Artist: Tony Bennett
     Album: Duets (An American Classic)
     Year: 2006
     Label: Sony BMG
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kb/s
     Size: 140 MB



     Tony Bennett has so many adoring celebrity fans it should come as no surprise that when a major duets album is planned, he's able to draw a roster of the biggest recording stars from the rock and vocal worlds, plus a pair of country music wildcards. (This despite the fact that he recorded an album with several duets in 2001, and a full-album collaboration one year later with k.d. lang.) One surprise is how well producer Phil Ramone paired Bennett with both duet partners and fitting standards -- among them Barbra Streisand on the optimist's anthem "Smile," Dixie Chicks for the flapper standard "Lullaby of Broadway," Bono on the wickedly spiteful "I Wanna Be Around," Tim McGraw on "Cold, Cold Heart" (the Hank Williams song that was Bennett's biggest country crossover hit), Stevie Wonder on his own "For Once in My Life," Juanes for "The Shadow of Your Smile" (which was a hit first for the Brazilian Astrud Gilberto), and Sting on the torch song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." (Even the title of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" seems fit for George Michael to sing.) Each performance was recorded with Bennett and his duet partner live in the studio -- it could be no different for such an old-school vocalist -- and the setup allows for maximum warmth and congeniality. Yet, aside from the novelty of the billings, Duets: An American Classic doesn't thrill like Bennett's solo recordings of the previous ten years. The arrangements of Jorge Calandrelli are heavy on serene strings that wrap the melodies in layers of soft gauze, and few concessions are made to the needs of the material; virtually every song is either a soft vocal pop number or a finger-snapping swinger. As befits an all-star affair, every edge is polished to a fine sheen and, more than a few times, the feelings his duet partners attempt to summon sound quite superficial. Of course, every vocal interpreter in the business sounds a little forced when compared to Tony Bennett.
 

    Artist: Various Artists
    Album: Jazz Round Midnight: Piano
    Label: Polygram Records
    Release: 1991
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 57:50
    Size: 133 Mb (cover)
    AMG Rating:


   Another fine sampler from Verve, Jazz ‘Round Midnight: Piano offers up a after-hours mix featuring some of the music's top ivory tinklers. Starting off with Lester Young's classic reading of "Mean to Me" from 1945 (prominently featuring Nat Cole showing of his early genius at the keys), the 15 tracks include both solo   and combo sides by the famous (Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans) and the often overlooked (Hampton Hawes, Marian McPartland, George Wallington, Red Garland). Focused on modern jazz's vintage years of the ‘50s and ‘60s, the disc is not only notable for evergreen sides by Peterson and the like, but also for the stunning work by relatively left-field figures like Paul Bley and Junior Mance.
    ~ Stephen Cook, AMG

   Artist - Mary Lou Williams
   Album - Mary Lou Williams Trio At Rick's Cafe Americain
   Label - Storyville
   Year - 1979, release - 1998
   Quality - MP3@320 kbps
   Size - 143 mb
   Total time - 67:40




   With relatively few recordings of Mary Lou Williams from the latter years of her life, the discovery of a previously unreleased live date is a joy. There are many highlights: her peppy take on "The Jeep Is Jumpin'," her very first recording of "Without a Song," and her bluesy classic "What's Your Story Morning Glory." A furious "Caravan" is followed by a lengthy exploration of Billy Taylor's "A Grand Night for Swinging," as indeed it was for the trio heard that night in 1979 in Chicago. Bassist Milton Suggs shows off his chops on the opener "Autumn Leaves," while drummer Drashear Khalid proves to be an impeccable timekeeper. Highly recommended.

     Artist: John Lee Hooker
     Album: The Unknown John Lee Hooker: 1949 Recordings
     Year: 1949
     Release: 2000
     Label: Flyright (UK)
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 118MB


     In 1949, Hooker played for a private gathering in the Detroit dining room of cartoonist, animator, and music fan Gene Deitch. Deitch had the foresight to record the performance on a portable machine. That acoustic performance -- together with four tracks made a few days later in another casual gathering of music fans -- was retrieved from Deitch's archives 50 years later for this hour-long, 20-cut CD. Hooker at this time had only just become a recording artist, and with the exception of four early 1949 sides done for Elmer Barbee, The Unknown John Lee Hooker represents the only known acoustic recordings by Hooker prior to the late '50s. Deitch and his friends asked Hooker to play older and more traditional songs, resulting in a set that included a greater concentration of country blues, spirituals, and folk tunes than Hooker was doing in his commercial recordings of the time. "Two White Horses," "Trouble in Mind," "John Henry," and "Jack O' Diamonds" are all here, for instance. Still, it's really not too far removed from what he was doing in the studio, given the inimitable Hooker stamp by his trademark omnipresent foot stomps and idiosyncratic rhythms. As both singer and guitarist Hooker, in this informal setting, sounds just as committed and inspired as he was on his studio dates; "Trouble in Mind," for instance, has guitar work as distinctive (and, at times, irregularly patterned and dissonant) as anything he did in the period. Nevertheless, this is primarily of historical interest, particularly as Hooker did do a wealth of similar folk/blues crossover sessions in the late '50s and early '60s that were captured in much better fidelity. The sound on this disc is listenable and certainly okay given the conditions of 1949 home recordings, but still a little hissy and muffled. This means that studio acoustic albums such as 1959's The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker are more highly recommended.
   

     Artist: Paris Jazz Big Band
     Album: Mediterraneo
     Label: Cristal Records
     Year: 2002
     Release: 2001
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Time: 68:15
     Size: 157 Mb

     After the success of their first album " A suivre ", the PJBB members have now chosen the Mediterranean as a playground. In a festive and warm atmosphere, their music is sometimes full of energy, sometimes of sensuality.
     The big band is still conducted by trumpet player Nicolas Folmer and saxist Pierre Bertrand, who composed almost all the pieces, except for two that were composed by their guest, the accordion player Richard Galliano.
Indeed, the PJBB has many guests : tremendous Andrй Ceccarelli at the drums on every piece, guitar player Louis Winsberg on two tracks( Buleria, flamenco, and the nice ballad Haut de Cagnes), trombone player Denis Leloup ( brilliant on Cataluсa) and Richard Galliano, also on two tracks (listen to the wonderful Heavy Tango).
     But the others musicians of the orchestra are all more than exceptional ones, and perform solos : Alfio Origlio at the piano, Gueorgui Kornazov at the trombone…
     Only pleasure can be found when listening to this ""Mediteraneo"" ! A record that announces the first rays of sunshine, the holidays.
   PJBB presentation

   Artist: Phil Woods Quintet
   Album: Ballads & Blues
   Label: Venus Records
   Year: 2009
   Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
   Time: 57:14
   Size: 135 MB

   Свежий альбом от Phil Woods!

   Alto saxophonist Phil Woods is a consummate musician whose mastery of improvisation is second to none. He extends from the holy alto trinity—Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker—and has carved a distinctive, influential style. If Paul Desmond's sound is akin to a dry martini, Woods' is like high-grade cognac, sensual and luxurious, burnished with virile delight that warms your body. . . .

    Artist: New York Trio
    Album: The Things We Did Last Summer
    Label: Venus Records/Tokuma Japan Comm.
    Year: 2002
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 59:44
    Size: 138 Mb (cover)
    AMG Rating:
    Bubu's Rating: *****

   Bill Charlap's star rose rapidly once he focused upon working as a leader, winning critical acclaim for a series of Blue Note CDs. But during that same stretch, he has recorded several equally important dates for the Japanese label Venus, including these 2002 studio sessions with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Stewart. Most of the material has been around for decades and frequently explored in jazz settings, but Charlap brings new life to these chestnuts. His delicate solo interpretation of "The Shadow of Your Smile" is full of rich voicings, suggesting the reflection of early morning sunlight on the dew. The strutting trio treatment of "The Things We Did Last Summer" alternates solo breaks by Leonhart and Stewart. It is impossible not to think of Nat King Cole's easy listening vocal recording of "Mona Lisa," but Charlap's rhapsodic solo arrangement is easily one of the greatest jazz interpretations ever recorded. Even an overly recorded song like "It's Only a Paper Moon" sounds fresh because of the pianist's lyrical introduction and his very deliberate tempo, both of which bring out possibilities never considered by others.
   ~ Ken Dryden at AMG ~

    Artist: Benny Carter & The Oscar Peterson Trio
    Album: Sketches On Standards (compilation)
    Label: Past Perfect
    Release: 2002
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 kb/s
    Time: 1:05:57
    Size: 151 Mb

            EACH DAY IS AN OSCAR PETERSON DAY!

   Both Benny Carter & Oscar Peterson are big names on the jazz scene and they met several times in their long career. Past Perfect Records is presenting in this compilation some examples of these selecting mostly standards. The compilation was issued also by TIM AG Records in Germany. Recommended for those who don't own or can't find the originals.