Dead Combo (2014) -A Bunch of Meninos

Artist: Dead Combo

Albums: A Bunch Of Meninos

Release date:  2014

Quality:  mp3 CBR 320

Size:  102 MB

“Dead Combo are a one of a kind group. Their music is an eclectic combination of genres that range from portuguese Fado to Blues and Rock n'Roll, from Latin to african music. With just two members, their sound is minimalistic, but very smooth and engaging - the kind of sound you expect to hear on a Quentin Tarantino movie. They are multi-instrumentalists, and in the past have included in their songs instruments such as the cello, piano and horns. However, with a few exceptions, for this album they've sticked mainly to their guitars.” @ bubblews  

Various Artists (2005/2011) - Bosporous Bridges Vol.1 & 2

Artist: various

Albums: Bosporous Bridges Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 – A Wide Selection Of Turkish Jazz And Funk 1969-1978

Release date:  2005 / 2011

Quality: mp3 CBR 320 / VBR

Size:  99 /69 MB

”I don’t know all that much about Turkish jazz-funk music, but the good thing about an album like this is that you don’t really need to know the stories behind the (in this case proggy-soul) bands before they went a whole different direction, broke up, or descended into relative obscurity. The songs stand on their own without context. Or maybe the lack of context just makes the whole listening experience better, by casting that sense of mystery and myth that eludes some bands you already “know.” ~ read full review @ tinymixtapes

                                                                          

The Good Fellas (2007) -13 Women

  

Artist:  The Good Fellas

Albums: 13 Women

Released:  2007

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size:  147 MB

”The most cursory glance down the roster of America’s most popular troubadours, immediately reveals one prime and inescapable fact, the majority are of Italian-American extraction. Caruso, Sinatra, Como, Prima, Monte, Bennett, Darin…the list seems endless. “Why”, many an eager bobby-soxer has asked “are so many of the great singers Italian?” Why, indeed? The answer is, of course, to step into the history and folkways of a people that it would take thousands of words to explain. But, we can briefly say, it’s because of their warm-hearted, unrestrained humour and passion for life. As a part of this good company we can find “THE GOOD FELLAS”. Better known as the “GANGSTERS OF SWING”, dressed in old fashioned, strictly Italian made, double breast Capone suites, wearing two tone shoes, laughing at life like everyone does deep down in the land of pizza and mandolino. To be a “good fellow” means to be a true gentleman, loyal and respectful of strong heritage and traditions. It means to smell of the full Italian flavour, while always hungry for a lady’s kiss among the scene of a Neapolitan moonlight. What they do best is the well-known, truly genuine, Italian way of entertaining known the World over. Swingin and jokin’ all the time with the audience in that half Italian, half English, macaroni language. This band truly swings from “Oh Marie”, “Tu vuo fa l’americano” to Basie’s “Tickle Toe”, and from Haley’s “A rockin’ little tune” to Lou Monte’s Italian version of Fats Domino’s classic Rock’n’Roll “I’m Walkin”. They walk the junction between Italian American and Afro American music, follow the steps of the giants of swing era, spacing from a shuffle beat to a Philly houserock to Texas blues. Like many of the Italian citizens of the World War II age, the GOOD FELLAS feel the “American Dream”, falling in love with the American brashness, cleverness, then impossible madness, but never really thinkin’ to leave the Country of sea and sun, their food, their roots.”

~ read full review

Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica - two albums

Artist:  Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica 
Albums:  The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel / Third River Rangoon
Released: 2010 / 2011
Quality: mp3 CBR 192
Size: 42 / 86 MB

”The music of Mexican composer and arranger Juan Garcia Esquivel—often referred to with the exclamatory Esquivel!—has been described as Space Age pop, cocktail jazz and lounge music. Whatever it's called, Esquivel's music is happy music —an eccentric but optimistic take on standards and originals, incorporating the newest musical technologies of the '60s. On The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel Mr Ho's Orchestrotica presents eleven faithfully reproduced Esquivel arrangements, in just 30 minutes, and gives rise to one simple question. When will there be more?... Mr Ho's Orchestrotica breathes fresh life into these marvelously odd arrangements, with a clear understanding of just what their creator intended them to do. The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel is music for pleasure: a happy, bouncy puppy of an album that just wants to play and have fun.” ~ ~by Bruce Lindsay at allaboutjazz.com

“The "Mr. Ho" of Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica is vibraphonist Brian O'Neil, who has put together a vibraphone quartet, also featuring flute, percussion and bass, for Third River Rangoon. The music, dubbed "exotica," drifts back and forth across the less than distinct border between third stream chamber jazz and classical, with hints of world music influenced by a tropical island Tiki god thrown in for good measure. Mr. Ho's previous exotica release explored the artistry of Mexican composer Juan Garcia Esquivel on The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel, with a 23-piece ensemble, the music described as a "happy, bouncy puppy of an album." Third Stream Rangoon takes the sound into a spacey but much more introspective area, with a murky, dreamy atmosphere fashioned from the melding of the vibraphone's ringing sustain with the deep, glowingly rich tone of Geni Skendo's bass and c flutes. The inspirations for the music—eight of the eleven tunes written by Mr. Ho—are about as esoteric and off the wall as it gets: A twenty foot-tall stone statue sentry at the former Aku-Aku Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts ("Lonesome Aku Fisherman's Wife"); Albanian drone singing ("Phoenix, Goodbye"); the Bulgarian kopanitsa ("Autumn Digging Dance"); and the "Allegretto" from Shostakovich's 10th Symphony ("Moai Thief")” .  ~by Dan MacLenaghan at allaboutjazz.com

Chat Noir - 4 albums

Artist:  Chat Noir
Albums:  Adoration / Decoupage / Difficult To See You / Weather Forecasting Stone
Released: 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2011
Quality: mp3 CBR 192 / 320
Size: 95 / 185 / 165 / 150 MB

A trio that starts from classic jazz to explore alternative music territories and sounds contaminated by different kind of musical genres. A trio which abolishes the traditional concept of leader and sideman, encouraging the acting of each member in a balanced way. A trio which, through its compositions, has the courage to express itself by a very personal language. The result is a choral and evocative music which distinguishes Chat Noir from the most jazz bands of our time.©

TRACK OF THE DAY - Chat Noir

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John Surman (2012) -Saltash Bells

Artist:  John Surman

Albums: Saltash Bells

Released:  2012

Quality: FLAC (tracks)

Size:  303 MB

”…Saltash Bells is Surman's first solo recording since 1995's A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe, though he's been far from inactive, releasing the quartet-based Brewster's Rooster (2009) and Rain on the Window (2008)—a sublime duo set with organist Howard Moody recorded at Ultern Kirke in Oslo, where Surman now resides with wife/singer Karin Krog—in addition to two non-ECM recordings: Cuneiforms's marvelous archival find, Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop—April '69 (2011), and the large-ensemble The Rainbow Band Sessions (Losen, 2011).

 Credits for Surman's previous one-man efforts cited them taking place during the course of a month; Saltash Bells, in contrast, was recorded over just two days in 2009 and one more in 2011. Surman adds tenor saxophone, and alto and contrabass clarinets to his core arsenal of soprano and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet and synthesizers...even harmonica, for the first time, on the epic "Sailing Westwards," gently layered so seamlessly with his synth patterns as to feel like a unified voice.

 Loops, synthesizer sequences and multi-tracked horns suggest preconception, but in Surman's sphere these remain a means of using improvisation to create further improvisational contexts, whether it's building foundations or soaring over them, as he does towards the end of "Sailing Westwards," his soprano responding to the various layers that combine to shape this hypnotic closer of cinematic proportions.

Saltash Bells is not all layered constructs, however. The pensive "Glass Flower" features Surman a capella on bass clarinet, while baritone saxophone is the sole voice on "Ælfwin." Elsewhere, "Triachordum" is a trio baritone piece, Surman's improvisational voice adding the shifting vertical harmony to two horns separated by fifths throughout, even as he fashions melodies in the moment over the course of nearly four minutes. Surman's soprano saxophone on "Dark Reflections" seems to be on a course that orbits around a series of shifting lines more buried in the mix, while baritone and soprano saxophones evoke both lyricism and unrelenting pulse on "The Crooked Inn."

Saltash Bells is an intended reference to Surman's birthplace in Tavistock, a scenic location on the River Tavy, which runs through West Devon to the English Channel. Sounds of church bells and seagulls echoing over the landscape are but two touchstones that imbue the charmingly pastoral Saltash Bells, an album that confirms you can take the man out of the place but you can't take the place out of the man.“ John Kelman, allaboutjazz.com

Dirty Dozen Brass Band (2012) -Twenty Dozen

Artist:  Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Album: Twenty Dozen

Released:  2012

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size:  121 MB

” In their prime, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band successfully mixed together R&B with the instrumentation of a New Orleans brass band. Featuring Kirk Joseph on sousaphone playing with the agility of an electric bassist, the group revitalized the brass band tradition, opening up the repertoire and inspiring some younger groups to imitate its boldness. Generally featuring five horns (two trumpets, one trombone, and two saxes) along with the sousaphone, a snare drummer, and a bass drummer, the DDBB were innovative in their own way, making fine recordings for Rounder, Columbia, and the George Wein Collection (the latter released through Concord). Guest artists have included Dr. John, Dizzy Gillespie, and Danny Barker. the DDBB re-emerged in 1999 with John Medeski as their producer, and many called the group's Buck Jump release a return to classic form. The group then returned in 2002 with yet another surprising album, Medicated Magic. Two years later, the band made its Artemis label debut with Funeral for a Friend. In 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the DDBB issued their most ambitious album to date, What's Going On, a wide-ranging musical tour de force that was a track-for-track remake of Marvin Gaye's classic 1971 album. In addition to the DDBB, it also featured the talents of many musicians from the Crescent City. The album was not so much a response to Hurricane Katrina itself, but to the subsequent treatment of New Orleanians by the city government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2011, the group issued My Feet Can't Fail Me Now, a further extrapolation on Crescent City traditions wedded to hip-hop, modern R&B, funk, and rock. In the spring of 2012, DDBB issued the more traditional Twenty Dozen, their debut offering for Savoy Jazz.”    ~ Scott Yanow, allmusic.com

 

Akira Tana (2002) -Secret Agent Man

Artist:  Akira Tana

Album: Secret Agent Man

Released:  2002

Quality: mp3 CBR 320

Size: 148 MB

”Akira Tana and his musicians were definitely out to have some fun making this release, which draws heavily from works written for spy-themed movies and television series. "Secret Agent Man" is given a funky treatment with a slight Latin tinge, showcasing guitarist Rodney Jones, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and tenor saxophonist Bob Kenmotsu. The rendition of the "Alfred Hitchcock Theme (March of the Marionettes)" at first seems like it will be low-key, but the brisk arrangement quickly discards Kenmotsu's flute for his blistering tenor in a smoking performance. They even have a bit of fun with the unlikely inclusion of a Sting composition (the normally monotonous "It's Probably Me"), but this version has more spirit and eliminates the mundane lyrics. The band relaxes a bit with a loungy but effective take of "From Russia with Love." The CD concludes with five songs written by the band's members to make up a fictitious soundtrack for a film. A nice added touch is the campy cover photo, with each of the players photographed in standard spy gear (hat, trench coat, and sunglasses), though Smith's huge Afro covered by a turban would likely make it hard for him to tail a subject!” ~ Ken Dryden, allmusic.com

Paul Desmond (1968) -Summertime

Artist:  Paul Desmond

Album: Summertime

Released:  1968

Quality: FLAC (tracks)

Size: 232 MB

”In the midst of lolling away his time in semi-retirement after the Dave Brubeck Quartet broke up in 1967, Paul Desmond allowed himself to be lured back into the recording studio by producer Creed Taylor, who knew exactly what to do with his idle, but by no means spent, alto player. The result is a beautifully produced, eclectic album of music that revives Desmond's "bossa antigua" idea and sends it in different directions, directly toward Brazil and various Caribbean regions, as well as back to the jazzy States. "Samba With Some Barbecue" is a marvelous bossa nova treatment of Louis Armstrong's New Orleans rouser "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," whose opening bars bear an uncanny resemblance to those of "Samba de Orpheus" (which the erudite Desmond was no doubt aware of). No matter how many times you've heard "Autumn Leaves," Desmond's bossa nova treatment will give you a fresh jolt as he offhandedly tosses off the most exquisitely swinging ruminations; too bad it fades after only three minutes. In a pliable mood, Desmond even consents to record a then-new Beatles tune, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," samba-style, quoting "Hey Jude" along the way (it's very possible that he was attracted by the main character of the lyric, a fellow named Desmond), and he makes potent music out of movie tunes like "Emily" and even the snazzy "Lady in Cement." Don Sebesky brings in some intelligently crafted arrangements for big band augmented by French horns, Herbie Hancock turns in some often brilliant solo work in several featured spots, Ron Carter is on bass, and Leo Morris and Airto Moreira alternate on drums. Never before had Desmond's alto been recorded so ravishingly -- Rudy Van Gelder's engineering gives it a new golden-mellow glow -- and the original LP had a great, sarcastic cover: gleaming icicles.” ~ Richard S. Ginell, allmusic.com

TRACK OF THE DAY - Renaud Garcia-Fons

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The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble (1982) -Alive and Well

Artist: The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble
Album: Alive And Well
Released: 1982
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 209 MB

"What distinguishes the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble from the hundreds of groups around the globe playing what is variously labeled Trad, New Orleans or Dixieland jazz is its absolute authenticity. And it has come as a revelation to all who thought they knew what the genuine article was. One thing it is not, for instance, is the all-pervasive, brash and brassy music which emanates from the bars and strip clubs of Bourbon Street. Despite a burgeoning international reputation, with appearances as far a field as Moscow and Hong Kong, and radio, TV and record performances, New Orleans is still the wellspring of the band's inspiration - both musically and environmentally. "We regard ourselves both as resuscitators of this musical tradition and a living part of it," explained Starr. The interaction between the musicians and the people they play for - many of whom actually danced to the bands whose repertoires the LRJE is reviving - is as important in creating the group's genuineness as the long hours spent delving into the archives for buried tunes." ~ Quavers

John Zorn (2012) -The Gnostic Preludes: Music Of Splendor

Artist: John Zorn
Albums: The Gnostic Preludes: Music of Splendor
Released: 2012
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Size: 234 MB

”The Gnostic Preludes is the fourth chapter in the mystically influenced recordings that began with In Search of the Miraculous and continued with Goddess: Music for the Ancient of Days and At the Gates of Paradise. Despite the wide range of Zorn's mystical investigations throughout his career, these four records -- thus far -- have more in common with one another than the rest of his catalog. While all have featured different groups, the one constant is vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen (who also plays bells). Harpist Carol Emmanuel appeared in the Goddess ensemble. The addition of Bill Frisell to these proceedings feels essential for what Zorn was trying to accomplish with this particularly intimate group of compositions. His instantly recognizable tone; easy, laid-back, readily accessible style, and his ability to become an equal part of an ensemble make him an ideal choice. While the sleeve notes namecheck early music, early minimalism, and Debussy, they infer inspiration, rather than describe the music found here. In these compositions, simplicity is the key. "The Middle Pillar" walks a gorgeous line between Sephardic sources as well as those of 20th century Spanish music, from modern flamenco to guitarist Pepe Romero. "The Book of Pleasure," a soulful, laid-back chamber piece, contains elements of jazz, and to a lesser degree, Brazilian folk music. Given a less skeletal arrangement, it would not have been out of place on a Dreamers recording. The way Wollesen and Frisell dance around one another on "Music of the Spheres," with Emmanuel finding a middle space and canny ways to texture the backdrop, evokes everything from cinematic serial music to mellow surf! The harp and Wollesen's bells and vibes are the rhythmic centerpieces that Frisell's playing turns on in "Circumambulation." Here, patterns invert themselves just as they establish repetition, with truly colorful textural highlights by Wollesen. The interlocking grooves on "Sign and Signal," and the more subtle but equally rhythmic, almost heartbreakingly beautiful closer "The Invisibles" suggest that what Zorn was perhaps creating was a music so internally harmonic, it would tunnel through perception toward an intuitive comprehension of its intent. The Gnostic Preludes is poetic, deceptively simple, and spiritually vast in scope.” ~ by Thom Yurek, allmusic.com

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (2012) -Walkin'

Artist: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Albums: Walkin’
Released: 2012
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 132 MB

"I'd make time for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra anytime," said no less an authority than the band's one-time producer, veteran reggae guitarist Dennis Bovell. Starting out in the late '80s as a ska revival group playing the streets and clubs of their hometown, the sharply suited Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra quickly became the flag-bearers for the Japanese ska scene. This movement gained popularity in the 1990s and included the arguably more "authentic" ska sounds of the Ska Flames (signed to Gaz Mayall's label in the U.K.) and the Determinations from Osaka. Like those two acts, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra's sound is largely instrumental, with powerful, punchy arrangements that re-create the jump-up energy of Jamaican ska originals such as the Skatalites. It's a sound as vibrant as any modern-day ska -- anywhere. ~ © allmusic.com

Jan Johansson (1968) -Musik Genom Fyra Sekler

Artist: Jan Johansson
Albums: Musik Genom Fyra Sekler
Released: 2006 (recorded 1968)
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 300 MB

Jan Johansson (16 September 1931 – 9 November 1968) was a Swedish jazz pianist. He is little known outside Scandinavia, and his records are not widely available, though Jazz på svenska (Jazz in Swedish) has sold more than a quarter of a million copies, and is the best selling jazz release ever in Sweden.
Johansson was a native of Söderhamn, in the Hälsingland province of Sweden. Studying classical piano as a child, he would also go on to master the guitar, organ and accordion, before turning on to swing and bebop as a teenager. He met saxophonist Stan Getz while at university. He abandoned his studies to play jazz full time, and worked with many American jazz musicians, becoming the first European to be invited to join the Jazz at the Philharmonic package.
In November 1968 Jan Johansson died in a car crash on his way to a concert in a church in Jönköping, Sweden. His sons, Anders Johansson and Jens Johansson, run Heptagon Records which keeps their father's recordings available.

Brad Mehldau Trio (2012) -Ode

Artist: Brad Mehldau Trio
Albums: Ode
Released: 2012
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 181 MB

“Ode is a collection of originals that I wrote specifically for my trio with Larry and Jeff,” says Mehldau. “I feel that what they bring to the music in the performance here is inseparable from the tunes themselves.” Most of the songs, he explains, “are tributes to someone else, and I began to think of them as odes, or poems that might be sung; in our case here it’s the singing only without all those pesky words.” Subjects include the late saxophonist Michael Brecker (“M.B.”), a character from the film Easy Rider (“Eulogy for George Hanson”), and the guitarist Kurt Ronsenwinkel (“Kurt Vibe”). ©

Ingrid Lucia (2004 / 2010) -Almost Blue / Midnight Rendezvous

Artist: Ingrid Lucia
Albums: Almost Blue / Midnight Rendezvous
Released: 2004 / 2010
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 132 / 88 MB

”Born into a family of street musicians, Ingrid Lucia sang in her family band, the Flying Neutrinos, from the age of eight, so she has music coursing deep in her soul. This sassy New Orleans native has a voice that's prompted thousands of comparisons to Billie Holiday. But despite her stylistic similarities to Lady Day, Lucia's delivery is upbeat, fun and just a bit naughty, in the true Big Easy tradition.
Ingrid Lucia grew up in a gypsy-style traveling family band, living in buses, boats and tents for the first eighteen years of her life. She started out as a dancer, but by the age of 8 she was singing in the band.” ©

Paul McCartney (2012) -Kisses On The Bottom (Deluxe Edition)

Artist: Paul McCartney
Album: Kisses On The Bottom (Deluxe Edition)
Released: 2012
Quality: mp3 CBR 320
Size: 143 MB

”John Lennon famously disdained Paul McCartney’s music hall tendencies as “nice little folk songs for the grannies to dig”. But the Beatles’ appeal owed as much to solid roots in Tin Pan Alley tunemanship as rock bite and experimentalism, lessons in classic song structure embedded in them from their parent’s generation.

For his 35th post-Beatles album (counting Wings, classical, soundtrack and electronic works), McCartney pays homage to songs he first heard his father play on the family piano. The mood is of warm and cosy nostalgia, laced with the qualities of magic and emotion familiar from McCartney’s own works of whimsy. He loves this material, and it shows.

The apparently risqué title is cheekily lifted from the opening track, the Fats Waller classic I’m Going To Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, rolled out as a loose, light jazz flight with a rippling piano solo from Diana Krall. Surrounding himself with a band of stellar jazz players, for the first time in his career the multi-instrumentalist opts only for the role of vocalist.

We rarely think of McCartney as a singer, because he is obviously so much more. The focus on interpretation exposes the ageing in his voice as it thins out in his high register but he performs with delicacy and nuance: understated, acoustic-flavoured arrangements allow him the space to sing with soft precision. The lower register of Irving Berlin’s Always suits him, and he delivers this dedication to a long-awaited love with the smoky conviction of a besotted and bedazzled old roué. When he sighs “my heart is forever yearning,” on Home (When Shadows Fall) it is impossible not to believe him.” ~READ FULL REVIEW @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk

George Robert & Kenny Barron (2003) -Peace

Artist: George Robert & Kenny Barron
Album: Peace
Released: 2003
Quality: FLAC + cue
Size: 325 MB

“Swiss saxophonist George Robert is one of the top players of his generation, though he seems appreciated far more in Europe and Asia than in the U.S., probably because few of his recordings as a leader have been made for American labels. Known primarily for his brilliant work on alto sax, he opens this live duo date on soprano sax, with the phenomenal pianist Kenny Barron as his sole accompanist. The haunting ballad "Peace" is a superb opener, followed by a dancing "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." Barron launches the furious post-bop interpretation of "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise," with Robert switching back to alto. The shimmering rendition of Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes" is absolutely breathtaking. Barron has long been one of the most effective interpreters of the works of Thelonious Monk; both his playful approach to "Blue Monk" and his long introduction to "'Round Midnight" uncover new ground in each of these popular songs. The disc wraps with Barron's thoughtful ballad "Song for Abdullah," which Robert sits out. The brilliant sound of this DIW CD gives one the feeling of having a front row seat in the Geneva concert hall where it took place.” ~ Ken Dryden, allmusic.com

Ella Fitzgerald & Cole Porter (1978) -Dream Dancing

Artist: Ella Fitzgerald & Cole Porter
Album: Dream Dancing
Released: 1978
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Size: 312 MB

”Originally released on Atlantic as Ella Loves Cole and then reissued on Pablo with two extra cuts from 1978, this set features the great Ella Fitzgerald (still in excellent form) backed by an orchestra arranged by Nelson Riddle performing an extensive set of Cole Porter songs. Fifteen years earlier Fitzgerald had had great success with her Cole Porter Songbook and this date, even with a few hokey arrangements, almost reaches the same level. Trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and pianist Tommy Flanagan are among the supporting cast. Highlights include "I Get a Kick out of You," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "All of You," "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Just One of Those Things."”~ Scott Yanow, allmusic.com