TILL BRÖNNER and BOB JAMES — On Vacation (2020) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During the summer of 2019, Bob James met Till Brönner at La Fabrique, a residential studio located inside a 200-year-old mansion in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Intent on relaxing while making music, they sought to mentally transport listeners (and themselves) to places and spaces they wanted to travel to on vacation. Using a rotating cast of studio aces in their rhythm section, they deliver a carefully curated program of originals, covers, and standards.

Buddy Johnson's classic "Save Your Love for Me" opens with a languid shuffle. Brönner's flügelhorn offers the melody with elegance and warm trills as James adorns the changes gracefully with his grand piano. Drummer Harvey Mason carries the shuffle with double bassist Christian Von Kaphengst accenting the downbeat. Brönner's "Lemonade" is a tender, jaunty samba with James on electric piano. The composer contributes trumpet, keyboards, and airy vocals -- with phrasing derived directly from Michael Franks. James' "Late Night" is a wonderfully expressionist engagement with harmony, fluid rhythms, and subtly articulated melodic hooks. Brönner's "Lavender Fields" is the most speculative number here, employing a nocturnal swing, pillowy keyboard strings, hovering electric piano, and warm, liquidy reverbed flügelhorn. Only James' acoustic piano solo keeps it from floating away. The inclusion of Gilbert Becaud's and Neil Diamond's "September Morn" feels out of place here (though it is the single). Its tortoise-like pace is slower than the original's, and the saccharine sweetness in Brönner's playing is almost wince-inducing. The slippery smooth funk groove in James' "Elysium" could easily have come off one of the pianist's mid-'80s chart-toppers. Its inviting resonance is underscored by a finely wrought muted trumpet solo from Brönner. The cover of "I Get It from You" (by forgotten 20th century L.A. yacht poppers Pages), is an unexpected delight. Its fingerpopping chart includes Brönner swinging the lyrics and James adding sparkling fills and canny melodic articulations, topped by a grooving bassline and a swooping trumpet break. The pianist follows with the spectral, emotionally hefty waltz "Miranda," using Brönner's muted horn in sparse melodic phrases above syncopated harmonic changes. The trumpeter's slow groover "Scent of Childhood" is likely to be sampled often for Brönner's bluesy playing entwined with James' meaty chords. While Brönner sounds like he's having a ball singing on the title track, it's James' sprightly, weave of organ and electric piano filling out the groove that carries his lyrics, and thus the tune, home. The set bookend is another standard: A restrained read of Spencer Johnson's nugget "Basin Street Blues." The interplay between primaries is tender, even sweet (absent are any traces of Louis Armstrong or Jack Teagarden), yet its accents, fills, and interjections are colorful and in impeccable taste. On the surface, On Vacation, might seem slight upon first listen. Further investigation reveals an abundance of sophisticated melodic invention and classy, intuitive arrangements that expand on and underscore the album's intended, good-time feel. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1.    Save Your Love For Me 5:26
Arranged By – Bob James, Rachel Kwag
Composed By – Buddy Johnson
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Harvey Mason
Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
2.    Lemonade  4:50
Composed By – Till Brönner
Drums – David Haynes
Electric Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Flugelhorn, Vocals – Till Brönner
Keyboards – Bob James, Till Brönner
Lyrics By – Robin Meloy Goldsby
3.    Late Night  5>24
Composed By – Bob James
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Piano – Bob James
Trumpet – Till Brönner
4.    Lavender Fields  5:12
Composed By, Arranged By – Till Brönner
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
Trumpet – Till Brönner
5.    September Morn   4:11
Arranged By – Till Brönner
Composed By – Gilbert Bécaud, Neil Diamond
Double Bass – Yuri Goloubev
Drums – Harvey Mason
Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Piano – Bob James
6.    Elysium  5:16
Composed By, Arranged By – Bob James, Rachel Kwag
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Harvey Mason
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
Trumpet – Till Brönner
7.    I Get It From You  4:46
Arranged By – Bob James
Arranged By [Horns] – Till Brönner
Composed By – John Lang, Richard Page, Steve George
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Flugelhorn, Vocals – Till Brönner
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
8.    Miranda  4:36
Arranged By – Bob James, Rachel Kwag
Composed By – Bob James
Double Bass – Yuri Goloubev
Drums – Harvey Mason
Piano – Bob James
Trumpet – Till Brönner
9.    Scent Of Childhood  4:35
Composed By, Arranged By – Till Brönner
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – Harvey Mason
Piano – Bob James
Trumpet, Keyboards – Till Brönner
10.    On Vacation  3:45
Composed By, Arranged By – Till Brönner
Double Bass – Christian Von Kaphengst
Drums – David Haynes
Flugelhorn, Keyboards, Vocals – Till Brönner
Lyrics By – Robin Meloy Goldsby
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
11.    Sunset Vale  5:43
Composed By, Arranged By – Harvey Mason, Scott Tibbs
Double Bass – Yuri Goloubev
Drums – Harvey Mason
Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Piano – Bob James
12.    Basin Street Blues  5:15
Arranged By – Bob James, Till Brönner
Composed By – Spencer Williams 
Double Bass – Yuri Goloubev
Drums – Harvey Mason
Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Piano, Keyboards – Bob James
– BONUS TRACKS –
13.    If Someone Had Told Me  4:05
Arranged By – Bob James
Composed By – Peter de Rose
Flugelhorn, Vocals – Till Brönner
Lyrics By – Charles Tobias
Piano – Bob James 

KAT EDMONSON — The Big Picture (2014) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Austin-based singer/songwriter Kat Edmonson has built a cult following around her cherubic, jazz-inflected songs. And while she has always utilized the colorful harmonies and clever lyrical melodies of jazz and American popular song, at her core she's a jazz-influenced pop artist, and this album finds her embracing those sensibilities more than ever. If Edmonson's 2012 sophomore album, Way Down Low, found her moving even further afield from the cabaret jazz of 2009's Take to the Sky, then 2014's The Big Picture reveals another evolution toward an all-original approach to making music. Working with producer Mitchell Froom, Edmonson wrote and/or co-wrote all of the songs on The Big Picture. Froom, no stranger to the art of presenting quirky singer/songwriters, having worked with such similarly inclined artists as Ron Sexsmith, Crowded House, Suzanne Vega, and others, is the perfect collaborator for Edmonson. Here, he frames her lilting, Billie Holiday-meets-Blossom Dearie vocals with the kind of '50s and '60s traditional pop sound that Edmonson lightly flirted with on Way Down Low. However, on The Big Picture the singer truly makes this style her own. There is a charming, vintage vibe to many of the album's tracks, with Froom and Edmonson striking a nice balance between cuts that have a retro, orchestral AM pop sound, such as the swinging ballad "Oh My Love," and a more contemporary folk sound, as on the poignant "All the Way." Elsewhere, Edmonson delves into Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western drama ("You Can't Break My Heart"), breezy '60s lounge music ("Avion"), and Brill Building echo-chamber romanticism ("For Two"). Ultimately, by bringing all of her influences together with Froom's help, Edmonson's own unmistakable sound comes into fine focus on The Big Picture. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1.    Rainy Day Woman 3:26
Cello – Eric Byers
Double Bass – Ian Walker
Electric Piano – Mitchell Froom
Guitar – Val McCallum
Percussion, Drums – Brian Wolfe 
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Dan Higgins
Trombone, Bass Trombone – Lori Stuntz
Vibraphone – Brad Dutz
Viola – Jonathan Moerschel
Violin – Andrew Bulbrook, Benjamin Jacobson
2.    You Said Enough 2:54
Bass – Davey Faragher
Drums – Michael Urbano
Guitar – Val McCallum
Marimba, Percussion – Chris Lovejoy
Organ – Mitchell Froom
3.    Oh My Love 2:48
Cello – Eric Byers
Double Bass – David Piltch
Drums – Aaron Thurston
Guitar – George Doering
Organ – Mitchell Froom
Vibraphone – Brad Dutz
Viola – Jonathan Moerschel
Violin – Andrew Bulbrook, Benjamin Jacobson
4.    Avion 2:48
Bass – Davey Faragher
Cello – Eric Byers
Chimes – Kat Edmonson
Guitar – Val McCallum
Keyboards – Mitchell Froom
Percussion, Drums – Michael Urbano
Viola – Jonathan Moerschel
Violin – Andrew Bulbrook, Benjamin Jacobson
5.    Crying 3:24
Backing Vocals – Kat Edmonson
Bass – Bob Glaub
Drums – Michael Urbano
Guitar – Val McCallum
Keyboards, Celesta, Glockenspiel – Mitchell Froom
Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
Piano – Jeff Young 
6.    All The Way 2:50
Guitar – Steve Elliot, Val McCallum
7.    You Can't Break My Heart 3:49
Cello – Eric Byers
Chimes – Kat Edmonson
Double Bass – Ian Walker
Guitar – Val McCallum
Harmonium – Mitchell Froom
Percussion – Pete Thomas
Viola – Jonathan Moerschel
Violin – Andrew Bulbrook, Benjamin Jacobson
8.    Till We Start To Kiss
Programmed By – David Boucher
Programmed By, Keyboards – Mitchell Froom
9.    The Best 3:27
Bass – Davey Faragher
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Dan Higgins
Drums – Pete Thomas
Guitar, Banjo – Val McCallum
Piano, Electric Piano, Chimes – Mitchell Froom
10.    Dark Cloud 3:27
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Dan Higgins
Drums – Pete Thomas
Guitar – Val McCallum
Piano, Organ, Celesta – Mitchell Froom
11.    For Two 4:25
Double Bass – Ian Walker
Drums – Pete Thomas
Guitar – Steve Elliot, Val McCallum
Piano – Mitchell Froom
12.    Who's Counting 4:01
Bass – Bob Glaub
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Dan Higgins
Drums – Matt Chamberlain
Electric Piano – Mitchell Froom
Guitar – Val McCallum

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Sing Me Home (2016) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The potential buyer encountering this release by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble is apt to form several mistaken impressions of its contents. From the track list and accompanying description you will learn that it is "the companion album to the Morgan Neville documentary The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble." And the long list of "featured" artists suggests the type of lazy, all-star album famous artists tend to phone in during the later stages of their careers. Neither of these impressions corresponds with the considerable riches here. The music is entirely effective independently of the little-publicized film. And, more importantly, the real "featured artists" here are not the named stars (who skew toward younger members of the new acoustic scene like bluegrasser Sarah Jarosz), but the members of the Silkroad Ensemble themselves. The structure of the album, as with so many of the creations of these remarkable artists, is unique. The Silkroad members, and a few visitors, select music of personal significance to them, many of them related in a general way to the theme of home. Then, a guest musician with skills appropriate to the music was added. With a range of source material running from Heart and Soul to Mali to the Balkans to East Asia, the resulting fusions are never less than interesting and are often marvelous. Sample the much-recorded St. James Infirmary Blues (track 11) in its unique realization here with accordionist Michael Ward Bergeman (one of the guest Silkroaders), Chinese yangqin player Reylon Yount, and the wonderful blues-country vocalist Rhiannon Giddens, a border crosser herself. The album gives insights into the histories of the Silkroad players, and indeed into the musical and personal depth that has made this ensemble one for the ages, and its leader a true musical exemplar of our time. by James Manheim  
Tracklist:
1    Green (Vincent's Tune)
Arranged By – Johnny Gandelsman, Ljova
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Flower Pot] – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Vocals – Roomful Of Teeth
Gong [Beijing Opera, Wind] – Haruka Fujii
Kamancha [Kamancheh, Shah-Kaman] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng, Suona, Flute [Bawu], Vocals – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Wu Man
2    O'Neill's Cavalry March
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Fiddle [Irish] – Martin Hayes
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Irish
3    Little Birdie
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Sarah Jarosz
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional American
4    Ichichila
Arranged By – Shane Shanahan
Bass – Shawn Conley
Caixa, Rattle, Scraper – Mark Suter
Calabash, Caxixi, Rattle, Scraper – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Balafon – Balla Kouyate
Featuring, Kora – Toumani Diabaté
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shaker – Haruka Fujii
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional Malian
5    Sadila Jana
Arranged By [Instrumental] – Kyle Sanna
Arranged By [Vocal] – Sarah Small
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Black Sea Hotel
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Macedonian
6    Shingashi Song
Arranged By – Haruka Fujii
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Bells, Cymbal [Chinese], Shaker, Congas, Drum [Shime-Daiko], Cymbal [Chappa] – Haruka Fujii
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Crotales, Bongos, Tom Tom – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Taiko – Kaoru Watanabe
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Japanese
7    Madhoushi
Cello – Mike Block
Featuring, Sitar, Vocals, Arranged By – Shujaat Khan
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Ustad Vilayat Khan
8    Wedding
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Eric Jacobsen
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Drum [Arabic Rig, Turkish Tef], Percussion [Darbuka], Davul, Drum [Frame] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Dima Orsho
Percussion [Darbuka] – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Jessie Montgomery
Vocals – Wu Tong
Written-By – Kinan Azmeh
9    Going Home
Arranged By – Jeremy Kittel
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Cello, Banjo, Vocals – Abigail Washburn
Lyrics By – William Arms Fisher
Music By – Antonín Dvořák
Sheng, Vocals – Wu Tong
Translated By – Keith Lipson
Translated By [With] – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
10    Cabaliño
Arranged By – Evan Ziporyn
Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Doira] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Accordion – Roberto Camesaña
Featuring, Hurdy Gurdy [Zanfona], Arranged By – Anxo Pintos
Featuring, Tambourine – Davíde Salvado
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Written-By – Traditional Galician
11    St. James Infirmary Blues
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Accordion, Arranged By – Michael Ward-Bergeman
Featuring, Vocals – Rhiannon Giddens
Featuring, Yangqin – Reylon Yount
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi [Shakulute] – Kojiro Umezaki
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional American
12    If You Shall Return...
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum – Shane Shanahan
Cymbal – Haruka Fujii
Featuring, Guitar – Bill Frisell
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Vibraphone – Joseph Gramley
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Hu Jianbing, Kojiro Umezaki, Sandeep Das
13    Heart And Soul
Arranged By – Rob Mathes
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Cymbal, Tambourine – Joseph Gramley
Drum [Rig], Snare – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Gregory Porter, Lisa Fischer
Piano – Cristina Pato
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael