Artist: Coleman Hawkins (feat. Kenny Clarke)
     Album: Lausanne 1949
     Label: TCB Records
     Year: 1949; release : 2001
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 CBR
     Time: 69:07
     Size: 153 Mb


     There are relatively few live Coleman Hawkins recordings from the 1940s, but this broadcast from a 1949 concert in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a welcome addition to his discography, even if the sound is a bit distorted with surface noise. The big-toned tenor sax giant is heard with a quartet that includes drummer Kenny Clarke, bassist Pierre Michelot, and pianist Jean-Paul Mangeon, including Hawkins' driving "Rifftide" (a reworking of "Oh, Lady be Good") as well as "Stuffy" and another riff tune, "Disorder at the Border." "Sophisticated Lady" is a great ballad feature for Hawkins, and "Body and Soul" was readily expected by audiences after his famous 1939 recording became a landmark. Trombonist Nat Peck, along with alto saxophonist Hubert Fol and tenor saxophonist James Moody, appears on several numbers, but none of them are anywhere near the equal of Coleman Hawkins during this concert. Even with the nagging sound problems, this CD is worth picking up.

     Artist: Stanley Clarke
     Album: The Stanley Clarke Band
     Label: Heads Up
     Year: 2010 ; release: June, 15th,2010
     Format: MP3, bitrate: VBR 224 kbps
     Time: 01:07:23
     Size: 68 mb


Unlike his previous acoustic bass releases, Clarke feels that this album’s music is fresh and different from just about anything he’s done before. Produced by Clarke and Lenny White, the range of collaborative material on The Stanley Clarke Band has allowed him to venture to new levels of experimentation, utilizing his arsenal of bass instruments. Clarke compares this new release to the first three albums of his solo career: Journey to Love, Stanley Clarke, and School Days, with long extended electric pieces that take the listener on a kind of journey.

“Technically, it’s a Stanley Clarke record, but it’s very much a band-oriented record at the same time,” says Clarke. “I may be the leader, but everyone played an important role in what emerged. If a project like this can be looked at like a ship, I’d be the one steering the ship and keeping everybody on course. But all hands were definitely on deck, and everyone played an important role in getting us to our destination.”

Also a new foray for Clarke, the album includes original compositions from members of the band. He is joined by Stanley Clarke Band keyboardist Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr. – who have been performing and recording with him for the better part of five years. Innovative young musicians, they have virtually grown up in Clarke’s band and bring a freshness he admires. Following 2009’s highly-acclaimed Jazz In the Garden, this is featured artist Hiromi Uehara’s second Clarke recording collaboration. Clarke’s rugged and complex bass work serves as the ideal foil for her trademark fiery and expressive piano chops, as reflected through critics’ praising it as “a superb trio effort” (Bass Player) and “one of the best jazz CDs of the year”

     Artist: Nnenna Freelon
     Album: Homefree
     Year: 2010
     Label: Concord Records
     Bitrate: 320kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo
     Size: 117 MB


     Concord Jazz is proud to announce the release of Homefree, the album from esteemed jazz vocalist and multi-Grammy® nominee Nnenna Freelon. Homefree marks Freelon's seventh Concord Jazz album as a leader and first studio outing since 2005. The 11-track collection was recorded at Sound Pure Studios in Durham, North Carolina.
     Homefree is a soulful, swinging album that Freelon calls her "home brew." The collection is comprised largely of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new original (the witty, playful and poignant "Cell Phone Blues" composed by the singer) and spirited arrangements of two anthems (the gospel treasure "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the national hymn "America the Beautiful") that close the album.
     Homefree opens with a brisk swing through "The Lamp Is Low," followed by the laid-back and easy-flowing arrangement of "I Feel Pretty," the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim West Side Story classic that features Ray Codrington's soulful flugelhorn lines. The latter has been in the band's set-list for some five years, including a jazz show at the Kennedy Center for Miss America contestants and their escorts.
     "Most of the songs on Homefree are part of our repertoire," says Freelon. "We've tested them on the road, getting insight on what works and what doesn't by looking at how our audiences respond. That's different from many recordings where you start at the studio and tour the music. The way we recorded this CD meant that the music was deeper in our bones. It also shows how the way we originally played the tunes gradually changed shape. These are all songs that were well-tested and loved and ready to record."
     Other highlights include a soulful groove through of "You and the Night and the Music," arranged by drummer Kinah Ayah; a skipping, reggae-tinged rendition of Cole Porter's "Get Out of Town," that was arranged jointly by the band turning the standard upside down during a sound check; and, a new tune to the band's set, the rarely covered Andrй Previn-written beauty, "Theme from Valley of the Dolls."

     Artist: Django Reinhardt
     Album: Swing From Paris
     Label: Membran Records
     Year: 2003
     Format: lossless APE
     Time: 62:38
     Size: 193Mb


     Для меня всегда останется загадкой как двумя, уцелевшими после ожога, пальцами левой руки Джанго играл так. Это конечно чудо.
     Когда вы впервые ставите диск Quintette du Hot Club de France, оркестра, созданного Джанго Рейнхардом вместе со скрипачом Стефаном Грапелли, первое, что вы слышите - шум и потрескивание 78-оборотной пластинки, которых Джанго с 1928 по 1953 гг. записал, по разным подсчетам, от 750 до 1000. Затем врывается оркестр, которому явно мало звукового пространства, отведенного технологией записи 30х гг. Моно-микрофон изо всех сил пытается передать звуки предвоенной цивилизации, отражающейся в игре трех акустических гитар, скрипки и баса - и не справляется, вызывая своей наивностью у слушателя лишь добрую улыбку. Но вот эту какофонию прорезает гитара Джанго. Уверенно и точно элегантными каскадами арпеджио она ведет мелодию на фоне характерной ритмической пульсации цыганского джаза, будто бы звук человеческого гения прорывается сквозь хаос первозданного мира и устанавливает в нем гармонию.

     Artist: Dave Holland Quintet
     Album: Prime Directive
     Label: ECM
     Year: 1998
     Time: 1:16:40
     Format: FLAC
     Size: 88MB x 5 (Covers 300ppp)
     AMG Rating:

     You may have to wait a while between Dave Holland-led releases, but it's always worth it. Tremendous taste prevents Holland from making unsatisfying music. He is a great leader in the truest senses of the word -- he gives his team space, trusts their abilities and judgment, yet all the while remains firmly in command and infuses the results with his own style and personality. Prime Directive is a wonderful jazz album. These 77 minutes and nine tracks do not cheat or disappoint. The straight-ahead tunes -- composed by double-bassist Holland and his talented band mates (one each) -- all bear Holland's distinctive rhythmic patterns and harmonics. A fine example is the title track, on which Robin Eubanks on trombone and Chris Potter on saxophones hold a stimulating musical conversation over the rhythm section's driving groove. For listeners who prefer a more deliberate pace, there's the searching, contemplative "Make Believe," with Steve Nelson's lovely vibraphone work appointing the mood. On the hopeful, "A Seeking Spirit," fans will be tapping along to the rhythmic feast offered up by the leader and his pace-setting partner Billy Kilson on drums. The melancholy "Candlelight Vigil" presents Holland at his bowed best. Finally, "Wonders Never Cease" finds the entire band at the height of their collective, improvisational prowess. Prime Directive is recommended; a great leader is, indeed, hard to find.

     Artists: VA
     Album: Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 16: Mondo Hollywood Soundtrack
     Label: Capitol Records
     Years: 1958-1970, release: 1997
     Genre: Jazz-vocal, smooth & lounge
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 131 mb (with all scans)
     Total time: 49:01




The 16th volume of the Ultra-Lounge series is one of its finest. As its subtitle indicates, Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 16: Mondo Hollywood focuses on soundtrack music reinterpreted in a lounge style. This tactic works nicely because the material chosen is resilient enough to withstand the interesting interpretations they get here: Good examples include Henry Jerome's take on "Moon River," which transforms this ballad into brassy, finger-snapping pop, and Sir Julian's take on "You Only Live Twice," which boils this grandiose James Bond film theme down to a smoky, organ-driven exotica instrumental. This disc also highlights some fun instrumentals from lesser-known films that are just as entertaining as the better-known themes: John Barry's "Beat Girl" combines The Man With the Golden Arm-styled swinging brass with the guitar twang of the Ventures to create a wild and entertaining slice of lounge pop, and Sandy Courage's "Hot Rod Rumble" sets wailing Vegas-styled horns to an insistent pop-jazz beat. A few cuts pale in comparison to the originals (Leroy Holmes' version of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" smooths out that theme's experimental edges and dulls it down in the process), but the majority of the tunes here are catchy and entertaining. As a result, Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 16: Mondo Hollywood is a cool sampler of lounge pop and a good way to get acquainted with this compilation series.

     Artist: Don Pullen
     Album: Evidence Of Things Unseen
     Label: Black Saint (Italy)
     Year: 1983
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 320 CBR
     Time: 43:07
     Size: 99 Mb
     AMG rating:

     I've heard Don Pullen play hard and fast and blue, but the scope of this turbulent triumph takes the breath. 'Evidence Of Things Unseen' is the best solo piano I've heard since Cecil Taylor's Garden: it's not epochal like that majestic work - Pullen is no innovator - but it still hits the heights and must be Pullen's most ambitious set to date.
     Evidence the track is steeped in the tradition; rhapsodic blues beset by a modern agitation that wracks itself inside out before the final return to calm. Victory Dance starts with a rolling swing reminiscent of Abdullah Ibrahim, rises to a light-headed jubilation, goes topsyturvy with joy, then recalls Ibrahim again in a climactic tumble of chords.
     In The Beginning, the standout track, takes up the troubled emotions of Evidence and carries them headlong. It begins with tense stop/start runs and becomes increasingly disturbed as furious right-hand flurries are undercut by a crunching left-hand. Pullen evolves the dialogue in a brilliantly dramatic fashion as it hurtles into tumult but never loses its sense of coherence.
     The last two tracks briefly celebrate the tradition. Perseverance is a blues which Pullen treats with garrulous affection, while Rejoice is a gospel riff that bafflingly fades out almost as soon as it starts. It's the longer tracks which count, though, and they make 'Evidence Of Things Unseen' the year's surprise heavyweight hit. Pullen all the stops out, you bet!

     Artist: Ray Bryant
     Album: Lonesome Traveler
     Year: 1966, release: 2005
     Label: GRP Records/ Argo-Cadet (24-bit remastered)
     Quality: FLAC (cue, log, scans)
     Size: 254 MB
     Total playing: 40:01



     Ray's choice of material again borrows from a wide musical palette and we are treated to fine performances of jazz originals, standard ballads, a folk tune and a recent Rock 'n Roll hit. The title tune, Lonesome Traveler, is a fitting follow-up to Gotta Travel On of the previous Cadet album. If someone can be lonesome and happy at the same time, then this condition must apply to Ray; because there's nothing lonesome sounding about the joyful groove he and his companions achieve on this track. It's a mover! ~ E. Herbert, vervemusicgroup.com

     Artists: Buck Clayton & Buddy Tate
     Album: Buck and Buddy Blow The Blues
     Label: OJC/Swingville
     Year: 1961, release: 1995
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Total time: 39:55




Buck, Buddy, Basie, and the blues; a natural combination. Count Basie is on this classic 1961 session only in spirit, but his inspiration pervades the album. Buck Clayton, Buddy Tate, Gene Ramey, and Gus Johnson were all veterans of the Basie band. Sir Charles Thompson knew and understood Basie's approach to the piano. The result was swing generated by masters from the era that bore its name. But this was not a ghost of Basie's small groups or an exercise in nostalgia. None of the musicians was over 50; each of them was in good shape and full of creativity. Clayton was still setting standards for jazz trumpeters. Tate was recognized as a major figure among Texas tenors. Their empathy and singleness of artistic vision made them brothers in the Basie tradition, and in the blues. ~ From liner note

     Artist: Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet
     Album: The Year of the Elephant
     Label: Pi Recordings
     Year: 2002
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320
     Size: 133 mb
     AMG Rating:

     Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith moves from Tzadik to the upstart Pi label for the second release with his Golden Quartet, again featuring Anthony Davis on piano, Malachi Maghostut Favors on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. This measured, thoughtful music doesn't fit neatly into the avant-garde category, although its harmonic language is often open-ended and mildly dissonant. Both Davis and DeJohnette are credited on synthesizer, but the sounds they employ are remarkably close to the old-fashioned, analog Wurlitzer. Combined with Favors' resonant, grooving basslines and DeJohnette's loose straight-eighth rhythms — on the opening "Al-Madinah," for instance — the result is somewhat akin to Miles Davis in the In a Silent Way period. A similarly diffuse, vamp-based feel underlies "The Zamzam Well a Stream of a Pure Light," while "Piru" is even more spacious, with muted trumpet cries and drifting rubato sonorities. "Kangaroo's Hollow" offers an intimate look at the tight Smith-Davis rapport by featuring them in a stark duo setting. The title track comes the closest to what can simply be called free jazz; starting as a kind of moderate shout-blues, it soon speeds up, with Smith and Davis playing angular unison lines that set the stage for bracing, freewheeling improv. Finally, "Miles Star in 3 Parts" moves from mellow rubato textures to a jumpy, insistent theme, the bassline of which is played by Davis, not Favors — just one example of how Smith uses the instruments at hand in unexpected ways.

     Artists: V.A.
     Album: Early Morning Jazz For Lovers
     Label: DCC Compact Classics
     Year: 1999
     Format: APE (IMAGE+CUE+LOG)
     Size: 183 MB (Covers included)



A bargain-priced CD, Early Morning Jazz for Lovers provides a soft, but not saccharine, 40 minutes of music for first thing in the morning romance. There's an interesting conglomeration of musicians represented on this disk, to say the least. From the Charlie Parker-influenced Phil Woods to the enigmatic, sometimes quirky clarinet player Pee Wee Russell. However, it is Woods who is the feature player here, with six of the ten tracks belonging to him (although on one of the tunes credited to him, "When Dreams Come True," there's just piano and no sax on the track). Woods' alto takes on a softer tone than one usually hears, appropriate for the amorous mood the music is trying to create, or to enhance. Grady Tate chips in with his pleasant, unassuming vocalizing on "And I Love Her" and "The Windmills of Your Mind" from his 1968 album Windmills of My Mind, with Herbie Hancock, on organ no less, and lots of strings. Guitarist Gabor Szabo contributes a solo on "Song of Injured Love." Pee Wee Russell's up-tempo "That Old Feeling" seems out of synch with the mood the other tunes are venturing to establish. But it is good listening anyway. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music

     Artist: John Coltrane
     Album: John Coltrane - Live Trane: The European Tours
     Label: Pablo/Fantasy
     Years: 1961-1963; release: October 23, 2001
     Genre: Avant-Garde Jazz, Modal Music
     Format, bitrate: lossless
     Time: 8:09:50
     Size: 1,67GB


The seven-CD set Live Trane expands upon Pablo's earlier CDs of John Coltrane recorded during his European tours between 1961 and 1963, including all of The Paris Concert, Bye Bye Blackbird, The European Tour, and Afro Blue Impressions, and supplementing them with extra songs from most of these concerts. Of the 37 tracks, 19 have not previously appeared commercially (except on a number of European bootleg labels with sound ranging from barely acceptable to horrendous), and a 1961 Hamburg concert with Eric Dolphy makes its debut here. A number of titles are repeated throughout the set -- six takes of "My Favorite Things" and five versions of both "Impressions" and "Mr. P.C.," along with four takes of "Naima" -- but true Coltrane fans will marvel at the differences between them from one concert to the next. Coltrane plays at a consistently high level throughout each performance, whether delivering a blistering tenor sax solo on "Blue Train" or sharing his lush side with the tender ballad "Naima." Naturally, the highlights are the numerous versions of "My Favorite Things," featuring Coltrane's adventurous work on soprano sax. But these live versions have an even greater energy than the landmark studio recording, particularly those with the addition of Dolphy on flute. Coltrane rarely ventures away from the mic during his furious solos, and pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Jimmy Garrison are frequently barely audible during many of the performances, obviously due to the often cavernous venues that didn't necessarily lend themselves to making records, yet the sound is greatly improved over earlier issues of this material. Elvin Jones' powerful drumming serves as a catalyst throughout the entire set. Coltrane and his musicians are clearly inspired by the enthusiastic audiences who witnessed the making of this music. This is an essential set for Coltrane fans. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

     Artist: Carol Kidd
     Album: I'm Glad We Met
     Label: Linn AKH 017
     Year: 1991, release: 1992
     Quality: FLAC (LP rip)
     Size: 197MB
     Time: 43:09

Somone once described heaven as relaxing in a warm bath with a glass of malt whisky, listening to the flugelhorn. Personally I would substitute the last of these three ingredients for a Carol Kidd album.

There is more variety in this release than in her last one, The Night We Called It A Day; variety in the choice of material, in the arrangements, and more significantly, in that a half of the 12 numbers, she is accompanied by a large string section. Her trio is there too, and in David Newton (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Alan Ganley (drums), it is hard to imagine a better, more sympathetic line-up. Messrs Green and Ganley for example, swing superbly on a vocal/bass/drums version of Please Don't Talk About me When I'm Gone. David Newton's thoughtful piano playing enhances every track.

And what of the vocalist? Well her phrasing, diction and delivery are impeccable. She is at her best on the ballads and her rendition of the Johnny Mardel tune I Wish I'd Met You is a masterpiece. And you can add to that a Peggy Lee-ish interpretation of Lean Baby and a soulful Georgia On My Mind with an orchestration drawing heavily on the Ray Charles version.

If labels have to be stuck on such releases, then this can hardly be classed as a jazz recording. It leans far more to middle-of-the-road popular music. However quality will out, whatever the tag. You'll be glad to get I'm Glad We Met. ~ linnrecords.com

     Artist: Jimmy Cleveland
     Album: Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars
     Label: EmArCy
     Year: 1955, release: 2000
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 192kbps
     Total time: 55:51
     Size: 76 MB
     AMG rating



The first of five albums headed by trombonist Jimmy Cleveland during 1955-1959 (he has not led any since), this out of print LP (which was reissued by Trip in the 1970s) features Cleveland in medium-size groups with trumpeter Ernie Royal; either Lucky Thompson or Jerome Richardson on tenor; baritonist Cecil Payne; Hank Jones, John Williams, or Wade Legge on piano; Barry Galbraith, Paul Chambers, or Oscar Pettiford on bass; and either Max Roach, Osie Johnson, or Joe Harris on drums. The all-star cast interprets a variety of Quincy Jones arrangements, alternating standards with lesser-known originals, and although many of his sidemen get fine spots, Cleveland generally wins solo honors. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guid

     Artist: Chantal Chamberland
     Album: The Other Woman
     Year: 2008
     Label: Governess Music Inc.
     Bitrate: VBRkbps / 44,1kHz / Joint-Stereo / losless, flac, 889 kbps
     Time: 49:51 min
     Size: 85.8 MB / 332 MB


     CHANTAL CHAMBERLAND NOMINATED FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - CANADIAN SMOOTH JAZZ AWARDS. Chamberland's The Other Woman, makes you fall in love with jazz all over again." - jazz on the rocks 92.5 FM - "CHANTAL CHAMBERLAND'S LATEST RECORDING, 'THE OTHER WOMAN' IS A BEAUTY. CHAMBERLAND TAKES A STANDARD AND, WITH THE GREATEST RESPECT & LOVE MAKES IT HER OWN. HER WARM AND SULTRY VOICE ENVELOPES THE LISTENER. PARTICULAR STANDOUTS ARE: "THE OTHER WOMAN", "LA MER", "BY YOUR SIDE" AND "ALL I ASK OF YOU".Chantal Chamberland. The very name has a lovely musical lilt to it, so perhaps music has always been the destiny of this superbly skilled jazz vocalist. It has certainly always been the life-long passion of the Montreal-raised, Dundas, Ontario-based, Chamberland, and her new CD, The Other Woman, represents the full blossoming of her prodigious artistic talent.Out now via Universal Music Canada, the disc is Chantals fourth solo release. Her previous albums (2002 s This Is Our Time, 2004 s Serendipity Street and 2005 s Dripping Indigo ) served notice that this was an artist to watch. . . .

     Artist: Raphael Saadiq
     Album: The Way I See It
     Label: Columbia
     Year: 2009
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 107MB
     AMG rating:

     When Raphael Saadiq, along with his partners in Tony! Toni! Toné!, wrote and recorded songs like "It Never Rains in Southern California" and "Whatever You Want," he earned himself a lifetime "Do Whatever You Want" card. One could disregard his third solo studio album for being the equivalent of a Civil War reenactment, sounding much more like "instant vintage" R&B than 2002's Instant Vintage. If you want to listen to some '60s and early-'70s soul, play some soul that came out in the '60s and early '70s, right? Save for an intrusive Jay-Z appearance on a bonus version of "Oh Girl," however, this time warp never loosens its grip, unless you cannot help but position the protagonist in "Big Easy" -- where Saadiq nails a classic tactic exemplified by the likes of Holland-Dozier-Holland, matching bliss-inducing music with saddening lyrics -- squarely within 2005 New Orleans. ("They say them levees broke, and my baby's gone.") Saadiq, with the occasional assist, wrote each song, and they're all graced with the songwriting, arranging, and production touches of the recordings the man evidently cherishes and knows inside out. Here's where a modern master, backed by living and breathing session musicians (including Funk Brother Jack Ashford), masters the masters with startling accuracy.

     Artist: David Murray
     Album: Ming
     Label: Black Saint
     Year: 1980
     Release: 2007
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 84MB
     AMG Rating:



     His octet was always the perfect setting for tenor saxophonist David Murray, large enough to generate power but not as out of control as many of his big-band performances. Murray contributed all five originals (including "Ming" and "Dewey's Circle") and arrangements, and is in superior form on both tenor and bass clarinet. The "backup crew" is also quite notable: altoist Henry Threadgill, trumpeter Olu Dara, cornetist Butch Morris, trombonist George Lewis, pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Wilbur Morris, and drummer Steve McCall. These avant-garde performances (reissued on CD) are often rhythmic enough to reach a slightly larger audience than usual, and the individuality shown by each of these major players is quite impressive. Recommended.