THE KEN PEPLOWSKI QUINTET - The Natural Touch (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ken Peplowski has been one of the most consistent performers in the "new mainstream" movement of the 1990s. Whether playing his fluent clarinet or warm tenor, Peplowski sounds quite comfortable as a creative swing player. As usual, this date with pianist Ben Aronov, guitarist Frank Vignola, bassist Murray Wall and drummer Tom Helito includes a couple more recent tunes (including Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" and originals by Aronov and Vignola), but it is the swing standards (such as "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," "Evenin'," and "I Thought About You") that are most memorable. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    I'll Close My Eyes 4:56   
Buddy Kaye / Billy Reid
2    The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) 6:03   
Isham Jones / Gus Kahn
3    Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry 5:26       
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
4    Evidence 4:58   
Thelonious Monk
5    Evenin' 4:34
Mitchell Parish / Harry White
6    You Never Know 3:36   
Frank Vignola
7    You Must Believe in Spring 4:19   
Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Jacques Demy / Michel Legrand
8    Flunk Blues 4:23   
Ben Aronov
9    Circle of Threes 4:53   
Ben Aronov
10    My Buddy 5:28
Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn
11    How Deep Is the Ocean? 5:01   
Irving Berlin
12    Say It Isn't So 5:17
Irving Berlin
13    I Thought About You 5:07
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer
 Credits:
Ben Aronov - Piano
Tom Melito - Drums
Ken Peplowski    Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Frank Vignola - Guitar
Murray Wall - Bass

 

FRANK VIGNOLA - 100 Years of Django (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Frank Vignola is one of many jazz guitarists who has been drawn to the music of gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt, though a number of his compatriots have fallen short in their tributes by trying to play Reinhardt's music at a ridiculous tempo, or by copying his instrumentation. Not so with Vignola, who plays mostly with a trio and substitutes accordion player Julien Labro for a violinist, while he uses only one rhythm guitarist (Vinny Raniolo) and a bassist. The results of Vignola's efforts are superb, not merely near-rote re-creations of Reinhardt's music. Opening with an energetic setting of "Rhythm Futur," the leader and Labro share the spotlight in this frenetic swinger. Vignola's technique is marvelous in this setting of the moody ballad "Tears," opening it unaccompanied with just the rhythm section joining him at the one-minute mark. It is almost impossible for a Reinhardt fan not to include the dreamy ballad "Nuages" (translated as "Clouds," though Bucky Pizzarelli says that Reinhardt's song title was inspired by seeing steam rise from a train engine). Vignola's easygoing arrangement never gets carried away with focusing only on technique; instead, he embraces the melody and doesn't overplay his hand as he improvises around it. Fans of gypsy swing will discover 100 Years of Django as a rewarding celebration of the music of Django Reinhardt.  by Ken Dryden 
Tracklist:
1 Rhythm Futur 6:39
Django Reinhardt
2 Troubland Bolero 4:12
Django Reinhardt
3 Swing Gitane 5:45
Django Reinhardt
4 Tears 5:53
Django Reinhardt
5 Song D'Automne 4:56
Django Reinhardt
6 Diminishing Blackness 5:24
Django Reinhardt
7 Mystery Pacific 2:30
Django Reinhardt
8 Douce Ambiance 5:59
Django Reinhardt
9 Nuages 3:19
Django Reinhardt
10 Swing 4:16
Django Reinhardt
Credits:
Accordion – Julien Labro
Double Bass – Gary Mazzaroppi
Guitar – Frank Vignola, Vinny Raniolo

FRANK VIGNOLA - 100 Years of Django 

(2010)  AZICA /  FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless 

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