THE BARNEY KESSEL TRIO — Jellybeans (1981-1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 On this fairly typical trio set, guitarist Barney Kessel is joined by bassist Bob Maize and drummer Jimmie Smith. "Stella by Starlight," "St. Thomas" and "Shiny Stockings" generate some heat; there are three Kessel originals and also two veteran ballads. The music swings without giving listeners any real surprises, but Kessel's fans can consider this one of his best Concord recordings. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Jellybeans    4:08
 Barney Kessel
2    Stella By Starlight    5:46
 Ned Washington / Victor Young
3    Mermaid    4:27
 Barney Kessel
4    My Foolish Heart    4:34
 Ned Washington / Victor Young
5    Juarez After Dark    4:26
 Barney Kessel
6    I've Never Been In Love Before    5:19
 Frank Loesser
7    St. Thomas    4:45
 Sonny Rollins
8    Shiny Stockings    5:14
 Frank Foster
Credits :
Bass – Bob Maize
Drums – Jimmie Smith
Guitar – Barney Kessel

ANITA O'DAY — At Vine St. Live (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

At age 71, Anita O'Day was way past her prime when she performed this live date at the now-defunct Vine St. club. The songs had all been recorded earlier by O'Day in versions more rewarding than these, although she tries her best. Gordon Brisker on tenor and flute leads the backing quintet, which also includes pianist Pete Jolly and does what it can to hold O'Day up. At least she didn't feel compelled to record "Let Me Off Uptown" this late in her career. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 5:41
Cole Porter
2    Old Devil Moon 4:23
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Burton Lane
3    Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? 4:22
Bill Austin / Louis Jordan
4    A Song for You 3:05
Leon Russell
5.    You Can Depend on Me 3:47
Charles Carpenter / Louis Dunlap / Melvin Dunlap / Earl Hines
6.    Street of Dreams 6:04
Sam M. Lewis / Victor Young
7Y.    You Turned the Tables on Me 4:09
Louis Alter / Sidney Mitchell
8.    Yesterday/Yesterdays 3:48
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern / John Lennon / Paul McCartney
9.    S'posin' 3:59
Paul Denniker / Andy Razaf
10.    It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 3:52
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
Credits :
Bass – Bob Maize
Drums – Dan D'Imperio
Guitar – Steve Homan
Piano – Pete Jolly
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Gordon Brisker

EMILY REMLER – Firefly (1981-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It sounds very clichéd to say that many of music's best and brightest have lived fast and died young, but it is so true. From Jimi Hendrix to Charlie Parker to Patsy Cline, the 20th century was full of talented artists whose lives were cut short by their self-destructive ways. In an ideal world, Emily Remler would have had a very long career and made it to seventy or eighty; instead, the guitarist used heroin and died of a heart attack at 32. Firefly was Remler's first album as a leader, and it is a promising debut. Joined by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Bob Maize, and drummer Jake Hanna, a 24-year-old Remler delivers an enjoyable hard bop date. The album isn't groundbreaking by early-'80s standards -- although Firefly was recorded in 1981, it sounds like it could have been recorded in 1961. But there is no law stating that every young jazz musician who comes along has to reinvent the wheel, and Remler (whose influences include Wes Montgomery and Herb Ellis) brings a lot of potential to lively, swinging performances of Horace Silver's "Strollin'," McCoy Tyner's "Inception," and Montgomery's "Movin' Along." The New Jersey native also provides two original tunes ("Perk's Blues" and "The Firefly") and pleasantly surprises listeners by unearthing a pretty but lesser-known Antonio Carlos Jobim song titled "Look to the Sky." Unlike "The Girl From Ipanema," "Corcovado," or "One Note Samba," "Look to the Sky" is far from a standard; however, Remler's heartfelt interpretation demonstrates that the Jobim melody deserves to be much better known. With Firefly, Remler's recording career was off to an appealing start -- a career that should have been much, much longer. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1     Strollin' 5:29
Horace Silver
2     Look to the Sky 5:23
Antônio Carlos Jobim
3     Perk's Blues 4:06
Emily Remler
4     The Firefly 4:05
Emily Remler
5     Movin' Along 5:30
Wes Montgomery
6     A Taste of Honey 2:09
Ric Marlow / Bobby Scott
7     Inception 5:09
McCoy Tyner
8     In a Sentimental Mood 7:48
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
Credits :
Bass – Bob Maize
Drums – Jake Hanna
Guitar – Emily Remler
Piano – Hank Jones