JESSICA MOLASKEY — A Kiss to Build a Dream On (2008) APE (image+.cue), lossless

When Broadway actress Jessica Molaskey met jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli, an engaging partnership (both musical and marital) was formed. Molaskey enjoyed the musical family she married into, including father and guitarist Bucky and brother-in-law/bassist Martin, all of whom join her on her first CD for a purely jazz label. Rounding out the band is the talented young violinist Aaron Weinstein, a swinging, sensitive player in the Stéphane Grappelli tradition whose maturity on his instrument belies his youth. One of Molaskey's greatest strengths is her effortless ability to convey the emotion of each song without overdoing it, while her vocals are always right on the money. She also chose quite a few pieces that have long fallen into obscurity, including the upbeat "Happy Habit," the brightly swinging "Hello Sunshine Hello" (which interpolates "You Are My Sunshine" and utilizes multi-tracked vocals), and "Breezin' Along with the Breeze." John joins her for an intimate vocal duet of "Tea for Two" that includes the oft-omitted verse, along with their warm original "Hiding in Plain Sight," the latter adding guest Larry Fuller on piano. She also chose a pair of Stephen Sondheim songs, offering a playful rendition of "Everybody Loves Louis" (from Sunday in the Park with George and the sentimental ballad "Isn't He Something" (from Bounce. Jessica Molaskey will warm an audience of any size with this superb release.  Ken Dryden  
Tracklist :
1 Happy Habit 3:46
Dorothy Fields / Arthur Schwartz 
2 Medley: You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby/Baby Face 4:20
Harry Akst / Benny Davis / Johnny Mercer / Harry Warren 
3 Hello Sunshine Hello 3:28
Jack Murray / Charles Tobias 
4 A Kiss to Build a Dream On 4:11
Oscar Hammerstein II / Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby 
5 Everybody Loves Louis 3:17
Stephen Sondheim 
6 Tea for Two 4:09
Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans 
7 Take Me To You 3:41
Jessica Molaskey / John Pizzarelli 
8 Breezin' Along With the Breeze 4:12
Haven Gillespie / Seymour Simons / Richard A. Whiting 
9 Isn't He Something 3:47
Stephen Sondheim 
10 Hiding In Plain Sight 3:46
Jessica Molaskey / John Pizzarelli 
11 I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover 3:07
Mort Dixon / Harry Woods 
12 You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You 5:51
Larry Stock 
13 Ain't Misbehavin' 5:53
Harry Brooks / Andy Razaf / Fats Waller 
14 Bye Bye Blues 4:49
Dave Bennett / Chauncey Gray / Fred Hamm / Bert Lown 
15 Heart's Desire 2:48
Alan Broadbent / Dave Frishberg
Credits :
Jessica Molaskey, Composer, Cover Design, Vocals
Bucky Pizzarelli, Guitar
John Pizzarelli, Vocals
Martin Pizzarelli, Bass, Bass Instrument
Aaron Weinstein, Violin

AARON WEINSTEIN & JOHN PIZZARELLI — Blue Too (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The combination of jazz and guitar, whether in a group setting or duo, has frequently been associated with swing. This stretches back further than Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli to players like guitarist Eddie Lang and violist Joe Venuti in the 1920s; the tradition, however, also moves forward in time, including work by Stuff Smith with guitarist Herb Ellis in 1963 and numerous recordings by groups put together by Tony Rice and David Grisman beginning in the '70s. Despite the long history, the guitar/fiddle combination is nonetheless a rare one in jazz, which makes the issue of Blue Too by guitarist John Pizzarelli and violinist Aaron Weinstein a real treat. As a duo recording, Pizzarelli and Weinstein have kept Blue Too's arrangements simple and intimate. The material, both new and old, pays tribute to the swing tradition, allowing the duo to reach back to George Van Eps' "I Wrote It for Joe," make a stop at Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me," and add to the tradition with the original title cut. While Pizzarelli and Weinstein occasionally indulge in lengthy jams, as with Walter Donaldson's "Little White Lies" (nearly seven minutes), most of these pieces run between two and four minutes. The music and tradition may be familiar on Blue Too, but Pizzarelli and Weinstein's lead work and innovative backing deliver it with imagination. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
Tracklist :
1    I Want To Be Happy 3:05
Written-By – Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
2    Cocktails For Two 4:18
Written-By – Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow
3    Little White Lies 6:49
Written-By – Walter Donaldson
4    Raggin' The Scale 2:43
Written-By – Edward B. Claypoole
5    Blue Too 6:49
Written-By – Aaron Weinstein, John Pizzarelli
6    You 3:49
Written-By – Harold Adamson, Walter Donaldson
7    Don't Be That Way 2:36
Vocals – John Pizzarelli
Written-By – Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Mitchell Paris
8    Diga Diga Doo 3:02
Written-By – Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
9    I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan 3:58
Written-By – Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
10    You Do Something To Me 3:31
Written-By – Cole Porter
11    Melancholy Lullaby 5:24
Written-By – Benny Carter, Edward Heyman
12    The Blue Room 3:16
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
13    I Wrote It For Jo 3:10
Written By – George Van Eps
14    As Long As I'm Singing 2:16
Written-By – Bobby Darin
Credits :
Guitar – John Pizzarelli (All Tracks), Vocals – (Track 7)
Violin – Aaron Weinstein (All Tracks)

CAROL SLOANE - We'll Meet Again (2009) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Carol Sloane has paid her dues over a career that stretches over half a century, surviving the various detours into temporary fads and the fickle whims of the jazz marketplace. For her 37th album as a leader, the vocalist chose to omit both piano and drums, looking toward a cleaner, more intimate sound, which she achieves throughout the sessions. She could have hardly picked a better guitarist than Bucky Pizzarelli, a master who seems to have accompanied nearly everyone and has encyclopedic knowledge of thousands of songs, along with one of her biggest fans, tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Peplowski (who has long told jazz journalists that she is one of his favorite vocalists), and veteran bassist Steve LaSpina. The Basie-like swing setting of "Exactly Like You," adding young violinist Aaron Weinstein to the trio, will have listeners tapping their feet along with it. Joe Williams' longtime pianist Norman Simmons wrote "If You Could Love Me" back in the 1950s, though the song never caught a wide audience -- Sloane's warm bossa nova setting is complemented by Peplowski's lyrical clarinet. Sloane exhibits both warmth and playfulness in "Zoot Walks In," opening with an unaccompanied half-chorus, then follows it with a snappy segment accompanied solely by LaSpina's walking bass. Peplowski salutes the late great Zoot Sims with a spirited tenor solo, after which Weinstein adds a wry chorus on violin in the manner of Ray Nance. Sloane is at her very best tackling the bittersweet "A Cottage for Sale," imbuing it with emotion without getting carried away. Carol Sloane is like a fine vintage wine; her voice keeps improving with time.  Ken Dryden 
Tracklist :
1 Exactly Like You 5:43
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
2 Something to Remember You By 3:24
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
3 Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere 2:40
Ned Washington / Lee Wiley / Victor Young
4 I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do 6:32
Lee Pockriss / Paul Vance
5 If You Could Love Me 2:37
Norman Simmons
6 Why Don't You Do Right 3:36
Kansas Joe McCoy
7 The Meaning of the Blues 4:42
Bobby Troup / Leah Worth
8 Zoot Walks In 5:51
Dave Frishberg
 9 Where Are You? 6:35
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
 10 Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year 6:29
Frank Loesser
 11 A Cottage for Sale 5:18
Larry Conley / Willard Robison
12 I Never Loved Anyone 4:45
George R. Brown
 13 We'll Meet Again 3:24
Hughie Charles / Ross Parker
Credits
Steve LaSpina Bass
Ken Peplowski Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Bucky Pizzarelli Guitar
Carol Sloane Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals