THE BOSSA NOVA YEARS contains approximately 4 hours of music including a never before released "Tribute To Getz" written by guitarist Baden Powell. Also includes the complete LPs GETZ/GILBERTO, JAZZ SAMBA, JAZZ SAMBA ENCORE, BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA, GETZ/ALMEIDA, and material from a classic Carnegie Hall concert. A booklet with rare photos, incisive text, and new insights by Antonio Carlos Jobim is also included.
Personnel includes: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Joao Gilberto (vocals, guitar); Astrud Gilberto, Maria Toledo (vocals); Doc Severinsen, Bernie Glow, Clark Terry (trumpet); Ray Alonge (French horn); Tony Studd, Bob Brookmeyer (trombone); Gary Burton (vibraphone); Antonio Carlos Jobim (piano, guitar); Hank Jones, Steve Kuhn (piano); Gene Byrd (guitar, bass); Charlie Byrd, Jim Hall, Luiz Bonfa, Kenny Burrell, Laurindo Almeida (guitar); Keter Betts, Tommy Williams, George Duvivier (bass); Buddy Deppenschmidt, Bill Reichenbach, Joe Hunt (drums); Jose Paulo (tambourine, percussion); Carmen Costa (cabassa).
The Girl From Ipanema
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Stan Getz - The Girl From Ipanema - The Bossa Nova Years - 4 CD - [flac]
Ben Webster - (1957) [flac] - The Soul Of Ben Webster
This two-CD set is slightly misnamed. Not only does it feature the tenor stylings of the great Ben Webster, it also contains a full album by trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison called GEE, BABY AIN'T I GOOD TO YOU and altoist Johnny Hodges' full LP, BLUES A-PLENTY. Webster appears on Edison's album but does not play on all of Hodges'. In fact, he sits out on five of the eleven Hodges tracks.
The music itself is all quite memorable, featuring notables such as trumpeters Art Farmer and Roy Eldridge, pianists Oscar Peterson and Billy Strayhorn, and trombonist Vic Dickenson. Indeed, this album boasts many legends, and with this caliber of musicianship, you can't go wrong. Highlights include Webster's composition, "Ev's Mad" Sweets Edison's "Blues for Bill Basie," and Hodges' "Honey Hill." On the latter, Roy Eldridge reaches into the stratosphere, playing high notes with great precision.
In addition to THE SOUL OF BEN WEBSTER, this compilation includes Harry Edison's GEE, BABY AIN'T I GOOD TO YOU and Johnny Hodges' BLUES A-PLENTY in their entirety.
Personnel: Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Harold Ashby (tenor saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Art Farmer, Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Vic Dickenson (trombone); Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Jones, Billy Strayhorn (piano); Mundell Lowe, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis (guitar); Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, Jimmy Woode (bass); Dave Bailey, Alvin Stoller, Sam Woodyard (drums).
Webster
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sonny Clark Trio - (Bluenote)
Pianist Sonny Clark sounds very much at home on this trio set with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Sticking to bop standards, Sonny Clark essentially plays his version of Bud Powell, carving out his own approach to the influential style. The CD reissue adds three alternates to the six selections and includes such gems as "Two Bass Hit," "Be-Bop" and "Tadd's Delight.
Personnel:
Personnel: Sonny Clark (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).
Sonny 1.
Sonny 2.
Mal Waldron - Mal-1
This 1956 release was the first of Waldron's four "Mal" titles (MAL-1, MAL-2, MAL-3, and MAL-4). At the time of these recordings Waldron was working as Billie Holiday's accompanist--he was her piano player for the last two years of her life, and, like the legendary singer, he uses dramatic understatement rather than overt flash.
This set is a mix of originals and standards. Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" is stripped to its core components, with the bass setting the pulse, as a solo trumpet starts the melody, slowly joined by sax and finally the whole ensemble. "Bud Study" is a perfect encapsulation of Waldron's distinctive writing style--bracing chordal structures with slyly inventive and darkly evocative melodies. The quintet includes the underrated Gigi Gryce on alto saxophone and Idrees Sulieman on trumpet. The latter also wrote the set's closing "Shome," a fine slice of late-period bebop.
Personnel: Mal Waldron (piano); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Idrees Sulieman (trumpet); Julian Euell (bass); Arthur Edgehill (drums).
Mal.
Adam Makowicz - Live At The Maybeck Recital Hall Volume 24
Some jazz pianists sound best in trios, with their shortcomings appearing during solo recitals, like the series recorded at Maybeck Recital Hall. Such was definitely not the case for Adam Makowicz, who has always been very much a two-handed pianist with phenomenal technique. As if to show what he has, he begins this CD with his own complex original, "Tatum on My Mind." After that, he digs into ten well-worn Cole Porter songs that Tatum and others had recorded through the years, coming up with interesting reinterpretations of such tunes as "Get Out of Town," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You Do Something to Me," "Begin the Beguine," and "Just One of Those Things." Although Makowicz has recorded sessions that contained more variety, his total command of the piano is particularly well displayed throughout this memorable set.
Adam 1.
Adam 2.
Jaki Byard - Blues For Smoke
Jaki Byard plays solo piano.
All songs written by Jaki Byard.
Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studios, New York on December 16, 1960. Includes liner notes by Alan Bates.
Jaki Byard was truly a great pianist in the real sense, able to interpret and expand musical thought in a totally individual way and with this collection of his own compositions, Jaki reconfirms his unique talent and deep feeling for the whole kaleidosco..
Byard 1.
Byard 2.
Grover Washington, Jr - Jazz Moods - Cool
The late saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. was on the cutting edge of jazz's pop transformation in the 1980s. Along with guitarist George Benson, flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, and others, Washington brought a commercial sensibility to the genre, and smooth jazz was born. This new style was quickly embraced by the general public, but dismissed by many jazz purists. Nonetheless, crossover jazz is here to stay, and Washington is one of its biggest practitioners.
This JAZZ MOODS compilation presents a number of Washington's biggest "Quiet Storm" radio hits. Such favorites as "Soulful Strut," "Love like This," and "Play That Groove for Me" are all captured here, along with Washington's modernized version of the Paul Desmond-penned classic "Take Five." Although Washington uses drum machines and other electronic instruments throughout this track, the inclusion of the tune serves as a reminder of the tenor man's "cool" jazz roots.
Moods 1.
Moods 2.
Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis & Shirley Scott - Bacalao
When it came to tenor saxophonists, the late organist Shirley Scott had excellent taste. One of the big-toned tenor men she worked with extensively was Stanley Turrentine, whom she married; another was Eddie "lockjaw" Davis. Recorded in Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio in 1959, Bacalao is among the many solid hard bop/soul-jazz albums that resulted from Davis' association with Scott. The two of them enjoyed an incredibly strong rapport in the late '50s and early '60s, and they are very much in sync on Bacalao (which unites them with bassist George Duvivier, drummer Arthur Edgehill, and two Latin percussion men: Luis Perez and salsa giant Ray Barretto). The presence of Perez and Barretto gives the album some Afro-Cuban appeal, and both of them do well by Davis and Scott -- who are in fine form whether they turn their attention to two James Moody items ("Last Train From Overbrook" and "Dobbin' With Redd Foxx") or well-known pop standards (which include "That Old Black Magic," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "When Your Lover Has Gone," and "Come Rain or Come Shine"). In the liner notes that he wrote for Bacalao in 1959 or 1960, Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones) describes "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "That Old Black Magic" as "old beat-up tunes"; even back then, those Harold Arlen standards were considered warhorses. But Baraka also goes on to say that Davis and his colleagues revitalize the songs. Organ combo soul-jazz was still new and fresh in 1959, and Scott was helping Davis find new ways to interpret very familiar melodies. Although not quite essential, Bacalao is a rewarding example of Davis' ability to thrive in an organ/tenor setting. ~ Alex Henderson,
Personnel:
Eddie Lockjaw Davis (tenor saxophone)
Shirley Scott (organ)
George Duvivier (bass)
Arthur Edgehill (drums)
Ray Barretto (conga)
Luis Perez (bongos, conga).
Bacalao.
Charlie Parker - The Washington Concerts
Recorded live at the Club Kavakos, Washington, D.C. on February 22, 1953 and The Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C. on October 18, 1952 and March 8, 1953. Originally released on Elektra Musician.
Personnel includes: Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Jim Parker, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Jack Nimitz (baritone saxophone); Bob Carey (trumpet); Earl Swope, Kai Winding (trombone); Jack Holliday, Bill Shanahan (piano); Charlie Byrd (guitar); Mert Oliver, Franklin Skeete (bass); Joe Timer, Max Roach, Don Lamond (drums).
Parker 1.
Parker 2.
Parker 3.
Beautiful Irma - City Rhythm
IRMA always released something more futuristic and modern, for example, more in electronic bossa, a bit of soulfulhouse and more uplifting musics and beats, however these albums are more funk, acid and groove compare to their usual albums.
City .
Beautiful Irma - Romantic Melodies
IRMA released another 2 great albums. not like their previous albums, they tried to offer new genre in these albums.
IRMA always released something more futuristic and modern, for example, more in electronic bossa, a bit of soulfulhouse and more uplifting musics and beats, however these albums are more funk, acid and groove compare to their usual albums.
but still they reflect the modernistic of IRMA itself.
Beautiful.
Paris Match 2008 Flight 7
Paris match's 7th full length album, released 2008/02/13. It's been a while coming, what with their teasing us with Best of compilations through 2007. Fortunately, it doesn't disappoint. Yousuke Sugiyama and Tai Furusawa really do an excellent job of writing music that complement's Mari's smooth voice. There aren't any surprises, but it fits well with their catalog. Interestingly, they've left JVC and are now with Amuse Soft Entertainment. Probably explains the delay between new material.
Flight 7 1.
Flight 7 2.
Marco Pereira & Cristovao Bastos - Bons Encontros(A good encounter indeed)
arco Pereira is an internationally renowned Brazilian composer, guitarist, and university professor. His compositional work and playing -- strongly influenced by Brazilian, Latin American, and jazz music -- have been awarded in important international contests such as Spain's Concurso Andrés Segóvia in Palma de Mallorca and Concurso Francisco Tárrega in Valencia. In 1993, he won the Sharp prize for Best Popular Music Arranger for his work on Gal Costa's Gal. In the next year, he received two Sharp prizes (Best Soloist and Best Instrumental Album) for his own album Bons Encontros (a duet with pianist Cristóvão Bastos). He has also performed and recorded with many top popular Brazilian singers/composers like Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Paulinho da Viola, Gilberto Gil, and Wagner Tiso. Pereira studied with classical guitar master Isaías Sávio while still in São Paulo. Moving to France, he presented a master's thesis about Villa-Lobos' music to the department of Musicology of the Université Musicale Internationale de Paris/Sorbonne. In the next five years while living in France, Pereira performed in Germany, the United States, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Canada, and Spain. Back in Brazil, he organized courses on violão (classical guitar) and functional harmony at the University of Brasília, and recorded two albums (Violão Popular Brasileiro Contemporâneo and Círculo das Cordas) that yielded him an invitation to perform at the Town Hall (New York) in 1988. He performed in the Brasil em Caracas festival (Venezuela) in 1995 and 1996 (the latter year with Paulo Moura). Also in 1996, he performed with success in the XXème Carrefour Mondiale de la Guitare (Martinica) with Baden Powell and Vicente Amigo. In 2000, he toured the U.S. with Ralph Towner in the International Guitar Night series.
Personnel:
*Marco Susano: Percussion (tracks 1,2,4 and 9)
*Henrique Cazes: Cavaquinho (track 9)
*Jorginho do "Pandeiro": (track 9)
*Marco Pereira: plays a "Walter Vogt" acoustic guitar
*Cristóvão Bastos: plays a "Yamaha C.7" acoustic piano.
Bons 1.
Bons 2.
Bons 3.
Chick Corea & Touchstone - Rhumba Flamenco CD 1+ 2
During Touchstone’s first tour of Europe, Chick felt the magic happening on stage needed to be captured for a CD. Two actually. RHUMBA FLAMENCO is a limited edition 2-CD pressing available only online and at Touchstone concerts.
Before the tour, Chick went through his massive catalog and chose the perfect repertoire for the quintet. It was, as he says, "a great success and great fun and I'm very excited to be able to present these live performances to you with such quality in the recording."
"As you know," he continues, "the word, touchstone, means 'a stone used to test the quality of gold alloys' and so also has come to mean 'a standard of quality.' I love how the performances, the sound, the band all live up to the Touchstone name."Personnel:
*Tom Brechtlein: Drums
*Chick Corea: Piano
*Carles Benavent: Bass
*Jorge Pardo: Saxophone, Flute
*Rubem Dantas: Percusión
*Gayle Moran Corea: Vocals
Corea 1.
Corea 2.
Corea 3.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Don Pullen - New Beginnings (1988)
Pullen is known for his ability to stretch into free-spirited explorations within songs, while usually staying connected with, or eventually returning to, the melody. His excursions typically include percussive and dissonant cluster attacks, rolling runs up and down the keyboard, and tinkling trills and glissandi. He therefore often gets compared to Cecil Taylor, though Pullen is clearly more rooted in the melody and therefore much more accessible. This album contains healthy doses of all his stylistics with characteristic Pullen-treatments featured heavily on each of the tracks. Many of these have Pullen stating a theme, then reformulating it over and again, each time with more embellishments -- kind of like laying down bricks layer by layer to build a wall, and then tearing the whole thing to pieces. His energy and joyous enthusiasm give him a unique voice and tracks like "Once Upon a Time" and "Warriors" really rock. "Reap the Whirlwind" gets pretty frenetic, approaching Cecil Taylor territory, but once again never quite cutting the tethers to earth. Peacock and Williams provide excellent back-up, but really leave Pullen in the spotlight throughout. The CD bonus track "Silence=Death" is a beautiful, mostly straight-ahead unaccompanied ballad. Great stuff and deserving of wider recognition and re-release.
New 1.
New 2.
Don Pullen's African-Brazilian Connection - Ode To Life
he quartet co-led by pianist Don Pullen and saxophonist George Adams made some of the very best jazz albums of the '80s (though most of them were available in the U.S. only as imports), and Ode to Life, the second album by Pullen's African-Brazilian Connection, is dedicated to the late Adams. As a result, the album is elegiac and more subdued than Pullen's usual convulsions. It may not match Pullen's best work, but in its understated way, The African-Brazilian Connection reveals the pianist's gift for soulful melodies and romantic harmonies. And it's a wonderful showcase for Carlos Ward, whose work on alto sax and flute boasts a refined lyricism.
African Brazilian 1.
African Brazilian 2.
Horace Silver - Silver 'N Voices [320]
Horace Silver, a brilliant composer of funky melodies, was never that strong a lyricist despite his good intentions. For this set (following the Silver 'N Brass and Silver 'N Wood sessions), the pianist's quintet (featuring trumpeter Tom Harrell and tenorman Bob Berg) is joined by six voices under the direction of Alan Copeland. The self-help lyrics get a bit cloying and the voices simply weigh down the music but there are some good solos along the way.
Personnel:
Tom Harrell, trumpet; Bob Berg, tenor sax; Horace Silver, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Al Foster, drums; Monica Mancini, Avery Sommers, Joyce Copeland, Richard Page, Dale Verdugo, Alan Copeland, vocals.
'N Voices .
Mal Waldron - In Retrospect (1982) [320]
A pianist with a brooding, rhythmic, introverted style, Mal Waldron's playing has long been flexible enough to fit into both hard bop and freer settings. Influenced by Thelonious Monk's use of space, Waldron has had his own distinctive chord voicings nearly from the start. Early on, Waldron played jazz on alto and classical music on piano, but he switched permanently to jazz piano.
Personnel:
Mal Waldron (piano)
Akira Miyazawa (tenor sax, flute)
Isao Suzuki (bass)
Hironobu Fujisawa (drums).
Retrospect 1.
Retrospect 2.
Stan Getz - Presents Jimmy Rowles The Peacocks (1977) [320]
ne of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself and to his credit he never stopped evolving.
Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16 and this was followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946); he soloed on a few records with BG. Getz, who had his recording debut as a leader in July 1946 with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman's Second Herd (1947-1949), soloing (along with Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff) on the original version of "Four Brothers" and having his sound well-featured on the ballad "Early Autumn." After leaving Herman, Getz was (with the exception of some tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic) a leader for the rest of his life.
Personnel:
Stan Getz (ts) Jimmie Rowles (p, vo) Buster Williams (b -7/11) Elvin Jones (d -7/11) Beverly Getz, Jon Hendricks, Judy Hendricks, Michele Hendricks (vo -11)
Getz 1.
Getz 2.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Dave Brubeck - Jazz Impressions Of The U.S.A [320]
For this new musical adventure, pianist Dave Brubeck wrote eight diverse songs, of which "Summer Song" would be the best-known. This out-of-print LP was the debut of drummer Joe Morello with Brubeck's Quartet which at the time also featured altoist Joe Morello and bassist Norman Bates. Excellent music, although it's not quite as essential as their live performances of the era.
Personnel:
Norm Bates (Bass)
Dave Brubeck (Piano, Main Performer)
Paul Desmond (Sax (Alto)
Joe Morello (Drums )
Brubeck .
Dave Brubeck-Double Live - CD1- In The USA and CD2 - In The UK [flac]
Dave Brubeck, a perennial American favorite throughout his multidecade jazz career, is hard not to like, though, Lord knows, some critics have tried. Like Abraham Lincoln, Brubeck is absolutely original--indefatigable, modest, often brilliant, and dryly witty. He's also durable as an oak and upright as a sequoia. Dave's slightly wooden lock-hand style may raise critics' hackles, but that doesn't chip a toothpick from his popularity. His fun-loving humor and delightful persona--occasionally masked in pomp on past recordings--come over in spades on this generous two-CD set, nowhere more so than on rousing both-sides-of the-Atlantic reinventions of "Take Five," altoist Paul Desmond's inescapable 5/4 theme. Hear Brubeck rollick in his wonted abandon on "Broadway Bossa Nova" and "Margie." He's even smoothed out some of his rough riding by harking back to dapper stride and ragtime styles. Brubeck cultivates long-standing bands: you can count his quartet's saxophonists since 1948 on a few fingers. Fellow romantic Bobby Militello, a searing altoist of the Phil Woods school, had been with Brubeck for more than a decade when this set was recorded, and bassist Jack Six much longer than that. The band's evident comfort factor is no impediment to playing convincing swing. Beautifully paced sets feature oldies and newies (such as the charming ballad "The Things You Never Remember" and "Marian McPartland," the sturdy tribute to his octogenarian compatriot), many with Dave's pensive, classically oriented piano introductions ("Body and Soul" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me"). Having built a distinguished career on European (Darius Milhaud) and American (Duke Ellington, the stride masters) traditions, Brubeck always seems to continue building on his own.
U.S.A 1.
U.S.A 2.
U.S.A 3.
U.S.A 4.
Cd 2:
UK 1.
UK 2.
UK 3.
UK 4.
UK 5.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Lou Donaldson - Caracas [320]
Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, who recorded for Blue Note from 1952-63 and 1967-75, was a supremely soulful player who established a distinctive sound that enabled him to emerge from under the vast shadow cast by Charlie Parker's legacy. A leading member of the earthy, blues-based hard-bop movement of the mid-1950s, Donaldson later helped establish the widespread popularity of sax and organ combos during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Donaldson began playing clarinet when he was 15 before switching to the alto saxophone. And he performed in a military band while serving in the Navy after college before moving to N.Y. in 1952. It was then, at the age of 25 that Donaldson made his Blue Note debut on a Milt Jackson quintet date. He followed this with his label debut as a leader, a quartet session with Horace Silver, Gene Ramey and Art Taylor. In addition to recording with Thelonious Monk and working briefly with Charles Mingus and Sonny Stitt, he co-led a quintet recording with Clifford Brown in 1953 and in 1954 took part in a memorable engagement with Brown, Silver, Art Blakey and Tommy Potter, documented on A Night At Birdland, Vols. I & II, that was a precursor of the illustrious Jazz Messengers. The Best of Lou Donaldson, Vol. I charts the saxophonist's progression from a swinging hard bopper collaborating with Blue Note stalwarts Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Horace Parlan, Wayne Shorter and Grant Green, to a rib-joint funk master creating “soul jazz” with organists Baby Face Willette and Big John Patton. The wider audience Donaldson enjoyed after having a juke box hit in 1958 with the title track to Blues Walk inspired the bluesy follow-up albums Gravy Train (1961) and Good Gracious (1963).
Personnel: Lou Donaldson (alto saxophone);
Dr. Lonnie Smith (organ);
Peter Bernstein (guitar);
Kenny Washington (drums);
Ralph Dorsey (congas).
Caracas 1.
Caracas 2.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
David Sanborn - Inside [320]
ith smooth strokes, Sanborn has painted a lovely urban jazz landscape on INSIDE. These cuts may have an easy-rolling feel, but they're surely not dental office fare. Soft, breezy vocal and alto melodies meet rough beats and mean bass lines, making for statements with a real earthiness. Sanborn and multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller penned most of the tunes, with a couple of pop covers thrown in for funk's sake.
The opener "Corners (For Herbie)," presumably a tribute to Mr. Hancock, is a slow, groovy Fender Rhodes-laden affair, with Don Alias' colorful percussion, and glad blowing by Sanborn and guest Michael Brecker. Aretha Franklin's "Daydreaming" veers into a trippy sort of "rare groove" territory, with diva Cassandra Wilson singing over a backdrop of undulating electric piano, steel guitar and sitar. "Brother Ray" is a blues jam reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan's jazzier flights. The horn passages are made lush by the double-tenor presence, swaying over Ricky Peterson's Hammond B-3 and Miller's twangy blues guitar work. With an urgent vocal performance by Sting, Bill Withers' classic "Ain't No Sunshine" takes on an almost mystical quality, with entrancing long-tone spirals and wafts of Bill Frisell's guitar.
Personnel: David Sanborn (sopranino & alto saxophones); Marcus Miller (vocals, clarinet, bass clarinet, sitar, electric piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, guitar, bass, fretless bass, synthesizer, drum programming);
Inside 1.
Inside 2.
music
