STEVE KUHN TRIO — The Best Things (2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This third trio CD for Kuhn on Reservoir yields much the same refined, intelligent, eminently enjoyable result as the previous efforts. Bassist David Finck and drummer Billy Drummond are totally in tune with the veteran pianist/leader, whose powers are consistently hovering at a high level these days, stoking the post-boppish fires of his youth with the wisdom and savvy of his years of performing and recording. Kuhn's personal growth curve is most prevalent as you hear the daunting touches within a quietly urgent stance on the well-worn and swung standard "The Best Things in Life Are Free." The pianist throws a tricky change-up on "Confirmation," a swiss-cheese version with giant holes carved out of the melody line, using tension and release effectively from the boppish head to relaxed bridge, liberally sprinkling "merrily we roll along" quotes along the way. Three of Kuhn's originals are included; a refreshingly original 12-bar blues "Two by Two," the very slow ballad "Adagio" featuring three note-patterned wordless vocals from Luciana Souza, and his famous kinetic soul waltz for Thurman Munson, "Poem for #15," a seemingly effortless, easily swung piece, the hallmark of this well-rehearsed and seasoned working trio. Also included is A.C. Jobim's lesser-known delicate waltz/ballad "Luiza," and the Bill Evans-identified, wonderfully rendered romantic evergreen "Portrait of Jennie." Another in a string of very consistent, musically advanced, universally listenable documents in Kuhn's thankfully growing discography. Recommended. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1    The Best Things In Life Are Free 8:26
Written-By – DeSylva, Henderson, Brown
2    Luiza 5:28
Written-By – Jobim
3    Two By Two 6:50
Composed By – Kuhn
4    Portrait Of Jennie 6:26
Written-By – Burge, Robinson
5    Confirmation 8:12
Written-By – Parker
6    Poem For #15 10:45
Composed By – Kuhn
7    Adagio 7:23
Composed By – Kuhn
Credits :
Bass – David Finck
Drums – Billy Drummond
Piano – Steve Kuhn
Vocals [Vocal] – Luciana Souza (tracks: 7)

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Sky Blue (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Maria Schneider ventures deeper than ever into herself for this project, in which four of the five compositions were commissions from various prestigious organizations. Jazz usually doesn't operate like this, but one suspects that in the increasingly hostile future, commissions may be the only way in which high-minded big-band music will be able to be written, much as in the classical field. The results are often beautiful, uncommercial, and quite inward, for Schneider has her own feelings for sonority, time and pulse, sometimes doing away with the latter altogether in the meditative cores of some of these pieces. The introduction for the autobiographical "The Pretty Road" imaginatively evokes the ethos of a short road trip toward a Midwestern small town -- Schneider's hometown, Windom, MN -- with Ingrid Jensen's gentle flugelhorn and Luciana Souza's vocalizing overlooking the homely texture. At one point toward the middle of the piece, everything stops, and Schneider just lets the orchestra drift in idealized memory, with blissful digital-delayed effects adding to the realization that this happened a long time ago. Pat Metheny would understand this music completely. "Aires de Lando" runs through abrupt changes in tempo, mood, and especially meter (the ramifications of the latter are too knotty to even contemplate in this space). The gorgeous "Rich's Piece" finds Rich Perry intoning meditatively on tenor sax as Schneider's orchestra plays in a soft-textured way that barely cloaks the dense harmonic writing. She learned very well how to write this way from the master, Gil Evans, but the sound is all her own, a feminine counterpart to Evans' edgier surfaces. In "Cerulean Skies," nearly 22 minutes long, members of the band imitate various species of birds (Schneider is a passionate bird watcher) and an actual feathered friend, a cerulean warbler, turns up on tape near the end of the piece. Again, Schneider stops the action for a meditative interlude midway before ambling onward. And Sky Blue closes out on a contemplative note, with soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson nimbly imitating birdsong near the close. This CD won the INDIE music awards for Best Jazz Album, was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award as Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, the track "Cerulean Skies" was nominated Best Instrumental Composition, and was declared a masterpiece by Downbeat Magazine.  Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    The 'Pretty' Road 13:23
Soloist [Flugelhorn, Trumpet With Electronics] – Ingrid Jensen
2    Aires De Lando 9:56
Soloist [Clarinet] – Scott Robinson
3    Rich' Piece 9:29
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rich Perry
4    Cerulean Skies 21:55
Soloist [Accordion] – Gary Versace
Soloist [Alto Saxophone] – Charles Pillow
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Donny McCaslin
5    Sky Blue 8:06
Soloist [Soprano Saxophone] – Steve Wilson
Credits :
Accordion – Gary Versace (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Piccolo Flute, Flute [Alto, Bass], Flute – Charles Pillow
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Steve Wilson
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Scott Robinson
Bass – Jay Anderson
Bass Trombone, Trombone [Contrabass] – George Flynn
Cajón, Handclaps [Palmas] – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 2)
Cajón, Handclaps [Palmas], Percussion – Jon Wikan (tracks: 2)
Composed By, Mixed By, Producer – Maria Schneider
Drums – Clarence Penn
Guitar – Ben Monder
Percussion – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 4), Jon Wikan (tracks: 3, 4)
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Donny McCaslin
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Marshall Gilkes, Ryan Keberle
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ingrid Jensen, Jason Carder, Laurie Frink, Tony Kadleck
Vocals – Luciana Souza (tracks: 1, 4)

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Concert in the Garden (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Concert in the Garden is orchestral jazz great Maria Schneider's proudest achievement and a revelation for fans of big band, as well as jazz subgenres beyond. Though she proved with earlier discs, such as 1994's bright, thoughtful Evanescence, that her ability to transport moods and atmospheres into fully recognizable and deeply meaningful musical whirls was more intricately developed than many current composers, the performances she teases from her musicians throughout Concert in the Garden are an even sturdier testament to a fierce talent. Audible are the skills she developed under the tutelage of Gil Evans: the title track simmers with complexity and evokes grand dramatic themes, though she frames them in frailty courtesy of the graceful intertwinings of accordionist Gary Versace and vocalist Luciana Souza. Souza imparts to-the-bone feeling despite (perhaps because of) a wordless performance. Deposited into the middle of the disc are "Three Romances" -- three separate works bound by a full heart and notable for their lightness and varied Brazilian-flavored harmonies. It is final composition, "Buleria, Solea y Rumba," however, that dazzles most brilliantly. Tenor Donny McCaslin's inspired solo grabs hold in a work limned in fiery flamenco forms, fusing it together until it is a flawless whole. Few who hear this piece will doubt it draws its own oxygen; fewer still will doubt the genius and beauty of its creator. Tammy La Gorce
Tracklist :
1    Concert In The Garden 11:57
Soloist, Accordion – Gary Versace
Soloist, Guitar – Ben Monder
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Three Romances    
2    Part 1 Choro Dançado 9:46
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry
3    Part 2 Pas De Deux 9:02
Soloist, Flugelhorn – Ingrid Jensen
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Charles Pillow
4    Part 3 Dança Ilusória 9:06
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist, Trombone – Larry Farrell
5    Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba 18:24
Soloist, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Donny McCaslin
Credits :
Accordion – Gary Versace (tracks: 1)
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute – Tim Ries
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute, Oboe, English Horn – Charles Pillow
Baritone Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Scott Robinson
Bass – Jay Anderson
Bass Trombone, Trombone [Contrabass] – George Flynn
Cajón – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 5)
Cajón, Cajón [Quinto] – Jeff Ballard (tracks: 5)
Composed By, Conductor, Mixed By, Producer, Liner Notes, Executive-Producer – Maria Schneider
Drums – Clarence Penn
Guitar – Ben Monder
Lyrics By [Poem Printed On Booklet] – Octavio Paz
Pandeiro – Luciana Souza (tracks: 2)
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone – Andy Middleton (tracks: 3, 4)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Donny McCaslin
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Larry Farrell, Pete McGuinness (tracks: 3, 4), Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Laurie Frink, Tony Kadleck
Voice – Luciana Souza (tracks: 1, 2, 5)

LUCIANA SOUZA — Brazilian Duos (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Luciana Souza's well-received third record, Brazilian Duos, is a departure in two respects. First, the gifted vocalist is backed not by a jazz quartet, but rather by three different acoustic guitarists -- Romero Lubambo, Marco Pereira (playing eight-string), and Walter Santos (her father). Second, Souza turns away from original material and toward classic Brazilian songs by figures like Dori Caymmi, Luiz Gonzaga, Djavan, Jobim, Toninho Horta, and her parents, Walter Santos and Tereza Souza. The range of moods is astounding, from the tongue-twisting virtuosity of the opening "Baião Medley" and the playfulness of "O Bolo" to the heartbreaking strains of "Pra Dizer Adeus," "Docemente," and "Suas Mãos." Souza's voice, poised and attractive enough on its own, becomes a thing of transcendent beauty when matched with these sparse yet vibrant accompaniments. David R. Adler
Tracklist + Credits :

LUCIANA SOUZA - Duos II (2005) Mp3

LUCIANA SOUZA - Duos III (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless