PHILIP CATHERINE | ENRICO PIERANUNZI | JOE LaBARBERA | HEIN VAN DE GEYN – Concert In Capbreton (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Announcement 0:42
Presenter [Introduction Of The Musicians] – Christian Nogaro
2    My Funny Valentine 7:34
Written-By – Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart
3    My Foolish Heart 9:54
Written-By – Ned Washington, Victor Young
4    Broken Wing 12:28
Written-By – Richard Beirach
5    Beatrice 7:51
Written-By – Sam Rivers
6    Change 2:08
Written-By – Hein Van De Geyn
7    You've Changed 10:12
Written-By – Bill Carey, Carl Fischer
8    Speak Low 9:07
Written-By – Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash
Credits :
Double Bass – Hein Van de Geyn
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Guitar – Philip Catherine
Piano – Enrico Pieranunzi

ROBERTA GAMBARINI — Easy to Love (2006) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Roberta Gambarini was a virtual unknown outside of Europe before coming to the United States and dazzling both seasoned jazz musicians and critics alike. Under the wing of Benny Carter for several years prior to his death in 2003, the Italian singer with an expressive, clear, and consistently swinging vocal style has seen her reputation spread widely, culminating in this initial American release. Her delightful take on the standard "Easy to Love" includes a bit of soft scatting in tandem with Chuck Berghofer's bass. Her expressive interpretation of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" finds her scatting to each of the demanding solos from a recorded collaboration by Sonny Stitt, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Rollins, as well as adding some original vocalese to each of the solos. She is just as effective handling Bill Evans' bittersweet ballad "The Two Lonely People" and Billy Strayhorn's overlooked gem "Multi-Colored Blue." Tenor saxophonist James Moody is a special guest on "Lover Man" and the swinging "Centerpiece," on the latter playing in unison with Gambarini and engaging in a friendly, often hilarious scat duet with her as well. With this first-rate 2006 release, Roberta Gambarini makes a strong case for consideration as one of the most impressive jazz vocalists to arrive on the scene over the previous two decades; her attractive voice, impeccable taste, and skills as an arranger make her impossible to resist. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1 Easy To Love 4:48
Written-By – Cole Porter
2 Only Trust Your Heart 4:11
Written-By – Benny Carter, S. Cahn
3 Lover Man 5:59
Written-By – Davis, Sherman, Ramirez
4 On The Sunny Side Of The Street 5:39
Written-By – D. Fields, J. McHugh
5 Porgy, I's Your Woman Now / I Loves You, Porgy 7:25
Written-By – Dubose Heyward, G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin
6 Lover Come Back To Me 5:44
Written-By – O. Hammerstein II, S. Romberg
7 The Two Lonely People 6:12
Written-By – Bill Evans, Carol Hall
8 Centerpiece 5:21
Written-By – H. (Sweets) Edison, J. Hendricks
9 Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry 5:58
Written-By – J. Styne, S. Cahn
10 No More Blues 3:13
Written-By – A. C. Jobim, J. Hendricks
11 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes / All The Things You Are 5:53
Written-By – J. Kern, J. Kern, O. Hammerstein, O. Harbach
12 Too Late Now 5:09
Written-By – A. J. Lerner, B. Lane
- Bonus Tracks -
13 Multi-Colored Blue 6:30
Written-By – B. Strayhorn
14 Monk's Prayer / Looking Back 5:24
Written-By – J. Hendricks, T. Monk
Credits :
Bass – Chuck Berghofer (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14), John Clayton (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 8, 11)
Drums – Joe LaBarbera (tracks: 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13), Willie Jones III (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 8, 11, 14)
Piano – Gerald Clayton (tracks: 2), Tamir Hendelman (tracks: 1, 3 to 14)
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – James Moody (tracks: 3, 8)
Vocals – Roberta Gambarini

THE ALAN BROADBENT TRIO — Personal Standards (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Since gaining fame as a member of Charlie Haden's excellent Quartet West, Alan Broadbent has seen his own catalog rise in stature. A welcome development, since a wider audience should check out the many fine recordings this unique pianist/composer/arranger has made. And in spite of the admission that his highly lyrical bent and soft touch come out of the work of Bill Evans, Red Garland, and Nat "King" Cole, among others, Broadbent is able to produce fresh solo conceptions and plenty of original material of his own. In fact, as the title implies, Personal Standards consists almost entirely of self-penned cuts, save for one by bassist Putter Smith. (This seamless piano trio is rounded out by drummer Joe LaBarbera.) Along with material also heard on various Quartet West recordings like "The Long Goodbye" and "Song of Home," the disc features a nice mix of ballads ("Ballad Impromptu"), mid- to up-tempo swingers ("Consolation"), as well as some blues ("Uncertain Terms"). And even though Broadbent favors slow and melancholy numbers, he can still vigorously turn on the technique, especially on the faster numbers here. In addition to his solo piano outing for the Maybeck Recital Hall series, Personal Standards offers a great introduction to Broadbent's work. Stephen Cook    Tracklist & Credits :

ALAN BROADBENT — You and the Night and the Music (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The two-time Grammy winning arranger (for Natalie Cole and Charlie Haden featuring Shirley Horn) is used to working with big band charts and multi-harmonic orchestral arrangements, but at heart he's a pianist with a great love for standards and all things jazz. The idea on this beautiful trio date is to go small, strip down to the basics of seven classics and see what he -- long a believer in the often unpredictable joys of improvisation -- can do with the swinging help of bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Joe La Barbera. For those who love piano trio music, the answer is, quite a lot. The tunes range in time from six-and-a-half to nine minutes, plenty of time to have intricate emotional conversations that dash on unexpected journeys. The title track starts out like a ballad, but within minutes becomes a spirited, jaunty stroll with rushes of flurried ivories keeping pace above the brushes and Bromberg's cool throb. They play "I Wish I Knew" a little simpler, as a graceful romance, but pick up the pace with the odd locomotive meters and snappy basslines of "With the Wind and the Rain in Her Hair." "What's New" begins with a low register cadenza underpinning some wild upper register movement before settling into a tender, reflective pocket. It's beautifully played, but the most remarkable feature is the choice of material which draws more obscure selections from familiar names. All the more open palette for the trio to play with. Jonathan Widran     Tracklist & Credits :

ALAN BROADBENT — 'Round Midnight (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Long considered a very valuable pianist, arranger, and conductor behind the scenes, whether accompanying singers (including his classic recordings with Irene Kral) or as part of bands (most notably Charlie Haden's Quartet West), Alan Broadbent tends to be underrated as a pianist/leader. In the Los Angeles area he occasionally performs in clubs where his trio work is quite spontaneous. For 'Round Midnight, he simply gathered together two of his favorite players (bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Joe LaBarbera), decided on a list of tunes (including two of his originals), and played. Although the results are quite logical, nothing was arranged in advance. It just worked out this perfectly on a moment's notice. Whether swinging on bebop standards, digging into J.J. Johnson's "Lament," or transforming "Serenata" into jazz, everything works well on this easily recommended trio outing. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

JACINTHA - Autumn Leaves : The Songs of Johnny Mercer (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Nine of the 11 tracks here are ballads. Their uncluttered arrangements spotlight Jacintha's smooth and sensuous voice, while her expressive phrasing draws the most from the classic Johnny Mercer lyrics. Jacintha includes the original lyrics to "Autumn Leaves," done in soft and flawless French; otherwise, her primary innovation is to deliver the tunes straight and sincerely, with minimal improvisation and maximum tenderness. There's no trace of the customary bitterness in "One More for the Road," and her unaccompanied reading of "Moon River" liberates that song from any prior goopy associations. In fact, her version brings out the poignancy of the lyrics so purely that her additional chorus, coming after a rather wandering piano interlude, seems redundant. The band is good but pretty restrained throughout, supplying subtle commentary and close support, then breaks out nicely on the two up-tempo tracks: "And the Angels Sing" and "Something's Got to Give." Jacintha's measured, legato approach isn't very conducive to swinging, but listening to "Skylark"and "Midnight Sun," in particular, is like sipping cool champagne in a fragrant hot tub. Another highlight is the bonus track, "Here's to Life," a signature tune for Shirley Horn, which Jacintha takes at a slightly faster tempo. While it's not a Mercer lyric, its beautiful sentiments and melody fit nicely into this relaxed and intimate set. Whatever this CD may lack in fire, it makes up for in warmth. by Judith Schlesinger  
Tracklist :
1     And the Angels Sing 3:30
Ziggy Elman / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
2     Skylark 5:17
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
3     One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) 5:19
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
4     Midnight Sun 3:55
Sonny Burke / Lionel Hampton / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
5     Autumn Leaves 7:45
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
6     Days of Wine and Roses 5:26
Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
7     I Remember You 5:33
Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger
8     Trav'lin' Light 6:30
Johnny Mercer / Jimmy Mundy / Trummy Young
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
9     Something's Gotta Give 4:04
Johnny Mercer
Drums – Larance Marable
Trumpet – Will Miller
10     Moon River 8:29
Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
- Bonus Track -
11     Here's to Life 4:48
Artie Butler / Phyllis Molinary
Drums – Larance Marable
Organ [Hammond B-3] – Artie Butler
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Piano – Kei Akagi
Tenor Saxophone – Teddy Edwards
Vocals – Jacintha

JACINTHA - Lush Life (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is Jacintha's third album for Groove Note, and her first with strings. Very popular in her native Singapore, she's beginning to get a worldwide reputation, and this release demonstrates why: Her voice is lovely, with clear diction and expressive, naturalistic phrasing. She draws the listener into a warm intimacy from the first track, "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," a rarely covered and beautiful song with the perfect "rainy night in Paris" ambience supplied by Frank Marocco on accordion. Other highlights include a bluesy but refreshingly non-wailing "Black Coffee," with a fine, understated solo by Bill Cunliffe on piano; he's also good on the silky bossa "Manha de Carneval," where Anthony Wilson's melodic plucking contrasts nicely with the smoothness of the strings. Another unusual but happy choice, "When We Were Young," showcases the superb flügelhorn of Dmitri Matheny, which enhances four other tracks as well. Eight of the ten selections are ballads and, since Jacintha delivers her message straight and serene, the overall feel is quiet, sultry, and relaxing. After slooow readings of "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Lush Life," and "September Song," Joe LaBarbera's brushes and drum accents on "Harlem Nocturne" provide a welcome texture and pulse. The surprise of the CD is the startlingly original, soaring introduction to the vastly overplayed "Summertime," where Cunliffe's string arrangement evokes both Gershwin and modern French composers. This is excellent late-night listening; the local male vote was "mesmerizing."  by Judith Schlesinger 
Tracklist :
1   The Boulevard of Broken Dreams 4:55
Al Dubin / Harry Warren 
2  Black Coffee 6:39
Sonny Burke / Paul Francis Webster 
3  Summertime 6:13
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward 
4  Lush Life 6:19
Billy Strayhorn 
5  Manha de Carnaval 6:10
Luiz Bonfá / Antônio Maria 
6  The Shadow of Your Smile 5:12
Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster 
7  When the World Was Young 8:23
Johnny Mercer / Michel Philippe-Gérard / Angele Vannier 
8  September Song 5:09
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill 
9  Harlem Nocturne 6:20
Earle H. Hagen 
10  Smile 2:18
Charlie Chaplin / Geoffrey Parsons / John Turner 
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Drums – Joe Labarbera
Accordion – Frankie Marocco (tracks: 1) 
Cello [Celli] – Peggy Baldwin, Rudi Stein
Flugelhorn – Dmitri Matheny (tracks: 1, 7, 8)  
Guitar – Anthony Wilson (tracks: 1, 6, 7, 9) 
Harp – Amy Shulman
Piano, Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Bill Cunliffe
Viola – Marium Mayer, Reneta Koven, Virginia Frazier
Violin – Eddie Stein, Gina Kronstadt, John Wittenberg, Norm Hughes, Susan Chatman
Violin, Concertmaster – Peter Kent
Vocals – Jacintha

JACINTHA - Jacintha Goes to Hollywood (2007) SACD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Let's face it: most people who are not seasoned jazz listeners aren't going to comprehend someone as challenging as the late Betty Carter. The best way to get people who are "jazzophobic" to start listening to vocal jazz is to expose them to artists who are quite accessible but still have taste and integrity -- people like Jacintha, whose Jacintha Goes to Hollywood is a perfect example of a jazz vocal disc that is very easy to absorb even if one isn't a seasoned jazz listener. This 2007 recording finds the Singapore native turning her attention to songs that were heard in well-known films, and her torchy, understated approach serves her well on material ranging from the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreaming" (a '60s smash that was heard in the 1995 film Chung King Express) to the Doris Day-associated "Que Será Será" (which was used in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956) to Michel Legrand's "The Summer Knows" (from the 1971 film The Summer of '42). Technically, the title Jacintha Goes to Hollywood is inaccurate, because not all of these songs are identified with Hollywood films; Chung King Express, for example, is a Chinese film, and one of the best things on this album is an English-language performance of the gorgeous theme from the 1966 French film A Man and a Woman (or, as it is known in France, Un Homme et une Femme). Perhaps a better title for this 47-minute CD would have been Jacintha Goes to the Movies. But in the grand scheme of things, that is only a minor point. What matters the most is that Jacintha has delivered a musical tribute to movies that is as memorable as it is rewarding. by Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1 On Days Like These 5:31
2 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 4:58
3 Alfie 4:43
4 Windmills Of Your Mind 6:13
5 California Dreaming 5:40
6 A Man And A Woman 5:18
7 Easy Living 4:17
8 Que Será Será 5:09
9 The Summer Knows 5:23
Credits :
Bass – Darek Oles
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
Keyboards [Hammond B-3] – Larry Goldings
Percussion – Aaron Serfaty
Piano – Iskandar Ismail
Saxophone – Ricky Woodard
Trumpet – Ron Stout
Vibraphone – John Campbell
Vocals – Jacintha
Whistling – Howlett Smith

EDEN ATWOOD - Waves : The Bossa Nova Sessions (2002) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

After a six-year span since making her final recording for Concord, singer Eden Atwood's triumphant return to the studio exudes a confidence that some writers think was lacking in her earlier work. With first-rate arrangements by pianist Bill Cunliffe and a supporting cast including alto saxophonist and flutist Pete Christlieb, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Darek Oles, drummer Joe LaBarbera, and percussionist Scott Breadman, Atwood delves into memorable tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Meditation," "The Girl From Ipanema," and "He's a Carioca") as well as bossa nova treatments of Duke Ellington's overlooked gem "Don't You Know I Care?," Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean?," and the Beatles' "The Fool on the Hill" with equal success. Her playful side comes through in the delightful "O Pato," while she doesn't overdo her emotions when interpreting a bittersweet ballad such as Michel Legrand's "Once Upon a Summertime." She also wrote lyrics for Jobim's mellow ballad "Carminos Cruzados." This long overdue comeback release by one of the promising young jazz singers to emerge during the 1990s is warmly recommended.  by Ken Dryden 
Tracklist
1 He's a Carioca 6:59
Antônio Carlos Jobim
2 O Pato 5:04
Jon Hendricks / Jayme Silva / Neuza Teixeira
3 Meditation 5:42
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça
4 The Girl from Ipanema 6:40
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
5 Once Upon a Summertime 6:06
Eddie Barclay / Michel Legrand / Eddy Marnay / Johnny Mercer
6 Don't You Know I Care (Or Don't You Care to Know) 3:50
Mack David / Duke Ellington
7 Waves (Caminos Cruzados) 6:19
Eden Atwood / Antônio Carlos Jobim
8 The Fool on the Hill 4:10
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
9 How Deep Is the Ocean? 5:29
Irving Berlin
10 Brazil 6:08
Ary Barroso / Bob Russell
11 It's a Quiet Thing 4:31
Fred Ebb / John Kander
Credits
Bass – Darek Oles
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Guitar – Anthony Wilson
Percussion – Scott Breadman
Piano, Arranged By – Bill Cunliffe
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Pete Christlieb
Vocals – Eden Atwood

EDEN ATWOOD - Waves : The Bossa Nova Sessions 

(2002) Groove Note /  FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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