought of You," with Charlap's glistening piano tones ringing bells for the singer and Farber's tenor sax replies. "'Round Midnight" is the penultimate interp with Barron's wistful piano and Marsalis' spare trumpet offering advice on ol' midnight. Callaway can swing well when she chooses; "Easy to Love" brings home her lower dulcet tones, while Farber's tenor cops a Stan Getz-Joe Henderson type plea bargain. Green's intro to "Nice Work If You Can Get It" has a "Giant Steps" quote before the singer digs into this lyric. She scats a little during the middle of the program, on the melody line, and the coda, of "Bluesette," and more in the improvised bridge during "It Had to Be You." Bossa nova is always a sidebar for singers, and Callaway uses this Brazilian rhythm on an interesting arrangement of "You Don't Know What Love Is" spiked with high drama, Saporito's Latin percussion, Barron's deft piano, and Niewood's flavorful tenor. The lone composition of the vocalist "Come Take My Hand" is also bossa, with Rangell's flute chirping on this definitive love anthem. Marsalis is also bolder on the stark ballad title track and a nice version of "In a Sentimental Mood," while it's the singer getting brash and daring in a lower tone than normal for perhaps the highlight "All of You," Green's piano matching the depths of Callaway's yearnings. It's not hyperbole to understand this is the perfect singer with a perfect voice that sounds so effortless, mature, and flowing. Though the others six recordings are just fine, this one really hits the spot, especially instrumentally. Callaway proves up to the challenge with every measure, phrase, and inflection.

01. Easy To Love [Porter] 3:51
02. 'Round Midnight [Hanighen, Monk, Williams] 5:59
03. Come Take My Hand [Callaway] 3:36
04. Easy Living [Rainger, Robin] 5:42
05. All Of You [Porter] 3:25
06. Bluesette [Gimbel, Thielemans] 3:43
07. It Had To Be You [Jones, Kahn] 3:28
08. In A Sentimental Mood [Ellington, Kurtz, Mills] 5:24
09. You Don't Know What Love Is [DePaul, Raye] 4:02
10. Come Rain Or Come Shine [Arlen, Mercer] 4:15
11. Skylark [Carmichael, Mercer] 5:50
12. Nice Work If You Can Get It [Gershwin, Gershwin] 2:33
13. The Very Thought Of You [Noble, Noble] 5:32

PERSONNEL:
Kenny Baron, piano
Bill Charlap, piano
Lewis Nash, drums
Clarence "Tootsie" Bean, drums
Peter Washington, bass
Neal Miner, bass
Jim Saporito, percussion
Special Guest Appearances:
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
Nelson Rangel, alto sax & flute
Andy Farber, tenor sax
Gerry Niewood, tenor sax

Ann Hampton Callaway - Easy Living

Olga Osipova - Velvet and Lace

2011-05-26T05:02:00.000+01:00

Label: Olga Osipova
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2008
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 311 MB(recovery 5%)

Released nearly a year ago in her adopted homeland of Canada and already a chart-topping success in her native Russia, vocalist and pianist Olga Osipova’s debut collection of all-original material is finally getting some deserved stateside attention.

Much as Madeleine Peyroux naturally evokes a hazy, retro vibe haunted by the ghost of Billie Holiday, Osipova spontaneously suggests the luxuriant smolder of Marlene Dietrich. But Osipova does the iconic screen siren one better. Again rivaling Peyroux, she proves herself an excellent songsmith, crafting a dozen consistently fine tunes that extend from the coy playfulness of “Don’t Forget About Love” and arch lustfulness of “Come and See Me Alone” to the bruised longing of “Unavailable,” murky wistfulness of “St. Petersburg” and gentle, romantic swirl of “Wieder und Wieder” (a hit for Osipova in Germany while she was completing a Masters degree in linguistics at the University of Oldenburg and performing with the a cappella group Point 7).

Perhaps a porcelain-skinned newcomer who evokes images of dimly lit Berlin cabarets from a long-faded era may not have the makings of wide appeal. Then again, it hasn’t exactly kept Ute Lemper in obscurity.

1. Don't Forget About Love 3:46
2. Seven Days 3:19
3. Night Butterfly 2:55
4. The One I'd Love to Love 4:43
5. St. Petersburg 4:44
6. Come and See Me Alone 4:39
7. Tango 4:49
8. Unavailable 4:24
9. So Blue 3:44
10. Wieder Und Wieder 3:07
11. Just Leave It With Me 2:42
12. When the Day Is Done 4:16

Olga Osipova - vocal,piano
Craig Thompson - tenor sax
Bryn Flock - guitar
Scott Gamble - drums
Bernie Addington - bass

Olga Osipova - Velvet and Lace

Anne Phillips - Ballet Time

2011-05-25T07:14:00.000+01:00

Label: Conawago Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 340 MB(recovery 5%)

01. Ballet Time - with Scott Robinson - T Sax    3:12.24
02. I Have The Feeling IґVe Been Here Before - with Roger Kellaway - Piano    5:32.57
03. Iґve Got Just About Everything - with Bob Dorough - Piano-Vocal    4:02.24
04. Hereґs To Life - with Artie Butler - Fender Rhodes    4:43.34
05. In Your Own Sweet Way - with Dave Brubeck - Piano    4:51.36
06. Doubletalk - with Larry Goldings - Organ    3:39.42
07. You Are There - with David Frishberg - Piano    3:16.52
08. Late Late Show - with John Hart - Guitar    4:01.22
09. In The Days Of Our Love - with Marian McPartland - Piano    3:44.28
10. I Never Went Away - with Eddie Monteiro - Accordian    4:57.53
11. I Was Doing All Right - with Matt Perri - Piano\Vocal    3:12.53
12. Embracable You - with Bob Kindred - T Sax    5:37.50
13. Romancing Ketchikan - with Paul Meyers - Guitar    5:53.48
14. New York Night Time Blues - with Joe Locke - Vibes    4:50.06
15. Fried Bananas - with Adam Asarnow - Piano    5:02.27

"Ballet Time"...
'May I have this dance?'

That's how I felt as I called each of the friends who so graciously agreed to record one cut with me for this CD. Each has a place in my history, from Dave Brubeck, who I met when I was 18, to Matt Perri, who I met when HE was 18...

Anne Phillips - Ballet Time

Vince Jones and Grace Knight – Come In Spinner

2011-05-21T16:47:00.002+01:00

Label: ABC Music
Styles: Contemporary Jazz,Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1990
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 312 MB(recovery 5%)

Tracklist
1 I've Got You Under My Skin
2 The Man I Love
3 Mood Indigo
4 Don't Know Much About Love
5 L'il Darlin'
6 Don't Get Around Much Anymore
7 I Get Along Without Very Well
8 Sophisticated Lady
9 You Go To My Head
10 Loose Lips
11 Body And Soul
12 Joy Juice
13 In A Sentimental Mood
14 Lover Come Back To Me

Bass – Lloyd Swanton (tracks: 13)
Clarinet – Lee Hutchings
Clarinet, Saxophone [Alto] – Col Loughlan (tracks: 8)
Clarinet, Saxophone [Tenor] – Jason Morphett (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 10 to 12, 14)
Drums – Andrew Gander (tracks: 13)
Guitar – Jim Kelly
Piano – Max Lambert (tracks: 13)
Saxophone [Baritone] – Tony Buchanon (tracks: 5, 6, 12)
Strings [Led By] – Phillip Hartl
Trombone – Bob McIver (tracks: 2)
Trumpet – Dick Motz, John Hoffman (tracks: 10), Paul Panichi (tracks: 7, 10, 12, 14)
Vocals – Grace Knight (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14), Vince Jones (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13)

Vince Jones and Grace Knight – Come In Spinner

Patti Page - The Best of Patti Page

2011-05-18T16:52:00.000+01:00

Label: Mercury Nashville
Styles: Female Vocal Jazz,Vocal Pop
Original Release Date: 2003
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.cover
Size: 148 MB(recovery 5%)

1. Tennessee Waltz   3:02
2. Mockin' Bird Hill   2:56
3. Mister And Mississippi   3:08
4. Detour   2:45
5. I Went To Your Wedding   3:14
6. Why Don't You Believe Me?   2:44
7. (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window   2:27
8. Changing Partners   2:56
9. Cross Over The Bridge   2:31
10. Let Me Go Lover!   2:22
11. Allegheny Moon   2:51
12. Old Cape Cod   2:35

Patti Page - The Best of Patti Page

Miss Tess - Modern Vintage

2011-05-16T09:11:00.000+01:00

Label: Miss Tess
Styles: Blues,Female Vocal Jazz,Modern Vintage
Original Release Date: May 29, 2007
Quality/Bitrate: eac-flac.cue.log.scans
Size: 266 MB(recovery 5%)

Miss Tess is a young, Boston-based songwriter, whose “Modern Vintage” sound bridges eras and genres. True to the tradition, her vocals can soar or caress as she strums and picks her way through an array of styles, from ragtime, to blues; country, to swing. Tess writes songs with the folk sensibilities of a troubadour that engage roots-devotees and newcomers alike. A typical set conjures a cast of dreamers and lovers, down on their luck and charming their ways in and out of trouble, with familiar faces mingling in the crowd, courtesy of folks like Bessie Smith and Tom Waits—perpetual muses to her style.

In her Baltimore youth, Miss Tess was lullabied by the sounds of her father’s Big Band rehearsing in a basement below her bedroom. Her mother played upright bass, and large jam parties were a familiar household sound. Tess studied classical piano as a child, and in her teens, began banging out her first few chords on an acoustic guitar. Once in a while, her parents would coax her to croon out a standard like Crazy, or Dream A Little Dream of Me. By her early 20’s, she had fallen in love with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn and her guitar playing took a turn for the better under the tutelage of local jazzer Steve Abshire.

1 When Tomorrow Comes
2 Pokey McMumbles
3 Stormy Baby
4 I Don't Need That Man
5 Ladykiller
6 Streetcorner
7 Mike's Blues
8 I Only Really Miss You When I'm Stoned
9 Child Of The Devil
10 I Got the Fever
11 Under My Skin
12 I'm On Top of the World

Miss Tess - Modern Vintage

Suzanne Pittson - Blues and the Abstract Truth

2011-05-14T03:08:00.000+01:00

Label: Vineland Records
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: 1996
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 365 MB(recovery 5%)

Singer Suzanne Pittson, who is based in the San Francisco Bay area, has a wide range, is able to interpret lyrics with proper sensitivity and is a masterful scatter. She improvises constantly, and her solos are full of surprises and chance-taking. In addition to a few fresh versions of standards (including "My Ship," "Out Of Nowhere" and an eccentric "Love For Sale"), Pittson explores such rarely heard material as Oliver Nelson's "Butch And Butch" and "Blues And The Abstract Truth" (both of which have been given lyrics by her husband, pianist Jeff Pittson), Jerome Kern's underrated (and rather emotional) "In Love In Vain," and Jimmy Heath's complex "Gingerbread Boy." The warm vocalist is assisted on this worthy effort (which was not put out until late 1996) by her spouse, along with trumpeter Jack Walrath (who takes several surprisingly extroverted solos), bassist Harvie Swartz and drummer Mike Clark. ~ Scott Yanow

01. Butch and Butch    04:50.50
02. My Ship    06:16.15
03. You and the Night and the Music    05:40.62
04. In Love in Vain    05:36.00
05. Blues and the Abstract Truth    04:35.08
06. Out of Nowhere    04:42.57
07. The Meaning of the Blues    05:53.68
08. Love for Sale    06:52.42
09. Somewhere in Tokyo    04:13.30
10. Ginger Bread Boy    06:14.03

Personnel:
Suzanne Pittson (vocals)
Jack Walrath (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Jeff Pittson (piano)
Harvie Swartz (bass)
Mike Clark (drums)

Suzanne Pittson - Blues and the Abstract Truth

Sherri Roberts - The Sky Could Send You

2011-05-02T10:29:00.003+01:00

Label: Blue House / Pacific Coast Jazz
Styles: Vocal Jazz
Original Release Date: Feb 07, 2006
Quality/Bitrate: eac-ape.cue.log.scans
Size: 322 MB(recovery 5%)

This stylistically varied set of laid-back, musically impeccable jazz vocalizing from the Bay Area singer includes a couple of Caribbean calypso classics, some Rodgers and Hart tunes, and a slinky Latin composition by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Drawing from a broad palette of instrumental and rhythmiccoloration, The Sky Could Send You features re-imaginedjazz and Brazilian standards, original compositions bycontemporary artists and unexpected covers of pop tunessuch as Harry Belafonte's Jamaica Farewell.Undulating world and jazz grooves provide a richfoundation for and, at times, stunning contrast to Sherri's unique sense of phrasing and her very personal and intimate delivery of lyrics. Nothing is straight ahead here; this is jazz for the new millennium.In praising Sherri's last outing, JazzTimes magazineexclaimed "Encore Ms. Roberts!" We believe this newand exciting recording serves as a very fitting encore indeed.

When you listen to Sherri's thoughtful way with a vocal line, or her vibrant sense of swing, or her effortless embodiment of a song's emotion, it's hard not to notice the extent of her affection for her songs.

Sherri Roberts was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and received a B.A. in theatre from Antioch College in Ohio. It was there she was first introduced to jazz studies - its history and repertoire - as well as early Renaissance choral music and the 20th Century avant garde.

Upon relocating to San Francisco, she became involved in both theatre performance and management, while never abandoning her love of singing and her growing interest in jazz. At a transitional point in her life, she recognized that exploring the rich emotional life of a character through story could be done far more economically in a four minute song than a two hour play; that a well written song is like a miniature play, distilled down to it’s musical essence; and that singing, like acting, offers the means to externalize the deeper internal self. She walked away from the theatre and onto the bandstand and never looked back.

Drawing from this diverse training and experience, Ms. Roberts blurs the line between cabaret and jazz singing. She performs the tunes of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley in modern jazz settings, while her great affinity for Brazilian music and the lyricized compositions of contemporary artists such as Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland and Bill Evans keeps her song choices personal and exciting. She takes her innate feeling for melody and rhythm and mates it with an attraction for less-known and wrongly-neglected songs.

Ms. Roberts’ interpretation of this repertoire draws inspiration from the Vo-Cool jazz era. Her velvet voice, laid-back phrasing, impeccable diction, and subtle understated delivery have invited favorable comparisons to June Christy, Chet Baker and Helen Merrill. Yet her pillowy sound and intimate approach are all her own.

The Sky Could Send You, her latest recording is produced and arranged by bassist Harvie S with special guests, legendary saxophonist Phil Woods and trumpet virtuoso Lew Soloff. “Sweet, sensitive, and sassy” is how Jesse “Chuy” Varela of the Bay Area’s KCSM FM describes Sherri’s vocals on this outing.“Sky”, released in February of 2006 on the Blue House Recordings/Pacific Coast Jazz labels, marks Sherri’s third collaboration with Harvie S following their critically acclaimed recordings on the Brownstone label:Twilight World (1996) and Dreamsville (1998).

Twilight World, was called “an impressively warm and lyrical debut” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Dreamsville followed, garnering even greater critical response. JazzTimes said “Everything works here. Encore Ms. Roberts.” Cadence Magazine effused “Her voice is beautifully expressive and rhythmically fluent. And the intelligence behind each lyric interpretation is manifest.” And the Los Angeles Times called Roberts “A superior bop and standards vocalist (who) puts plenty of feeling and swing into her music.” Dreamsville, distributed internationally, also received significant radio airplay on over 100 jazz stations throughout North America. It charted on the prestigious Gavin Report where it remained for a full seven weeks.

Sherri has recorded or performed with Harvie S, Mark Soskin, Danny Gottlieb, Chris Potter, Eric Friedlander, Kieth Underwood, Joe Le Barbera, John Hart, Vince Cherico, and many top Bay Area musicians.

Ms. Roberts is a true scholar of popular music with a deep appreciation for its heritage and freely sites such diverse influences as Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Sloane, Irene Kral, Chet Baker and Shirley Horn. She was priveleged to study with jazz master Sheila Jordan and also with the late Jeri Southern, as well as with Mark Murphy, Jovino Santos Neto, and Dr. Billy Taylor.

She performs regularly in the Bay Area and has toured to major jazz venues both in the states and abroad.

01. You're Looking At Me    05:11.15
02. Jamaica Farewell    04:34.58
03. Before    03:51.03
04. Let Me    04:12.25
05. Tell Me My Name    03:25.69
06. The Moon's a Harsh Mistress    03:57.33
07. Return to Paradise    04:42.61
08. You're Nearer    05:21.34
09. Do It the Hard Way    04:02.25
10. Slow Hot Wind    04:29.72
11. Far from New York    04:54.55
12. Por Toda Minha Vida (For All My Life)    03:06.59

Personnel: Sherri Roberts (vocals, background vocals); David Udolf (piano); Harvie S (bass); DARIA (background vocals); John Hart (guitar); Phil Woods (saxophone); Lew Soloff (trumpet); Pablo Vergara (piano); Tim Collins (vibraphone); Vince Cherico (drums); Daniel Sadownick, Renato Thoms (percussion); Skyler Jett (background vocals).

Sherri Roberts - The Sky Could Send You