VANESSA RUBIN – Girl Talk (2001) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin is joined by a stellar cast on her second Telarc release. Bassist David Williams and drummer Lewis Nash hold down the rhythm, joined alternately by pianist/arrangers Larry Willis and Cedar Walton, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Javon Jackson, and trombonist Steve Davis. Rubin's flexible voice covers a wide-ranging repertoire, from standards to Sondheim ("Loving You") to adult contemporary (Bill Withers and Larry Carlton's "Whatever Happens"). She also contributes a yearning original ballad, the closing "If You Ever Go Away." The album is memorable mostly for its offbeat tracks, however: a jazz-waltz take on "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" (with the bridge in a snappy four); Walter Bishop's novelty number, "Sex Is a Misdemeanor (The More You Miss, de Meaner You Get)," a perky calypso featuring Rubin's double-tracked vocal with only bass and drums; and the penultimate track, David Williams' endearing "Won't Have to Say Goodbye," which begins and ends with an implied reggae feel but swings in the middle. Rubin also delivers a splendid "One for My Baby" and invites the great Etta Jones for a tête-à-tête on "But Not for Me" and "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You." David R. Adler
Tracklist :
1.    Comes Love 3:17
Arranged By – Larry Willis
Written-By – Charles Tobias, Lew Brown, Sam Stept
2.    Matchmaker, Matchmaker 3:41
Arranged By – Larry Willis
Written-By – Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick
3.    Whatever Happens 7:08
Arranged By – Larry Willis
Written-By – Bill Withers, Larry Carlton
4.    But Not For Me 5:32
Arranged By – Cedar Walton
Written-By – George and Ira Gershwin
5.    One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 7:51
Arranged By – Larry Willis
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
6.    You'll Never Know (Until You Let Go) 4:25
Arranged By – Cedar Walton
Written-By – Barry Miles, Katreese Barnes, Roberta Flack
7.    Loving You 4:21
Arranged By – Larry Willis
Written-By – Stephen Sondheim
8.    Girl Talk 4:34
Arranged By – Cedar Walton
Written-By – Bobby Troup, Neal Hefti
9.    Sex Is A Misdemeanor (The More You Miss De Meaner You Get) 2:22
Arranged By – David Williams, Lewis Nash
Written-By – Walter Bishop
10.    Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You
Arranged By – Cedar Walton
Written-By – Andy Razaf, Don Redman
11.    Won't Have To Say Goodbye 2:46
Written-By – David "Happy" Williams
12.    If You Ever Go Away    2:10
Credits :
Bass – David Williams 
Drums – Lewis Nash
Piano – Cedar Walton (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 10), Larry Willis (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 11, 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Eric Alexander (tracks: 2, 3, 11), Javon Jackson (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 10)
Trombone – Steve Davis (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 10)
Tuner [Piano Prepared By] – Thomas Sheehan
Vocals – Vanessa Rubin
Vocals, Guest – Etta Jones (tracks: 4, 10) 

LARRY WILLIS | HAMIET BLUIETT — If Trees Could Talk (1999) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

If Trees Could Talk is a 1993 duo session with Mapleshade house pianist Larry Willis and Hamiet Bluiett, the pre-eminent baritone saxophonist of his generation (percussionist Asante sits in on the opening track). Judging from the producer's liner notes, he appeared quite wary of Bluiett's reputation as some kind of roaring, screeching avant-garde monster, but he really needn't have worried. At this point in his career, Bluiett had become essentially a mainstream player. Sure, he spends an inordinate amount of time in the extreme upper register of his instrument and can squawk and honk with the best of them, but his basic conceptual approach is bluesy and down to earth, and the "experimental" conceits he occasionally offers had been in common parlance since at least the mid-'60s. Willis is a capable if somewhat florid pianist and does little to spur Bluiett into any potentially uncomfortable areas as might have occurred at the hands of, say, Don Pullen. Brian Olewnick
Tracklist :
1. The African 2:11
 Hamiet Bluiett
2. Straight Ahead—A Day On The Plantation 6:52
 Hamiet Bluiett
3. Uncle Adolf, Uncle Aaron 2:05
 Hamiet Bluiett
4.Ask Me Now 5:44
 Thelonious Monk
5.Whenever We Could 3:15
 Hamiet Bluiett
6.Ballad For E.K. 2:26
 Larry Willis
7.Cherry Pink, Apple Blossom White 4:22
 J.Richardson Jr.
8.Ballad For Frederick 3:08
 Larry Willis
9.If Trees Could Talk 8:42
 H.Bluiett / L.Willis
10.Bro' Blue 4:46
 J.Ware
11.Nightfall 4:09
 Larry Willis
12.Some Other (Schizophrenic) Blues 4:23
 John Coltrane
13.Aunt Hallie 3:38
 Hamiet Bluiett
14.Runaway  2:33
 Hamiet Bluiett
Credits :
Baritone Saxophone – Hamiet Bluiett
Piano – Larry Willis

GARY BARTZ - Episode One- Children Of Harlem (1994) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although the theme of this CD is ostensibly supposed to be nostalgia for Harlem, the music (which includes the "Amos N'Andy Theme") actually has little to do with the subject. However Bartz (who is heard on alto and soprano) is in fine form playing with a top-notch quartet that also includes pianist Larry Willis, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Ben Riley. The hard-bop oriented music includes a few standards (including "Tico Tico" and "Crazy She Calls me") and three originals by either Bartz or Willis. It's not essential but enjoyable. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Amos N'Andy Theme One & Spoken Intro 3:08     
2     Tap Dancer 7:01
Gary Bartz    
3     Is This Isn't Love 10:39
Gary Bartz
4     Tico Tico 8:45
Gary Bartz
5     Ezekiel Saw the Wheel 8:53
Gary Bartz    
6     Children of Harlem 7:35
Larry Willis    
7     Crazy She Calls Me 12:55
Gary Bartz
8     Heavy Blue 5:12
Larry Willis    
9     Ruby Begonia & Amos N'Andy Theme Two 1:29
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Gary Bartz
Bass – Buster Williams
Drums – Ben Riley
Engineer – Maureen Sickler, Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Larry Willis