Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson - The Two Of Us (1984)

Now this is a great album but, fact is this isn’t a full one duet album between Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson. It's primarily a Ramsey Lewis solo album with his regular band featuring a handful of songs featuring Nancy on vocals. After the generally more 70's styled production of ‘Les Fleurs’ it became time for Ramsey to start more heavily acknowledging the more electronic/synthesizer sounds of the mid 80's. For that he went to none other than Stanley Clarke who the same year was heading in the exact same direction with his ‘Time Exposure’. There are two numbers that really point to that concept better than anything else. Both are electro-funk/break dance type numbers that, while very modern for their time are still rooted strongly in 70's style jazz-funk arrangements and rhythms as opposed to more brittle hip-hop/electronica beats. "Ram" is the faster of the two tunes with some sparse vocals and Ramsey working his Chicago style soul-jazz piano anywhere he finds a place for it. "Breaker Beat”, being more midtempo is the funkier of the two and has some great 80's jazz-funk synthesizer swirls to boot. "Quiet Storm" has a more fluid Grover Washington Jr. style groove and relies heavy of Paul Jackson holding the trio rhythm section into place. "Closer Than Close" is a similarly styled vocal piece but the vocal is by the fine male singer Daryl Coley, not Nancy Wilson. She does show up on three elegantly produced and arranged urban R&B/pop/jazz tunes "Midnight Rendezvous","Slippin' Away”, “Never Wanna Say Goodnight" and the title song, all of which find a balance between the "retro nuevo" sound of Anita Baker and Will Downing later in the decade and what people like Patti Austin and James Ingram was doing around this same time. In that respect it captures urban contemporary vocal pop/jazz as it were in a state of transition. The final cut on the album is an original Ramsey composition "Song With Words [Remembering]” a swirling solo piano number that interestingly enough would've been just about perfect for Nancy's vocals but actually survives more than well on its own without it. As a Nancy Wilson duet album this isn't particularly complete though all of her contributions are strong additions to the album. As it stands this is an excellent Ramsey Lewis album and one of his very finest of the period. ~ Andre S. Grindle, Amazon.com. 

Columbia Records, FC 39326, 1984
Sony Records, SICP 20298, 2011
Recorded & Mixed at Mad Hatter Studio & Sound Castle Studio, Los Angeles, California 

Musicians:
Ramsey Lewis - Concert Grand Piano [Steinway]
Nancy Wilson - Vocals (#5), Lead Vocals (#2,4,7)
Don Freeman - Keyboards (#2,4,5,7,8)
Vassal Benford - Piano (#5,8)
Robert Brookins - Synthesizer (#1,3,6)
Rory Kaplan - Synthesizer (#7,8)
Paul Jackson Jr. - Guitar (#1-8)
Stanley Clarke - Bass (#2), Sitar (#5)
Freddie Washington - Bass (#2,4,7)
John Robinson - Drums (#2,4)
Ricky Lawson - Drums (#7,8)
Daryl Coley - Vocals (#5), Lead Vocals (#8)
Lynn Davis - Backing Vocals (#2,4,7)
Josie James - Backing Vocals (#4)
Frieda Woody, Backing Vocals (#7)
Marcy Levy - Backing Vocals (#7)
Celia Kitengeth - Narrator (#1)
George Del Barrio - Arranger [Strings]
Barbara Hunter, Bill Hughes, Bonnie Douglas, Brenton Banks, Catherine Gotthoffer,
Christine Ermacoff, James Getzoff,, Janet Lakatos, Karen Jones, Murray Adler,
Norman Carr, Paul, Roland Kato, Ronald Folsom - Strings (#1,5) 

Tracks:
1. Ram {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke} (5:15)
2. Midnight Rendezvous {David Roberts} (3:53)
3. Breaker Beat {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke, Robert Brookins} (4:17)
4. Slippin' Away {David Foster, David Paich, Leon Ware} (4:45)
5. The Two Of Us {Jeremy Lubbock, Vassal Benford} (4:32)
6. Quiet Storm {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke} (4:14)
7. Never Wanna Say Goodnight {Ellen Schwartz, Franne Golde, Roger Bruno} (3:15)
8. Closer Than Close {Patrick Henderson, Vassal Benford} (4:56)
9. Song Without Words [Remembering] {Ramsey Lewis} (5:04) 

Total Time: 40:14 

Credits:
Producer - Stanley Clarke
Executive-Producer - Dr. George Butler
Engineer - Erik Zobler
Engineer [Assistant] - Duncan Aldrich, Gary Wagner, Jeff Vaughn, Mitch Gibson, Paul Erikson
Remixing Engineer - Don Hahn
Mastering - Bernie Grundman
Photography - Norman Seef
Design [Album] - John Berg
Liner Notes - Lawrence Tanter, Yvonne Daniels 

The Two Of Us

Michel Petrucciani Trio - Live At The Village Vanguard (1984)

A very expressive and thrilling live trio date at the renowned 'Village Vanguard' in New York by three great artists, leader Michel Petrucciani is in fine form alongside two equally brilliant jazz musicians; bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Eliot Zigmund. Here's what Michel had to say about the remarkable event. "It is very difficult to speak of Art. I would rather simply say "Please close your eyes, and take what is there to give." However, I wish to tell you about the pleasure we feel bringing you this music. For me, working with Palle and Eliot is a great honor. When we shape the rhythms and frequencies, and all the magical sounds come out ... it is blessing, because the communication is so spontaneous. So fresh. So simple. And we like to think it is so like life itself. I love the feeling we all have of wishing to share those colors and joy to make the people happy. Thank You. ~ Michel Petrucciani. 

Concord Jazz, GW-3006, 1985
Concord Jazz, CCD 43006, 2002
Blue Note / EMI, 7243 5 40382 2 8, 2002
Recorded 16th March, 1984 with The Fedco Truck at the Village Vanguard, New York 

Musicians:
Michel Petrucciani - Piano
Palle Danielsson - Bass
Eliot Zigmund - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Nardis {Miles Davis} (11:12)
2. Oleo {Sonny Rollins} (6:49)
3. Le Bricoleur De Big Sur {Michel Petrucciani} (3:23)
4. To Erlinda {Michel Petrucciani} (11:29)
5. Say It Again And Again {Michel Petrucciani} (9:52)
6. Trouble {Olle Adolphson} (9:36)
7. Three Forgotten Magic Words {Michel Petrucciani} (8:57)
8. 'Round About Midnight {Bernie Hanighen, Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams} (8:51) 

Total Time: 70:10 

Credits:
Producer, Engineer, Editing, Back Photo - Gabreal Franklin
Co-producer, Editing, Liner Notes - Michel Petrucciani
Engineer - Tom Arrison
Editing - Phil Edwards
Mastering - George Horn
Photography [Front] - Jerry Takigawa
Photography [Inside] - Alison Perry

Tony Lakatos Trio - I Get Along With You Very Well (2003)

The Music Of Hoagy Carmichael
The idea for an interesting, hit album is usually simple: collect popular and known standards, select perfect musicians and the “top of the hits” session is ready. This time the protagonist of the recording "I Get Along With You Very Well" is not only by the outstanding American composer Hoagy Carmichael, but Tony Lakatos - a Hungarian saxophonist and composer, one of the most eminent European jazz musicians who has made an unprecedented appearance on the world music market. A perfectly educated violinist (!) and saxophonist began his jazz career by winning the prestigious jazz competition in 1977 and the Bela Bartok Conservatory index. In 1981 he moved to Germany in order - like other jazz emigrants from Eastern Europe - to appear on the European jazz scene. Excellent reviews of concerts have allowed the Hungarian musician to appear among the most outstanding jazz groups. Over 150 recorded albums and participation in bands of Al Foster, Anthony Jackson, Kirk Lightsey, Joanne Bracken, Cecil McBee, George Mraz, Trikol Gurtu, Randy Brecker, Alex Acun, Charlie Mariano ... This time Tony Lakatos realized "I Get Along With You Very Well" - a standards project and chose the best studio in Brooklyn, New York, Systems Two as the venue for the session. Lakatos invited bassists (George Mraz and Tim Lefebvre) and drummer Adam Nussbaum to record famous compositions by an American composer Hoagy Carmichael. Excellent versions of "Georgia On My Mind", "Skylark", "April In My Heart", "I Get Along Without You Very Well" enriched with suggestive interpretations of the legendary vocalist Jimmy Scott (unique and timeless versions of "The Nearness Of You", "Stardust" and "Skylark") create a small jazz masterpiece from a project by Tony Lakatos. ~ Extract by Dionizy Piatkowski, jazz.pl. [Translated from Polish] 

Skip Records, SKP 9036-2, 2004
Recorded 28th March & 13th April, 2003 At System Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Tony Lakatos - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
George Mraz - Bass
Tim Lefebvre - Electric Bass (#2,5,8)
Adam Nussbaum - Drums
Jimmy Scott - Vocals (#2,5,8) 

Tracks:
01. Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief {Hoagy Carmichael} (5:30)
02. Skylark {Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer} (6:14)
03. I Get Along Without You Very Well {Hoagy Carmichael} (4:37)
04. Georgia On My Mind {Hoagy Carmichael} (5:34)
05. The Nearness Of You {Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington} (3:03)
06. Skylark {Hoagy Carmichael} (5:23)
07. April In My Heart {Hoagy Carmichael, Helen Meinardi} (5:52)
08. Stardust {Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish} (7:48)
09. Little Break From Hoagy {Tony Lakatos} (5:32)
10. The Nearness Of You {Hoagy Carmichael} (7:05)
11. Heart And Soul {Hoagy Carmichael} (3:09)
12. Big Breath {Tony Lakatos} (4:39)
13. A Woman Likes To Be Told {Hoagy Carmichael} (3:11) 

Total Time: 67:43 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - Tony Lakatos
Producer - Bernd Skibbe
Recording Engineer - Joe Marciano (#1-4,6,7,8-13), Rich Lamb (#5,8)
Assistant Recording Engineer - Max Ross
Mastering - Elmar Gillet [Masterlab, Cologne, Germany]
Photography [Musicians] - Pro*Motion
Artwork, Photography [Cover] Ehrenberg Werbung
Liner Notes - Michael Brecker 

I Get Along Without You Very Well

Stanley Turrentine - Pieces Of Dreams (1974) [vinyl>re-rip]

“Pieces of Dreams” is an album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, his first recorded for the Fantasy label after associations with Blue Note Records and CTI. The title track is certainly the tenorist’s standout on this LP, a classic for its time composed by Michel LeGrand, when jazz was entering a commercial period to counteract the onslaught of Rock/Pop. Turrentine's tenor is combined with various electric keyboards, guitarists, a few background vocalists, and strings, which are all arranged by Gene Page, who with Billy Page pen a couple of compositions. In many ways this album is very enjoyable despite its smooth jazz sound. Stanley still showcases his ability to handle his horn magnificently within some brilliantly arranged modern tunes. Certainly worth re-investigating! 

Fantasy Records, F-9465, 1974
Recorded 30th & 31st May, 1974 at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California 

Musicians:
Stanley Turrentine - Tenor Saxophone
Gene Page, John Miller, Sonny Burke - Keyboards
David T. Walker, Dean Parks, Ray Parker, Jr. - Guitar
Ron Brown - Bass
Ed Greene - Drums
Ed Moore - Drums (#A1)
Gary Coleman - Percussion
Joe Clayton - Congas
Carolyn Willis, Edna Wright, Myrna Matthews - Backing Vocals
Arranger, Conductor - Gene Page 

Tracks:
A1. Pieces Of Dreams {Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel LeGrand} (4:36)
A2. I Know It's You {Leon Ware} (4:08)
A3. Deep In Love {Billy Page, Gene Page {Arr.}, Johannes Brahms} (4:27)
B1. Midnight And You {Billy Page, Gene Page} (4:00)
B2. Evil {Stevie Wonder} (4:36)
B3. Blanket On The Beach {Billy Page, Gene Page} (6:23)
B4. I'm In Love {Bobby Womack} (4:02) 

Credits:
Producer - Billy Page, Gene Page, Stanley Turrentine
Executive Producer - Ron Granger
Production Coordinator - Olivia Page
Recording Engineer - Jim Stern
Additional Recording and Remix Engineer - Stan Ross
Art Direction - Phil Carroll
Art Direction, Liner Photography - Tony Lane
Cover Art - Jaymie Putnam

Ramsey Lewis - Them Changes (1970) [vinyl]

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (27th May, 1935 - 12th September, 2022) was a great American jazz composer, pianist, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His best-known singles include "The In Crowd", "Sun Goddess", and "Wade in the Water". With his passing, here is a relatively unknown ‘Cadet’ records album, which to date has only been released on LP. For this live session, he is joined by guitarist Phil Upchurch, bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Morris Jennings. The group is spurred on by the very appreciated audience covering three Lewis compositions and a number of popular tunes. All players arm themselves with an arsenal of ‘Fender' musical instruments. As a result, this performance is truly electrified. Ramsey excels on both piano and Rhodes and Phil intensifies the scene with his exceptional style, both backed by a vibrant rhythm section. The vinyl itself was in OK condition with only a few hardly noticeable artifacts, enjoy! 

Cadet Records, LPS-844, 1970
Recorded 8th & 9th May, 1970 at the Depot, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Musicians:
Ramsey Lewis - Piano [Steinway], Fender Rhodes, Arranger
Phil Upchurch - Electric Guitar [Fender]
Cleveland Eaton - Electric Bass [Fender]
Morris Jennings - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. Them Changes {Buddy Miles} (6:37)
A2. Drown In My Own Tears {Henry Glover} (7:27)
A3. Oh Happy Day {Edwin Hawkins} (7:16)
B1. Do Whatever Sets You Free {Ramsey Lewis} (7:51)
B2. Something {George Harrison} (5:11)
B3. See The End From The Beginning, Look Afar {Cleveland Eaton, Ramsey Lewis} (6:17)
B4. The Unsilent Minority {Ramsey Lewis} (3:43) 

Total Time: 44:22 

Credits:
Producer - Concept - Ramsey Lewis
Supervisor - Dick LaPalm
Engineer - Reice Hamel
Mastering - George Piros
Photography - Alan Levine
Design, Cover [Illustration] - Dick Fowler

Claudio Fasoli Gammatrio - Gammatrio (2002)

Claudio Fasoli is an Italian jazz saxophonist and composer of modern jazz. Born (29 November 1939) in Venice, he now lives in Milan, Italy. After many sessions with various prominent musicians, he achieved popularity in the '70s playing with Perigeo Quintet, alongside Giovanni Tommaso and Franco D'Andrea. This group performed throughout Europe and also overseas, and whereby Fasoli gained considerable experience both as soloist and composer. When Perigeo disbanded in 1978, he became a leader of his own groups, mostly trios or quartets, with other top European and UK artists: Aldo Romano, Bobo Stenson, Henri Texier, Jean-François Jenny Clark, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Palle Danielsson, and Tony Oxley. Intrinsically, Fasoli adapts well to diverse musical settings, but has cultivated his own solo style and ever-evolving compositional approach. Nowadays, he continues to work with the best Italian and foreign musicians. This 2002 album brings together three very experienced jazz musician; with Claudio Fasoli at the fore playing both tenor and soprano saxophones, trombonist Rudy Migliardi and pianist Paolo Birro to weave an intricate web of scintillating sounds. The listener is taken on a surreal trip, Paolo Birro in particular is sensational, matching perfectly with both Claudio and Rudy. All compositions are penned by Claudio and they clearly outline his ability to draw the best out of his own playing and those associated with him. He is truly a virtuoso and has continued to expand his musical and composition expertise to this day. Similarly, Paolo and Rudy have maintained their momentum as sought after solo and sessional musicians, enjoy! 

Golden Map, G CD J 1933, 2002
Recorded & Mixed June, 2002 at M.A.P. Studio, Italy 

Musicians:
Claudio Fasoli - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Rudy Migliardi - Trombone
Paolo Birro - Piano 

Tracks:
01. Magic (6:26)
02. Kod (5:16)
03. Sommar (8:26)
04. Plurabelle (6:34)
05. Extatisk (2:35)
06. Fyr (4:59)
07. Fas (2:06)
08. Vol 2 (4:24)
09. Bris (7:32)
10. Diachromo (3:07)
11. Nyspel (5:32) 

All Compositions by Claudio Fasoli 

Total Time: 57:03 

Credits:
Producer, Cover Photo - Claudio Fasoli
Executive-Producer - Massimo Monti
Sound Engineer - Gianni Prudente
Cover, Graphics - Andrea Barrili, M.A.P. Studio
Photography [Birro] - Marco Lincetto
Photography [Fasoli] - Mirko Boscolo

Claudio Fasoli Quintet - Brooklyn Option (2015)

Between innovation and tradition, the album The Brooklyn Option marks the debut of the Claudio Fasoli Quintet, a band formed by the Italian saxophonist together with musicians from the New York scene: the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, the pianist Matt Mitchell, the bassist Drew Gress and the drummer Nasheet Waits. The saxophonist returns as his habit to collaborating with internationally renowned musicians in a work born almost by chance as he himself explains to us "I had previously met both Drew Gress and Ralph Alessi in occasional meetings in the context of jazz seminars in Siena and elsewhere. It is evident in the disc precisely this concertation of shared musical ideas where Claudio Fasoli's music from unitary becomes collective, developed in 13 songs having the Brooklyn neighborhood as the thematic center, which however, as Fasoli explains to us "are not a musical description of the places because music can and must above all be enough in itself, it must not describe a landscape but give an emotion" - and continues - "There are titles on the record that remind me of the moments I was on the Brooklyn Bridge, for example rather than in Shore Road and so on ... little flashes of details that thrilled me." But Claudio Fasoli's projects do not stop there, there are others even if they are not yet final "I am very intrigued by a rather chamber trio without drums with double bass and an extremely electronic guitar, I think this is a very interesting possibility. For example, I am curious to add another saxophonist to my trio without double bass, that is, the one with two saxophones, an electric guitar and drums. I also plan to meet Ralph Alessi and Drew Gress to re-propose the American quintet again., the curiosities are almost endless ... " ~ Extract by Paolo Marra, AAJ.  [Translated from Italian] 

Musica Jazz, MJCD 1289, 2015
Abeat Records, ABJZ206, 2019
Recorded 16th & 17th November, 2014 at Artesuono Recording Studio, Cavalicco (UD) Italy 

Musicians:
Claudio Fasoli - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Ralph Alessi - Trumpet
Matt Mitchell - Piano
Drew Gress - Double Bass
Nasheet Waits - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Brooklyn Bridge Part 1 (1:16)
02. Brooklyn Bridge Part 2 (6:52)
03. Brooklyn Bridge Part 3 (1:20)
04. Carroll Gardens (2:44)
05. Bay Parkway (2:56)
06. Bam (5:50)
07. Mapletone (1:25)
08. Boerum Hill (7:18)
09. Neptune Avenue (3:48)
10. 7005 Shore Road (7:39)
11. Avenue M (5:56)
12. Dumbo (7:11)
13. Gowanus (3:47) 

Total Time: 58:06 

Credits:
Producer - Claudio Fasoli, Luca Conti
Sound Engineer - Stefano Amerio 

Brooklyn Bridge, Pt. 2

Claudio Fasoli - Lido (1983)

"What is particularly pleasurable about this session is the clarity of it all, the lines, the time, the collective and solo improvisatory direction.  And out in front is a leader of fire and delicacy, directness and intimacy-- Claudio Fasoli." ~ Nat Hentoff, Liner Notes. 

Excellent vigorous lyrical mainstream post-bop from this quartet of Fasoli on tenor and soprano sax, Kenny Drew on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass, and Barry Altschul on drums playing six of Fasoli's tunes. ~ SadRoger, rateyourmusic.com. 

Soul Note, 121071-2, 1983
Recorded 22nd & 24th February, 1983 at Barigozzi Studio, Milano, Italy 

Musicians:
Claudio Fasoli - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Kenny Drew - Piano
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Bass
Barry Altschul - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Snob (7:21)
2. Lyrical Touch (3:26)
3. Etna (8:42)
4. Lido (6:44)
5. Map (7:21)
6. Jazz Job (5:42) 

All Compositions by Claudio Fasoli 

Total Time: 39:26 

Credits:
Producer - Giovanni Bonandrini
Recording Engineer - Giancarlo Barigozzi
Mastering Engineer - Gennaro Carone
Cover Design - Pick Up Studios
Cover Painting - Claudio Rebaudo
Photography [Cover] - Mirko R. Boscolo
Liner Notes [English] - Nat Hentoff 

Etna

Sonny Fortune - Awakening (1975) [vinyl>flac]

From the Penguin Guide to Jazz:
"Fortune was in the 1975 Miles Davis group. Miles' illness curtailed its activities but that same year Fortune recorded a fine solo album Awakening for A & M, which suggested that he was destined for great things..."

Review by Vincent Thomas:
Sonny Fortune's second LP as a leader is a set of mostly straight-ahead jazz, which sets it apart from many of his fusion-venturing peers of the '70s. With a slate of expert, professional sidemen (Billy Hart, John Hicks, Reggie Workman, Charles Sullivan, etc), Awakening never amazes, but it also never disappoints. Fortune, as usual, offers several spirited solos, while his cohorts incessantly swing. Straight-ahead jazz fans will appreciate this yeoman set.

1. Triple Threat (10:27) [Rodgers Grant]
2. Nommo (9:38) [Jymie Merritt]
3. Sunshower (5:14) [Kenny Baron]
4. For Duke And Cannon (2:58) [Sonny Fortune]
5. Awakening (12:16) [Sonny Fortune]

Collective personnel:
Sonny Fortune : alto saxophone, flute, percussion
Charles Sullivan: trumpet, flugelhorn
Kenny Baron : piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano
John Hicks : piano
Wayne Dockery : bass
Reggie Workman : bass
Billy Hart : drums
Clip Lyles : drums
Angel Allende : congas, percussion

NYC, August & September, 1975

René Marie - How Can I Keep From Singing? (2000)

"How Can I Keep From Singing?" asks the title of Rene Marie's new album. But after a childhood of performing in Warrenton and Roanoke, Va., she didn't sing in public during 20 years of marriage and child-raising. It was only in 1994, at age 38, that she took the stage again, first under her married name of Rene Croan in Roanoke and more recently as Rene Marie in Richmond. The long years of practicing at home, far from the conformist pressures of the music industry, allowed her to develop a distinctive style of her own. As her new album demonstrates, that style features eclectic song choices (three originals, a country oldie, a new-age ballad, a Nina Simone protest song and a folk spiritual as well as familiar standards associated with Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday), a crisp focus on the lyrics, the flexibility to handle rhythms other than swing and a down-to-earth delivery that turns every song into a kitchen-table conversation. She is backed by an all-star band that features pianist Mulgrew Miller, saxophonist Sam Newsome and two members of Cassandra Wilson's band (guitarist Marvin Sewell and percussionist Jeffrey Haynes). Marie's voice is a key part of that band on tunes such as Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue," where she pushes along the Cuban rhythm and extends the harmonies with her scatting. Even better are the ballads, like the original "Hurry Sundown," where she sounds disarmingly casual without sacrificing a bit of musicality. ~ by Geoffrey Himes, washingtonpost.com. 

MAXJAZZ, MXJ 109, 2000
Recorded 13th-14th January, 2000 at Sound On Sound, New York 

Musicians:
René Marie - Vocals, Arranger
Sam Newsome - Soprano Saxophone (#7,12)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#1,2,5-11) Fender Rhodes (#3,4)
Marvin Sewell - Guitar (#2-4,11,12)
Ugonna Okegwo - Bass
Gerald Cleaver - Drums (#1-11)
Jeff Haynes - Percussion (#3,7,11,12) 

Tracks:
01. What A Difference A Day Makes {Stanley Adams, María Mendez Grever} (3:42)
02. Tennessee Waltz {Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart} (6:44)
03. Motherless Child {Traditional} (1:29)
04. Four Women {Nina Simone} (6:10)
05. The Very Thought Of You {Ray Noble} (5:00)
06. I Like You {René Marie} (4:04)
07. Afro Blue {Oscar Brown, Jr., Mongo Santamaría} (6:45)
08. A Sleepin' Bee {Harold Arlen, Truman Capote} (6:22)
09. Hurry Sundown {René Marie} (6:03)
10. God Bless The Child {Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.} (5:07)
11. Take My Breath Away {Bab Hallahan, René Marie} (5:24)
12. How Can I Keep From Singing? {Enya, Nicky Ryan} (5:42) 

Total Time: 62:32 

Credits:
Producer, Arranger - Bruce Barth
Engineer - David Baker
Assistant Engineer - Zach Wind
Mastering - Katsuhiko Naito
Photography - Jimmy Katz
Liner Notes - Mary Ellen Sullivan 

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Pepper Adams - Julian (1975)

Recorded five days before Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's death, the title cut of this album was retitled and dedicated to the late altoist. The powerful baritonist Pepper Adams is well showcased with a quartet comprised of pianist Walter Norris, bassist George Mraz and drummer Makaya Ntshoko on three of his originals, one by Norris and two ("Three And One" and "'Tis") by Thad Jones. Adams is in typically excellent form, playing intense solos that push but stay within the boundaries of hard bop. AMG

01 - Jirge
02 - Julian
03 - Spacemaker
04 - Ad Astra
05 - Three and One
06 - Tis
07 - Time on My Hand
08 - Lady Luck

Pepper Adams (bs) Walter Norris (p) George Mraz (b) Makaya Ntshoko (d)
Live at The Domicile, Munich, Germany. August 13, 1975

Recorded on the German Enja label and unavailable for some time, this is a from a limited edition Japanese CD.

Jimmy Witherspoon - Spoon Sings And Swings (1966) [vinyl]

Arguably Spoon's greatest album, this is superb music! Spoon was far more than a blues-shouter, just listen to 'Send Me Someone To Love'. Recorded in a London pub with the terrific support of British tenorman Dick Morrissey and one of the finest rhythm sections ever to emerge in the UK.
Writing in 1967, David Illingworth claimed this was Spoon's best record since his collaborations with Ben Webster, I wouldn't disagree. ~ grumpy

Review by David Illingworth ~ Jazz Journal, February 1967:
Undoubtedly the best Witherspoon album for many a year, though perhaps my pleasure was enhanced by the memory of several performances by Morrissey and Spoon. It is in fact a Quintet on this record; a complete whole, singer and backing. South and Bates create a solid background, and Seamen blasts the session along like an after-burner. The boy from Sutton County Grammar School gives Spoon the best tenor backing he has had since Ben Webster was behind him. On occasions he comes on like the old Fats Domino man Herb Hardesty—a direct rhythm-and-blues attack, but not vulgar. Those who have heard this combination over the past year or so will need no encouragement to buy this LP—the recording has been well done, despite the limitations the warm little room at Barnes may have suggested in this respect. Spoon is in fine form, and this is perhaps, his best recording ever—uncluttered by an all-star backing. The less interesting spots are the fast / Gotta Girl and Kansas City and Percy Mayfield's over-sentimental Someone To Love. But the word is less not least. Buy it.

01 - I Gotta Girl ( Who Lives On A Hill )
02 - Trouble In Mind
03 - Nobody Knows How I Feel This Morning
04 - New Down Home Blues
05 - Kansas City
06 - Compact Car
07 - Piney Brown's Blues
08 - Big Fine Girl
09 - Send Me Someone To Love
10 - Lotus Blossom
11 - St Louis Blues
12 - Things Are getting Tougher Than Tough (bonus)
13 - I'll Be So Glad (bonus)

Jimmy Witherspoon (vc), Dick Morrissey (ts), Harry South (p), Phil Bates (b), Phil Seamen (d)
Bulls Head, Barnes, London - May 23, 1966

5 Nights at Mr. Kelly's

 Come with me on a mythical week at the great Chicago club 'Mr.Kelly's". Think of this as your poster of the week's activities and the links are your actual shows! 

Start your week out right with Ms Anita O'Day! (1958)

"Caught live with just her piano trio at Chicago's famous now-defunct nightclub, Anita O'Day is in an ebullient mood as she tosses off a series of standards and novelties. Whether this is an accurate snapshot of her live act is open to question; the stage business in between numbers seems rather formal and one doesn't really feel the excitement of a live performance. Yet O'Day is clearly in a creative mood, whether allowing her vulnerability to show in the torchy ballads or reveling in the boppish up-tempo workouts. Her vocal on "Tea for Two" is a virtuoso deconstruction, full of satiric quotes and rhythmic shifts at a warp-speed tempo. Fleet-fingered Joe Masters decorates the fills with standard bop runs on the slightly-out-of-tune house piano."

Tuesday is good for more than taco's! We have the great Ella! (1958)

"Ella Fitzgerald didn't lack for live recording opportunities in the late '50s, which on the surface, would make this first issue of a 1958 Chicago live club date an easy one to pass on. Verve label head Norman Granz recorded her often in the '50s with an eye to releasing live albums, which he did with her shows at Newport in 1957 and Los Angeles' Opera House in 1958 (not to mention another 1958 concert in Rome that was released 30 years later to wide acclaim). Those shows, however, differed widely from this one, which found her in front of a very small audience at Chicago's jazz Mecca Mister Kelly's (Sarah Vaughan's landmark At Mister Kelly's was recorded there four months earlier). Fitzgerald's artistry is basically a given in this situation, but much of the material recorded here was rare and obscure; "Your Red Wagon" had only been released as a single, her delightfully melodic "Across the Alley from the Alamo" never appeared elsewhere, and for a pair of Sinatra evergreens -- "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" and "Witchcraft" -- the former had never appeared, and the latter only appeared later, on a 1961 return to the site of her Berlin live landmark."

What hump? Make Wednesday your fave day with Sassy!  (1957)

"During the mid-'50s, Sarah Vaughan spent most of her time recording songbook standards backed by a large orchestra in florid arrangements, with only the occasional breath of fresh air like her masterpiece, 1954's Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown. Four years after that milestone, another landed with the live album At Mister Kelly's. Recorded quite early in the days of the live LP, the album captured Vaughan at her best and most relaxed, stretching out on a set of late-night torch songs and ballads. With a trio including Jimmy Jones on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Richard Davis on bass, Vaughan is simply captivating, easily disproving the notion that, to be entertaining, singers needed inventive arrangements and multiple voices (instrumental or otherwise) behind them. Her unerring sense of rhythm carries her through every song on this set, whether the occasion calls for playfulness and wit ("Thou Swell," "Honeysuckle Rose") or a world-wise melancholia ("Willow Weep for Me"). Her accompanists are a valuable anchor, with Haynes' drumming just as precise as Sassy's vocals and Jones' piano solos adding additional vitality."

Thursday a new star! A young powerhouse singer!

Couldn't find a review so I'll fake it! I am struck by how much she sounds like Dinah on this; it isn't something I recall thinking before, nor have I seen it in print, but I think it is unmistakable! The big difference becomes clear pretty quickly, however, because her voice has even more power behind it! This is one of those Collectables twofers so you get another nice record as well!

...and Fridays we get down with the Blues!

"Muddy Water Live (At Mr. Kelly's) shows precisely how fortuitous Muddy Waters' history with Chess Records was. With the notable exception of Bo Diddley's Beach Party, the company tended to record its top artists in concert very late or, more often, not at all. Howlin' Wolf got one concert album so late in his career that he was merely a shadow of the legend he'd established for himself, and the label's resident blues harp virtuosi Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II were never captured in concert. Waters was luckier. This album, recorded during two June 1971 gigs at one of Chicago's top clubs, was the third full-length concert release of his career; and he had a decade of life and music still in front of him and remained very much the embodiment of his own legend. The core of the band that would work with him for the rest of the '70s was already with him, and the man himself was in excellent form -- in voice and on slide guitar -- aided by Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison. There might not be the same sense here of a career-second-wind-in-progress that there was with his later live album for Johnny Winter's Blue Sky label -- the performance is powerful and confident, more than bold and celebratory -- but on "Strange Woman," "Blow Wind Blow," and "Country Boy," for example, the effect of hearing a master of the blues virtuoso band in action is overpowering. His takes on Williamson's "Nine Below Zero," T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday Blues," John Lee Hooker's "Boom, Boom," and Jimmy Reed's "You Don't Have to Go," all reconfigured in Muddy's own style, are also worth hearing. There might have been more flash on the later Winter-produced sides, but this LP is not to be ignored, and not just by Chess completists -- it's a hell of a lot more essential than Electric Mud, and heralds the superb Indian summer of Waters' history at Chess, during which he recorded Can't Get No Grindin' and The Woodstock Album."

David Sills - Light Touch (2010)

For saxophonist David Sills' seventh album as a leader, he's employed two of LA's finest musicians, longtime associates, pianist Chris Dawson and bassist Darek Oles. Featuring a wonderful mix of jazz standards, this crack team of artists have assembled a program that flows seamlessly from tune to tune and leaves the listener in complete satisfaction. The album is light yet robust like a fine glass of cabernet. The sound is warm and clear. The artists all have unique original voices yet command a clear understanding and respect for the jazz tradition. If you like no-nonsense, honest jazz performed at the highest artistic level, get Light Touch, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. ~ www.davidsills.com. 

Dasil Jazz, JCR-132-09, 2010
Recorded at Big City Recording Studios, Granada Hills, California 

Musicians:
David Sills - Tenor Saxophone, Flute
Chris Dawson - Piano
Dares Oles - Bass 

Tracks:
01. Strollin' {Horace Silver} (7:12)
02. Chelsea Bridge {Billy Strayhorn} (8:28)
03. How About You {Ralph Freed, Burton Lane} (7:16)
04. Sertão Alagoano {Hermeto Pascoal} (3:19)
05. Blues For Alice {Charlie Parker} (4:07)
06. Peace {Horace Silver} (6:47)
07. Love For Sale {Cole Porter} (6:43)
08. Goodbye Porkpie Hat {Charles Mingus} (4:29)
09. Everything I Love {Cole Porter} (5:39)
10. It’s All You {David Sills} (5:01)
11. Interplay {Bill Evans} (5:56) 

Total Time: 65:02 

Credits:
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - Paul Tavenner
Artwork - Bernie Sills
Typesetting - swbmosaicart.com