BARBARA CARROLL — This Heart of Mine (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is one of the better later recordings by Barbara Carroll. A bop-based pianist and a cabaret singer, Carroll balanced her two very different skills quite well throughout the date. There are a few instrumentals along the way (including "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Lester Leaps In") which team her with Jerome Richardson (heard on tenor and alto) and Art Farmer (on the trumpet) along with drummer Joe Cocuzzo and either Jay Leonhart or Frank Tate on bass. The overall music is more jazz-oriented than some of Carroll's recordings and her soft-spoken vocals are generally a delight; however, it is her swinging piano that consistently takes honors. A fine all-around set that serves as a good introduction to the music of Barbara Carroll. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 The Way You Look Tonight 6:33
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
2 I Wanna Be Yours 5:44
Cy Coleman / Kenny G / Carolyn Leigh
3 Sweet Lilacs 5:06
Barbara Carroll
4 Medley: On Second Thought/Why Can't I 6:01
Cy Coleman / Lorenz Hart / Carolyn Leigh / Richard Rogers
5 Lester Leaps In 3:13
Lester Young
6 Some Other Time 6:33
Leonard Bernstein / Betty Comden / Adolph Green
7 Rain Sometimes 4:23
Arthur Hamilton
8 Whenever a Soft Rain Falls 5:59
Shirley Cowell
9 It's Like Reaching for the Moon 4:19
Saul Chaplin / Al Lewis / Gerald Marqusee / Al Sherman
10 Never Let Me Go 5:16
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston
11 In Some Other World 6:40
Barbara Carroll
12 This Heart of Mine 6:06
Arthur Freed / Harry Warner / Harry Warren
Credits
Barbara Carroll Arranger, Composer, Piano,
Joe Cocuzzo : Drums
Art Farmer : Flugelhorn, Guest Artist
Jay Leonhart : Bass
Jerome Richardson : Guest Artist, Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
 Frank Tate : Bass

LEE KONITZ - Dovetail (1983) 24bits-44.1Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Billed as the "Lee Konitz Terzet" (without ever defining what "Terzet" is), this fine trio set features Konitz on alto, tenor, soprano and even a vocal, plus pianist Harold Danko and bassist Jay Leonhart. Konitz states in the liner notes that "we played in a club for one week and found a way to create nice instant arrangements on familiar tunes..." That pretty well describes this music, for even the so-called originals by the trio have a close relationship to a familiar standard. The repertoire is certainly a bit offbeat for these modernists, particularly such songs as "I Want to Be Happy," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Penthouse Serenade," but the musicians come up with fresh statements on all of the tunes. A continually interesting set, like most of Lee Konitz's recordings. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     I Want to Be Happy 9:42
Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans
2     The Night Has a Thousand Eyes 4:54
B. Bernier / Jerry Brainin / Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans
3     Counter-Point 2:19
Harold Danko / Lee Konitz / Jay Leonhart
4     Dovetail 7:45
Harold Danko / Lee Konitz / Jay Leonhart
5     Sweet Georgia Brown 6:50
Ben Bernie / Kenneth Casey / Maceo Pinkard
6     Alone Together 7:04
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
7     Cherokee 9:11
Ray Noble
8     Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone) 3:27
Val Burton / Will Jason
9     Play Fiddle Play 8:04
Jerry Bock / Sheldon Harnick
Credits :    
Double Bass – Jay Leonhart
Piano – Harold Danko
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Voice, Liner Notes – Lee Konitz
Notas.
Recorded at Penthouse Recordings, NYC, February 25 & 27, 1983

BARBARA CARROLL TRIO - I Wished On The Moon (2006) M4A (tracks) lossless [16bits 44.1khz]

Barbara Carroll is an elegant jazz pianist, composer and vocalist, long recognized as one of the premier players of swinging jazz piano and expressive vocals. Her inventive piano playing and totally unique vocal sound leads her into transforming any composition into her own art with her trade-mark emotional directness and respect for the tune, its lyrics and its many possibilities.
All Music's Eugene Chadbourne writes that Ms. Carroll "did not ignore the pop styles of subsequent decades, yet always managed to keep a strong jazz flavor present in whatever material she performed. If swing was a bay leaf, it would be said that Carroll had a large bush growing right outside her kitchen window. She recorded for many of the best labels in the genre including Verve and Atlantic and continued to be in demand at clubs and cabarets into her nineties, playing a regular gig at Manhattan's Birdland venue until December 2016."
According to Stephen Holder of the New York Times, "Ms. Carroll plays with an impeccable technique in which harmonies burst into flower. In recent decades she has embraced singing in a parlando style that is witty, literate, discreetly sexy and at times heartbreakingly honest." web
Tracklist  :
1    But Beautiful    6:12
J. Burke - J. Van Heusen          
2    Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You    6:08
A. Razaf - D. Redman          
3    Can't We Be Friends    5:01
P. James - K. Swift          
4    I've Got A Crush On You    4:22          
Ira & George Gershwin
5    How Am I To Know?    6:43          
D. Parker - J. King
6    Prelude To A Kiss    6:06          
Duke Ellington
7    Where Or When    8:53          
L. Hart - R. Rodgers
8    I Wished On The Moon    4:31          
R. Rainger - D. Parker
9    You Are Not My First Love    6:22          
P. Windsor - B. Howard
10    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 6:36
Cole Porter
Credits :
Barbara Carroll - Piano, Vocals
Jay Leonhart - Bass
Joe Cocuzzo - Drums

TESSA SOUTER – Nights Of Key Largo (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Since arriving in New York City, Tessa Souter has built a dedicated following. She was a relative latecomer to jazz, taking time out to raise a family at a young age and work as a journalist before studying at the Manhattan School of music and privately with vocal great Mark Murphy, though she has developed into a formidable singer in a relatively short time. Souter's gorgeous, natural vocals never show pretension or gimmickry, while her taste in songs is amazingly wide-ranging and occasionally risk-taking. For these 2008 sessions, her accompanists include the brilliant pianist Kenny Werner (who works especially well with vocalists), saxophonist Joel Frahm, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, veteran first-call bassist Jay Leonhart, and the in-demand drummer Billy Drummond. Souter's lush treatment of "Close Enough for Love" captures the essence of this beautiful standard (a favorite of the late Shirley Horn and many others). The haunting setting of "Morning of the Carnaval" opens with Werner's elegant piano and Leonhart's mournful arco bass, while Souter's spacious, lovely performance is also complemented by Frahm's moving soprano sax. The vocalist uncovered a gem in Benny Carter's neglected "Key Largo," which she casts in a setting that suggests a midnight stroll along the beach with her lover. But Souter is at her most stunning when she tackles songs that one doesn't normally hear in a jazz setting. Her infectious, slinky take of Van Morrison's "Moondance" opens with her sexy vocals over Leonhart's walking bass, with judicious use of reverb that is never overdone. John Lennon's "Imagine" has long been a pop standard, though jazz arrangements have been few and mostly disappointing, but Souter is buoyed by her imaginative rhythm section, though she takes few liberties with it until she is well into the song. Tessa Souter will win you over, as well, if you give her the opportunity. Ken Dryden  
Tracklist :
1    The Island    5:59
2    Close Enough For Love    7:12
3    Moondance    4:11
4    So Many Stars    4:24
5    The Look Of Love    3:53
6    You Only Live Twice    4:50
7    Key Largo    3:58
8    Slow Hot Wind    4:33
9    Moon And Sand    4:25
10    I'm Glad There Is You    5:18
11    All Or Nothing At All    4:50
12    Morning Of The Carnival    4:40
13    Imagine    4:40
Credits :
Bass – Jay Leonhart
Drums – Billy Drummond
Guitar – Romero Lubambo
Piano – Kenny Werner
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Joel Frahm
Vocals – Tessa Souter

EDDIE HIGGINS TRIO - Dear Old Stockholm (2003) 24K GOLD CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

 

Tracklist:
1    Moonlight Becomes You 5:06
Written-By – J. Van Heusen
2    More Than You Know 5:16
Written-By – V. Youmans
3    Nardis 4:31
Written-By – M. Davis
4    Over The Rainbow 4:57
Written-By – H. Arlen
5    Dear Old Stockholm 5:50
Written-By – Trad
6    I Remember Clifford 5:17
Written-By – B. Golson
7    You And The Night And The Music 6:19
Written-By – A. Schwartz
8    If You Could See Me Now 5:30
Written-By – T. Dameron
9    Again 4:48
Written-By – L. Newman
10    We Will Be Together Again 4:02
Written-By – C. Fisher, F. Laine
11    Witchcraft 7:11
Written-By – C. Coleman
12    It Never Entered My Mind 5:22
Written-By – R. Rodgers
13    Stella By Starlight 5:19
Written-By – V. Young
14    Blame It On My Youth 4:45
Written-By – O. Levant
Credits:
Bass – Jay Leonhart
Drums – Joe Ascione
Piano – Eddie Higgins