Artists: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
     Album: Our Love Is Here to Stay: Ella & Louis Sing Gershwin
     Recording Date: Aug 18, 1957-Jul 17, 1959
     Release: 1998
     Label: Polygram
     Quality: mp3,320 kb/s
     Size: 143 Mb

George Gershwin - an american composer was born today - September 26, 110 years ago!
Many of his compositions have been used on television and in numerous films, and many became jazz standards.Countless singers and musicians have recorded Gershwin songs, including Fred Astaire, Art Tatum, Bing Crosby, Janis Joplin, John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Nina Simone, Sublime, and Sting.
And of course Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.....

     Artist: Lennie Niehaus
     Album: Vol.1. The Quintets
     Год/Year: 1954,56
     Стиль/Style: Jazz
     Страна/Country:USA
     Качество/Quality: APE + cover
     Размер/Size: 220 MB

Alto saxophonist Lennie Niehaus is better known as the arranger for Clint Eastwood's films, but he has long been familiar to jazz fans as a respected bandleader, composer, arranger, and soloist. This limited-edition audiophile reissue of his first solo recordings (following stints with Stan Kenton and Shorty Rogers) is a stunner. Included is the first 10" LP he recorded with a three-saxophone front line -- in this case, with Jack Montrose (tenor), and Bob Gordon (baritone) -- and other quintet sessions with musicians including pianist Hampton Hawes, and fellow Kentonite Shelly Manne (who was responsible for Niehaus' record deal with Contemporary's Lester Koenig in the first place). The involvement of Kenton bandmembers familiar with one another lends an ease and excitement to the proceedings. These quintet sessions are West Coast jazz at its finest. Melodic tunes give plenty of air to the lyrical yet complex nature of much of the music coming from that region at the time, with no remnants of the cool jazz period. These 1954 sides stomp with swing, color, and style. Bebop is called upon for tempo and pace, while swing and hard bop are referenced as checkpoints. There is a genuine glee in Niehaus' playing on "I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me," when he trades solos with Stu Williamson, while he paces the slightly faster take on "I Remember You" until slipping into one of those long, melodically sophisticated solos of his, just when you expected another chorus. Listening to this, it's hard to believe West Coast jazz ever got a bad rap. This set sounds as fresh today as it did then.
Review by Thom Jurek, AMG

     Artist: Gerry Mulligan
     Album: Mulligan '63 The Concert Jazz Band
     Год/Year: 1962
     Стиль/Style: Jazz
     Страна/Country:USA
     Качество/Quality: APE + cover
     Размер/Size: 162 MB

The final recording by Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band before he had to break it up is one of its lesser efforts but still quite worthwhile. With originals by Bob Brookmeyer, Gary McFarland and the baritonist/leader (in addition to the standards "Little Rock Getaway" and "My Kind of Love"), this is a high-quality if rather brief program. Trumpeter Clark Terry and guitarist Jim Hall co-star with Mulligan in the solo department. It is a pity that this orchestra could not prosper; all five of its recordings are worth getting.
Review by Scott Yanow, AMG

     Artist: The Glenn Miller Orchestra
     Album: In the Digital Mood
     Label: GRP
     Year: , release 1991
     Genre: jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3 320 kbps
     Time: 37 min. 07 sec
     Size: 89 mb.

Предлагаю всем окунуться в атмосферу свинга и биг-бендов. Легендарный оркестр Гленна Миллера, как говорится, комментарии излишни. Итак....

Tis album features 18 top-flight musicians under the baton of Larry O'Brien, then the leader of the touring Glenn Miller Orchestra, only makes it more impressive. What's more, with the quality of the playing, one will be able to make out minuscule elements of the original arrangements that were long obscured on the classic late-'30s/early-'40s Glenn Miller sides. Musicians with an appreciation of these arrangements will probably love this recording, and casual fans should embrace it heartily: these boys swing in 1983 about as well as their predecessors from 41 years earlier did. And the vocal numbers are no exception — in contrast to Columbia Records' mid-'60s efforts to revive the Miller orchestra as a recording unit (which failed not just because of the timing of the project but also the uneven quality of the resulting albums), numbers like "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" are as hot here as there were four decades before. And the singers include Mel Tormй and Julius LaRosa (doing a solo) in their ranks. Still, it's the instrumentals that make up the bulk of this album, and on that level it's similarly unimpeachable, at least most of the way through — "Tuxedo Junction" (which includes Dave Grusin sitting in on piano) is so close to the original that it's easy to forget who you're listening to and when they put this track down; and serious listeners should probably hold out for the "Gold Disc" edition or the Japanese version of this CD, which contain a bonus track, "At Last," featuring a trombone solo by Urbie Green that is worth the price of the CD by itself. Now, all of that said, there are a couple of quibbles: the absence of the cowbell on "In the Mood," and the "clever" notion on "Pennsylvania 6-5000" of ending the number with — well, you can guess. This is still one cool, swinging release and, with its virtuoso musicianship, offers many of the same appealing qualities as the original Miller recordings. Bruce Eder, AMG

     Artist: Julie London
     Album: For the Night People
     Label: Liberty ST-7478
     Year: 1966
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 0.33:44
     Size: 78 MB

     Предлагаю ещё раз вспомнить очаровательную женщину с ангельским голосом. Знаю, что не одному мне она в нашем Клубе нравится, поэтому покажу сразу несколько её альбомов, охватывающих 10-летний период её творчества, но в обратном хронологическом порядке...

     P.S. Информация для новичков Клуба, которые не обладают возможностями upload'a , но хотели бы приобщиться к общему делу - хорошей биографии Julie London на двух языках и с иллюстрациями у нас пока нет. Прекрасный повод отличиться и сделать шаг к получению статуса Club Member...

REPOST! Julie London - an American singer and actress - best known for her smoky, sensual voice - was born today, September 26, 1926!

     Artist: Conga Kings
     Album: Jazz Descargas
     Label: Chesky
     Year: 2001
     Format: mp3 320 kbps
     Size: 170 MB

This CD is a true testament of what Latin Jazz descarga is all about. Bringing these three master percussionist to perform together offers the listener a unique opportunity for fans to appreciate their unique styles. All three men perform with high intensity at equal proximity. Except for two selections, unless a fan is very familiar with the individual drumming styles of Candido, Patato and Giovanni, the liner notes fail to mention who is soloing at any particular time. However, their ensemble work on congas is truly
remarkable. Mario Rivera inspires great emotion on the baritone saxophone and "Chocolate" Almenteros performs with heart and soul. Some brass ensemble work is disjointed but the band manages to cook especially with the excellent work of Nelson Gonzales who turns in a stellar performance on the tres­the unsung hero of this recording. "The Three Kings - Jazz Descarga is a nice addition to any Latin Jazz collection. ~ latinjazzclub.com

     Artist: Sarah Vaughan
     Title: What A Difference A Day Makes
     Year: 2005
     Label: Weton-Wesgram
     Format: MP3 320 kBit/s + CUE + LOG + Covers
     Size: ~ 76 MB

Artist: Wolfgang Haffner
Album: Shapes
Format: Ape & mp3@320Kbps
Size: 330 & 134 MB (scans)
Label: Act Music
Total playing: 71:02
Genre: nu-jazz

Having played on ACT albums by everyone from Nils Landgren (featured here) and Viktoria Tolstoy to the late Albert Mangelsdorff, drummer Wolfgang Haffner is adept at tailoring his percussive contributions to individual requirements. His own tastes, however, judged by the twelve compositions he's included on this, his debut album as a leader, lead him to that mix of ambient sounds, minimalism and drum-programme music frequently described as nu jazz. His strong backbeats, slurping and slithering electronic percussion, washes of synthesised sound and chattering/insect swarm effects form the backdrop for a series of simple melodic hooks and haunting fragments of tunes, sometimes stated by Lars Danielsson's acoustic bass, at other times by Landgren's crooning trombone, Sebastian Studnitzky's trumpet or acoustic piano, or Frank Kuruc's acoustic guitar. The result is a fascinating, at times downright mesmeric selection of textures and timbres underpinned by Haffner's drums and effects, the music's jazz elements (the odd solo on ethereal muted trumpet or luminously delicate acoustic piano) leavening a sound mix that occasionally veers too close to being an end in itself, but which usually works well as a gelling agent. Mood music, certainly, but tellingly informed by a jazz sensibility. ~ www.vortexjazz.co.uk

     Artist: Kenny Dorham
     Album: 2LP on 1 CD (2 Horns, 2 Rhythm)
     Year: Nov 13, 1957-Dec 2, 1957
     Label:Riverside
     Format: MP 3@ 320 Kb/s
     Time:43:00
     Size:93.5 Mb

Artist: Charles McPherson
Album: Siku Ya Bibi
Format: Ape & mp3@320Kbps
Size: 272 & 103 MB (scans)
Label: Mainstream (1991)
Total playing: 47:14

For the second of his three Mainstream sessions (one that has been reissued on CD), the bebop altoist Charles McPherson pays tribute to Billie Holiday; in fact, "Siku Ya Bibi" means "Day of the Lady" in Swahili. The emphasis is mostly on ballads, with "Miss Brown to You" and "Lover Come Back to Me" being exceptions. Four of the eight selections find McPherson backed by ten strings arranged by Ernie Wilkins, while the remainder of the date has the altoist joined by a rhythm section that includes pianist Barry Harris. Although not quite up to the level of his upcoming, more freewheeling Xanadu sessions, this is a fine outing. Highlights include the two aforementioned cooking pieces, "Lover Man," "Good Morning Heartache," and "I'm a Fool to Want You." ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Jeri Brown
Album: Fresh Start
Year: 1996
Label: Justin Time
Quality: mp3 @256
Size: 55+60 mb

Jeri Brown is a talented singer with an original scatting style and a wide range. The problem with this particular record is that the material (half of which was co-written by Brown herself) is often not worthy of her. "Come, Come And Play With Me" is an off-the-mark attempt to play the role of a sex symbol, the irony in Tadd Dameron's obscure "You're A Joy" is greatly lessened by the repetition and most of the other selections are forgettable. Brown fares best on the two most familiar tunes (Artie Shaw's "Moonray" and a wordless "Bohemia After Dark") while a few of the funkier pieces (with Cyrus Chestnut on electric keyboards) are rather dull. Some listeners may enjoy this set but in general I recommend checking out Jeri Brown's earlier releases first.