Artist: Patricia Talem
     Album: Patricia Talem
     Label: Nu Groove / Points South
     Year: 2009
     Quality: APE (image+.cue)
     Total Time: 52:20
     Total Size: 308 mb

     Patricia Talem was produced by Marco da Costa (2004 Latin Grammy Winning Producer) and Sandro Albert with Patricia Talem as Executive Producer. For her debut self-title release Patricia she selected tracks that as she stated "portrayed this moment of my current life and the state of my soul." The release displays her love of music as she crosses genres, generations, styles, and languages selecting songs from Brazilian legends such as Chico Buarque, Rita Lee, and Renato Motha, from more current Brazilian writers such as Elder Costa, Sandro Albert, and Keco Brandão, as well as Canadian Ron Sexsmith.
     Being introduced to new and exciting music, many times covers a serendipitous route as I heard about Patricia Talem from Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets whom I caught up with at the Blue Note in New York. Jimmy and Russell Ferrante, also of the Yellowjackets, both love Latin music and contributed their talents on the release. So, based off their recommendation I gave Patricia Talem a listen, and then another listen, as Patricia has that type of voice that is enchanting and haunting; she has that ability to capture the body and the mind. Along with Jimmy Haslip and Russell Ferrante of the Yellowjackets, Patricia is accompanied by an all-star cast of Brazilian musicians who lend their creative energy to make this a memorable release and stellar debut.
     I have a fairly extensive selection of Brazilian music and what I like the most about all the different genres and styles that I have is the feel of the music. On Patricia's release, I could feel each song as she has that ability to convey and project meaning through her timing and how she accents certain words and phrases, as well as through her tone and pace. ~ EzineArticles.com

     Artist: Dr. Lonnie Smith
     Album: The Turbanator
     Label: 32 Jazz
     Year: 1991
     Release: 2000
     Format: FLAC
     Time: 59.59
     Size: 273MB

     These 1991 recordings went unreleased until 2000, and they're well-worth hearing. Smith begins with a ripping Hammond B3 reading of Duke Ellington's "Caravan," joined by guitarist Jimmy Ponder and drummer Buddy Williams. There are two more standards, "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Cherokee," the latter surprisingly played as a ballad. But four blues-based originals fill the remainder of the program, three of which feature Smith on acoustic piano and Buster Williams on bass. Tenor saxophonist Houston Person also appears on two of the tracks. From burning swing to ballads to funk, Smith's touch on both organ and piano is highly individual and effective. For guitar fans, the presence of the underappreciated Jimmy Ponder is an added value.

     Artist: Richie Beirach
     Album: Impressions of Tokyo: Ancient City Of The Future
     Label: Outnote Records
     Year: 2011
     Format, bitrate: MP3, CBR 320 Kbps
     Time: 57:14
     Size: 132 Mb

     Solo expression will reveal someone’s true character mercilessly. The fainthearted should abstain! Richie Beirach, New Yorker residing in Leipzig (Germany), most certainly doesn’t lack personality. His has been strengthened by forty years of practice in which he combines the discipline of a classical training with the vertigo of improvisation.
Richie has a deep knowledge of Japan – no less than 26 visits since the Seventies with numerous concerts and recordings – and doesn’t hide his admiration for its impressive culture and respect for art and music in all its forms. Under his fingers, Tokyo reveals itself in its duality, at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. His « impressions » follow like a series of snapshots presented in the form of haikus, the purest of poetic forms (3 verses of invariably 5, 7 and 5 syllables). Make no mistake; this freely chosen constraint enables Richie Beirach to go straight to the heart of the matter. Whether evoking the Japan of times immemorial – Kabuki theatre, stone gardens surrounding monasteries, flowering cherries, or even earthquakes …, or the Japan of today - the Shinkansen (Bullet train), Kurosawa’s movies, Takemitsu’s music… he appears alternatively sober, almost ascetic, or dense, searching the entrails of the piano. In other words: how can one translate, without betrayal, the Tokyoite soul and the daily life of millions of city dwellers? With this journey to Tokyo, Richie Beirach reaches this form of Zen serenity which is simply the prerogative of the greatest.

    


     Artist -Don Byas
     Album - Midnight At Minton's
     Label - Highnote Records
     Year - 1941, release - 1999
     Genre - swing, bop
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 79,8 mb
     Total Time - 38:51
     AMG:

     
     Tenor saxophone legend Don Byas is heard with great clarity on this, a relative jam session, as is vocalist Helen Humes (the first two cuts) and ostensible leader/trumpeter Joe Guy, whose high energy solos are very good in spots. Less audible in the mix are pianist Thelonious Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke, working in this band while bebop was fermenting. These two would lead the bop charge later in the '40s at Minton's Playhouse, the bebop concubine/jazz club in N.Y.C. The music is pretty much swing material, with Humes tossing in a ballad ("Stardust") and a bluesy number ("Exactly Like You") while the instrumental "Indiana" is all fired up, and they typically chill down "Body & Soul." Present on the dates is an unidentified tenor saxophonist and trumpeter tossing in his/her less than two-cents worth solos. Even annotator Dan Morgenstern, with his detailed and informative liner notes, can't ID the pair. The star is clearly Byas. His well-rounded tenor inflections and characteristic quarter-to-eight note slurve is on throughout the performance. He can be at once warm, witty, smooth, precise, and consistently wonderful. He's one of the first original jazz voices on his horn and emphatic to boot on these tunes. These are true club date "field recordings," from the then Columbia University student Jerry Newman's portable unit, replete with crowd noise in the background (one can hear Humes rebuffing a heckler/admirer) annoying kicking of the stage area, and a brief drop out or distortion. Total time is barely 39 minutes. But the overall sound quality is quite acceptable, at most times remarkable. The music itself is priceless, the document of a transitional period from swing to bop, and some of the people that made it happen, especially the underappreciated genius Byas.

      Artist: Esperanza Spalding
      Album: Radio Music Society
      Label: Concord Jazz
      Year: 2012
      Format: Flac
      Size: 202,00 MB + 171,82 MB

      Hailed as a prodigy on the acoustic double bass within months of first touching the instrument as a 15-year-old, Esperanza Spalding has emerged as a fine jazz bassist, but has also distinguished herself playing blues, funk, hip-hop, pop fusion, and Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles as well. Born in Portland, OR in 1984, Spalding was not well served by the public school system and soon dropped out of classes to be home-schooled. Returning to the public school system at 15, she encountered her first acoustic bass (she had already been playing violin for several years) and immediately took to the instrument. Dropping out of school again, Spalding enrolled in classes at Portland State University as a 16-year-old, and earned her B.A. in just three years and was immediately hired as an instructor in … » Read more

     Artist: Billy Kyle
     Album: Billy Kyle 1937-1938
     Label: Chronological Classics 919
     Year: 1937-1938, release 1996
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Time: 54:56
     Size: 98,8 Mb
     AMG Rating:

     Pianist Billy Kyle spent most of his career as a sideman (most notably with John Kirby's Sextet and the Louis Armstrong All-Stars) and led relatively few sessions, all of which were formerly rare. That fact makes this CD reissue a major event for small-group swing collectors. Kyle's eight selections from 1937 with his "Swing Club Band" (which hints at times at the Kirby group) include two vocals apiece by the Palmer Brothers and Leon Lafell, but are most notable for the playing of trumpeter Charlie Shavers and altoist Tab Smith on the instrumentals. In addition, Kyle is prominent with the Spencer Trio (a group with clarinetist Buster Bailey and drummer O'Neil Spencer), Timme Rosenkrantz's Barrelhouse Barons (which include cornetist Rex Stewart, trombonist Tyree Glenn, tenorman Don Byas, and singer Inez Cavanaugh), and with Jack Sneed & His Sneezers. Sneed was a jazz-influenced calypso singer who was wise enough to use a backup quartet (which included Shavers) taken from the Kirby sextet. Overall, an excellent set of rarities. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

     Artist: Quartette Tres Bien
     Album: In Motion
     Label: Decca
     Year: 1966
     Format, bitrate: mp3/320
     Time: 44.37
     Size: 95 mb

     The Quartette Tres Bien was an American jazz combo based in St. Louis led by pianist Jeter Thompson. The group started to play around 1960 and began recording in the mid '60s. Jeter Thompson played with Jimmy Forrest, Oliver Nelson and Emmett Carter in his early years. The bassist of the group is Richard Simmons, the drummer Albert St. James who accompanied also Charlie Parker, Tab Smith and Jimmy Forrest. Percussionist Percy James added a latin flavor to the quartette who played more than ten years, before splitting. Jeter Thompson is still active leading for a few years the Trio Tres Bien with brothers Harold Thompson (bass) and Howard Thompson (drums).~ Discogs
     In "Motion" finds the group consolidating on a high level. As on their previous releases the group plays some popular numbers or standards plus some original material which again is the outstanding one to me. No matter if they play numbers with a waltz, fox trot or bossa nova feel, they all get transformed into the unique QTB-sound finally:
     "Time was when the jazz waltz was a daring novelty, but note how effortlessly, how almost matter-of-factly, the Quartette delivers Gershwin's It Ain't Necessarily So and Percy James's Brother Percy in waltztime. These are not the lilting waltzes of Johann Strauss, Jr., nor the rather lachrymose kind that dominated dancing for the first quarter of this century, but they are waltzes appropriatly articulated and attuned to contemporary taste - African rather than Viennese. To borrow from a couple of Ellington song titles, things ain't what they used to be and - for once that ain't bad!" ~ Stanley Dance

     Artist: Etta James
     Album: Etta James Sings Funk
     Label: Cadet
     Year: 1970
     Format, bitrate: MP3, 254 (VBR)
     Size: 65,3 MB

     Etta James Sings Funk seems to be one of the least known of Miss James' records. Although recorded in Chicago, most of the LP breathes that Southern Soul vibe that graced 'Tell Mama'. ‘Tighten Up Your Own Thing’ has big-voiced Etta in a ferocious funk bag. A mildly political song, this horn riddled, busy “sock-it-to-me” workout is every bit the equal to James Brown's then current output. But despite the album's title, there are quite a few beautifully arranged, slow paced gems here as well. Case in point is the lamenting, heavenly cruising ‘Sweet Memories’. The funk returns with a vengeance on ‘Quick Reaction & Satisfaction’, a fatback vamp of Memphis-styled nitty gritty groove, layered in brass and propelled by an incessantly poppin' bass. Miss James heads South even deeper as she belts out the slow burnin' blues-drenched romp ‘Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing’, and really tears it up with ‘My Man Is Together’, a masterful slab of gutbucket, full-throttled Southern Soul. Closing side A is the exquisite ‘Are My Thoughts With You’, one of the most haunting tracks of the album. Greasy, well-oiled, brassy full-powered Soul opens the flipside, with Etta churning out another gospelfide vocal on ‘The Man I Love’, after which the more rock-oriented heavy tour de force, ‘Sound of Love’, follows. ‘When I Stop Dreaming’ is turned, through Etta’s raw vocals, into a gospelish Southern Soul belter that even the at times intrusive arrangements can't drown out. Things get far sweatier on the last two selections here: the bluesy, persistently slow grooving ‘What Fools We Mortals Be’ features a dazzling, horn heavy finale, while ‘Your Replacement’ closes the album in an apt Southern Soul-styled sermonizing vein. What's left to say: Etta James Sings Funk is an underrated, sadly forgotten masterpiece. ~ rateyourmusic.com

     Artist: Rosemary Clooney & Perez Prado
     Album: A Touch of Tabasco
     Label: RCA
     Year: 1959
     Genre: vocal jazz, latin jazz
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 27:07
     Size: 64,5 MB
     AMG rating

     On paper, this unlikely pairing of American popular vocalist Rosemary Clooney (who nearly defined the 1950s as a stylist) and Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pérez Prado seemed to be a disaster in the making. The end result is quite the opposite. Recorded during two sessions in July and August of 1959, this is simply one of the loveliest albums in either artist's catalog. The music is lively and colorful but retains Clooney's smooth and mellow character, and Prado's trademark arrangements and experiments with percussion, texture, and harmony. Apparently, Clooney had some trouble with pronunciation initially, but was coached by her husband, Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer (who wrote the original album's liner notes) and became a quick study. This merging of Latin and American standards is a tour de force that features some of the hottest session players in the biz including drummers Leo Acosta and Earl Palmer, as well as horn players Paul Horn and Ollie Mitchell. Highlights of the set include "Mack the Knife," "Sway," a pair of Cole Porter tunes -- "Bali Hai," and "You Do Something to Me" -- as well as highly original readings of "Corazon de Melon," "Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma," and "Adios."

     Artist: Ted Heath
     Album: Swing Session / Palladium Revisited 2LP/1CD
     Label: Vocalion
     Years: 1953/1963; release: 2002
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 164 mb
     Total time: 75:29

      Always considered to be the very best of the British Big Band leaders Ted Heath was able to survive the constant changing of tastes throughout his career, and his enduring appeal has won him a place at the forefront of 20th century British Music history. He formed his band at a time when Big band music's popularity was waning, but was able to buck this trend thanks to his ability to pick the best musicians in England, many of whom went on to lead their own bands, and popular vocalists like Denis Lotis and Lita Roza. As a result of this he managed to remain popular alongside the developing Rock and Roll and later the Beat groups. This collection contains his biggest hits and represents a fantastic overview of one of Britain's finest band leaders. ~ cduniverse.com

      Artist: Trio Madeira Brasil
      Album: Trio Madeira Brasil
      Label: TMB
      Year: 1998 (2011 relaunch)
      Format, bitrate: Mp3 @ 320Kbps
      Size: 97,4MB

      Artist: Ray Brown & Laurindo Almeida
      Album: Moonlight Serenade
      Label: Jeton
      Year: 1981
      Format: Flac (eac-flac, cue, log)
      Time: Jeton
      Size: 252 MB (artwork)
      AMG rating:


     Великолепного басиста Рея Брауна представлять, надеюсь, не нужно. Да и с прекрасным бразильским гитаристом, композитором и аранжировщиком Лауриндо Альмейда внимательные посетители Клуба тоже знакомы по этой публикации.
     Но то, что они вытворяют дуэтом - просто невероятный по красоте сплав классической музыки, би-бопа и латиноамериканских мелодий.
     Рекомендуется слушать часа в три-четыре ночи, на максимальной громкости, отрешившись от всех мирских забот...

     Artist: Gabor Szabo
     Album: The Sorcerer
     Label: GRP/Impulse!
     Year: 1967; release: 1997
     Format, bitrate: Mp3, 320 Kbps
     Time: 38:30
     Size: 103,79 Mb
     AMG Rating:


     Gabor Szabo's quintet featuring Jimmy Stewart was one of the guitarist's very best units. Live performances like this, recorded at Boston's Jazz Workshop, document some of the excitement the group stirred in 1967-1968. Included in the 1997 CD reissue are three excellent tracks ("Los Matadoros," "People," and "Corcovado") recorded at the same concert, which originally appeared on More Sorcery. The playing seems inspired, and the interplay within the group is something to behold -- even when performing lightweight tunes like "The Beat Goes On." ~ Douglas Payne, All Music Guide

     Artist: Sarah Vaughan
     Album: The Great American Songbook 2CD
     Years: 1950-1964; release: 2008
     Label: Not Now Music
     Quality: mp3; 320 kbps
     Total Time: 146:18 Min
     Total Size: 345 Mb


     Gershwin, Ellington, Rodgers & Hart, Porter, Arlen, Carmichael Sassy sang 'em all so beautifully, and does so here as you hear 47 exquisite interpretations. Includes Body and Soul; Come Rain or Come Shine; Summertime; Perdido; Tenderly; September Song; April in Paris; My Funny Valentine; Prelude to a Kiss; Deep Purple; Black Coffee; It's Magic; Embraceable You; Ain't Misbehavin' , and more!

     Artist: Willis Jackson
     Album: In The Alley
     Label: Muse Records (Catalog#: MR 5100)
     Format: FLAC (LP-Rip)
     Year: 1977
     Size: 241.31MB
     Time: 42:15

     Smooth and mellow 70s funk from Willis Jackson – a record that still has him working with funky stalwarts from earlier years, but which has a more 70s-influenced kind of groove! There's actually a nice dose of older soul jazz lurking underneath a few of the tracks – making for a record that skirts both sides of Willis' career at the time nicely – and tracks are all longish, with enough room for good tenor work. Players include Sonny Phillips, Carl Wilson, Jimmy Ponder, and Buddy Caldwell – and titles include "Niamani", "Gator's Groove", "More", and "In The Alley". © 1996-2012, Dusty Groove America, Inc.
     "In the Alley" and "Niamani" are the highlights of this typical but often exciting outing by veteran tenor Willis Jackson. The music includes blues, romps, a ballad, and funky vamps. Jackson is assisted by pianist Sonny Phillips, organist Carl Wilson, guitarist Jimmy Ponder, bassist Jimmy Lewis, drummer Yusef Ali and percussionist Buddy Caldwell. This worthy set has not yet been reissued on CD.

     Artist: Blue Mitchell
     Album: Blues on My Mind
     Label: Original Jazz Classics
     Years: 1958-59 , release 2007
     Genre: Hard Bop, Blues
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Time: 52:20
     Size: 71 MB



     An all-star lineup of mainstream/bop greats. Mitchell holds his own against sax greats Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, and Johnny Griffin. - Ron Wynn, AMG

     Artist: Jack McDuff
     Album: Tough 'Duff
     Label: Prestige / OJC
     Year: 1960 ; Release: 1995
     Format: FLAC
     Time: 38:49
     Size: 247 MB
     AMG Rating:

     Organist Jack McDuff's second set as a leader teams him with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, vibraphonist Lem Winchester (an unusual addition for this type of soul-jazz set), and drummer Bill Elliott. This CD reissue finds the group playing fairly basic material, including a pair of McDuff originals, "Smooth Sailing" and "Autumn Leaves." McDuff, Forrest, and Winchester have no difficulty chewing up the chord changes, and although no real surprises occur, the results are typically swingin' and groovin'.

     Artist: Frank Foster
     Album: Well Water
     Label: Piadrum Records
     Year: 1977; release: 2007
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320 kbps
     Size: 131 Mb
     Time: 58 min
     AMG Rating:

     The music on Well Water sat unreleased for 30 years but was worth the wait. Frank Foster's Loud Minority Orchestra only made a few records during its decade or so of existence and Well Water is one of its best. Listeners expecting the music to be similar to that of Foster's former boss Count Basie should realize that Foster's playing by 1977 was more strongly influenced by John Coltrane than by Lester Young, and that his writing is much more modern than that usually heard in the Basie band or even in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. The performances do swing in their own way and include dynamic solos by the altoist C.I. Williams, both Foster and Bill Saxton on tenors, trumpeter Charles Sullivan and pianist Mickey Tucker. With Elvin Jones (making one of his few appearances with a big band) driving the ensembles and inspiring the soloists, this is an exciting effort. The closing number, "Three Card Molly," is a Foster quintet feature in which the leader switched to soprano. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Charles McPherson
     Album: What Is Love
     Label: Arabesque Recordings
     Year: 2011
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 130 mb
     Total time: 57:14


     McPherson remains a strong, viable force on the jazz scene today. He is at the height of his powers. His playing combines passionate feeling with intricate patterns of improvisation. Throughout his four decades of being an integral performer of the music, Charles has not merely remained true to his BOP origins, but has expanded on them. Stanley Crouch says in his New York Times article on Charles. “He is a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making, and is held in high esteem by musicians both long seasoned and young.” ~ All About Jazz