ANOUSHKA SHANKAR — Traces of You (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar's second offering for Deutsche Grammophon, she stays closer to home musically than she did on 2011's widely celebrated Traveller. That said, she carries what she learned from studying flamenco with producer Javier Limon and integrates it fully into these proceedings. Producer Nitin Sawhney, a fine recording artist in his own right, is an integral part of Traces of You. He wrote one of these 13 cuts, co-authored five more, and arranged and played on several others. This is easily the most intimate and emotional offering in Shankar's catalog. Though the album was planned earlier and its basic ideas outlined by Shankar and Sawhney, the music is indelibly informed by a life-changing event, the death of her father, Ravi Shankar. Opener and first single "The Sun Won’t Set" is one of three tracks to feature the voice of half-sister Norah Jones, whose haunting, bluesy vocal is adorned only by Shankar's sitar, a classical guitar, and Ghatam (a percussion instrument). The title track evokes the loss and spirit of her father in an uplifting way. A sprightly, syncopated rhythm track undergirds Jones' drifting vocal as Shankar's sitar alternately drones and accents alongside a tabla, glockenspiel, and guitar. It is one of the set's standout tracks. "Indian Summer" is a piano and sitar duet where flamenco and Indian classical music sit side by side. Three tracks -- "Lasya," "In Jyotyi's Name," and "Chasing Shadows" -- are squarely inside the Indian classical tradition, while several others, including "River Pulse," "Monsoon," and "Metamorphosis," use it in a context framed by electronic rhythms and loops without breaking the overriding lineage thread. Closer "Unsaid" features Jones' melody, vocal, and piano accompanying Shankar's lyrics and sitar. A poignant pop ballad, Sawhney adds just enough of Ian Burdge's cello to deepen its emotional impact. Throughout Traces of You, Shankar allows her vulnerability as a human being -- even in the instrumentals -- to freely converse with her authority as a musician and composer. Sawhney is an empathic producer balancing the sides, allowing her wide-ranging and integrative musical ideas to take root and flower even as they express tenderness, sadness, grace, and gratitude.
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Tracklist :
1    The Sun Won't Set 3:35
Ghatam – Pirashanna Thevarajah
Guitar – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Vocals – Norah Jones
2    Flight    3:38
Cello – Ian Burdge
Programmed By, Arranged By [Strings] – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Steel Drums [Hang] – Manu Delago
3    Indian Summer    4:54
Piano, Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
4    Maya    5:05
Cello – Ian Burdge
Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Steel Drums [Hang] – Manu Delago
5    Lasya    4:39
Mridangam, Jew's Harp [Moorsing], Vocals – Pirashanna Thevarajah
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Steel Drums [Hang] – Manu Delago
Tambura [Tanpura] – Kenji Ota
Udu – Bernhard Schimpelsberger
6    Fathers    2:30
Piano – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
7    Metamorphosis    4:47
Bass Guitar, Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Shenai – Sanjeev Shankar
Sitar, Vocals – Anoushka Shankar
Tabla – Tanmoy Bose
Tambura [Tanpura] – Kenji Ota
Vocals – Anil Narasimha, Sandhya Chandrachood
8    In Jyoti's Name    3:33
Mridangam, Ghatam – Pirashanna Thevarajah
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tambura [Tanpura] – Kenji Ota
9    Monsoon    3:40
Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tambura [Tanpura] – Kenji Ota
10    Traces Of You 3:45
Glockenspiel – Manu Delago
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Ukulele, Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tabla – Tanmoy Bose
Vocals – Norah Jones
11    River Pulse    3:04
Cello – Ian Burdge
Ghatam, Shaker, Percussion, Jew's Harp [Moorsing] – Pirashanna Thevarajah
Guitar, Programmed By – Nitin Sawhney
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tabla – Aref Durvesh
12    Chasing Shadows    8:17
Bansuri – Ravichandra Kulur
Mridangam, Ghatam, Kanjira – Pirashanna Thevarajah
Shenai – Sanjeev Shankar
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Tabla – Tanmoy Bose
Tambura [Tanpura] – Kenji Ota
13    Unsaid 4:28
Arranged By [Strings] – Nitin Sawhney
Cello – Ian Burdge
Sitar – Anoushka Shankar
Vocals, Piano – Norah Jones

V.A. : Magic Moments 2 — The Ultimate ACT World Jazz Anthology Vol. VII (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    E.S.T. Esbjörn Svensson Trio–    O.D.R.I.P. (Radio Edit) 3:24
Bass – Dan Berglund
Drums – Magnus Öström
Piano – E.S.T. Esbjörn Svensson
Written-By – E.S.T.
2    Norah Jones / Joel Harrison–    I Walk The Line (Radio Edit) 3:45
Accordion – Tony Cedras
Guitar – Joel Harrison
Sampler – David Binney
Violin – Rob Thomas
Vocals – Norah Jones
Written-By – Johnny Cash
3    Gerardo Nuñez / Paolo Fresu / Perico Sambeat–    La Habana A Oscuras 5:17
Guitar – Gerardo Nuñez
Piano – Mariano Diaz
Saxophone – Perico Sambeat
Trumpet – Paolo Fresu
Written-By – Gerardo Nuñez
4    Viktoria Tolstoy–    Dear Diary 3:43
Bass – Christian Spering
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Piano – Bror Falk
Vocals – Viktoria Tolstoy
Written-By – Svensson, Holknekt
5    T.L. Carrington / G. Osby / A. Rogers / J. Haslip–    Ethiopia 5:48
Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby
Drums – Jimmy Haslip, Terri Lyne Carrington
Guitar – Adam Rogers
Written-By – Joni Mitchell
6    Ramón Valle Trio–    Dilsburgh Morning Light 3:31
Bass – Omar Rodriguez Calvo
Drums – Liber Torriente
Piano – Ramón Valle
Written-By – Ramón Valle
7    Muriel Zoe–    Bye Bye Blackbird 3:27
Bass – Johannes Huth
Drums – Michael Verhovec
Guitar – Matthias Pogoda
Trumpet – Michael Leuschner
Vocals – Muriel Zoe
Written-By – Dixon, Henderson
8    Perico Sambeat / Brad Mehldau–    Mirall (Radio Edit) 4:19
Bass – Ben Street
Drums – Jeff Ballard
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Saxophone – Perico Sambeat
Written-By – Perico Sambeat
9    Rebekka Bakken / Julia Hülsmann Trio–    Same Girl 3:17
Bass – Marc Muellbauer
Drums – Heinrich Köbberling
Piano – Julia Hülsmann
Vocals – Rebekka Bakken
Written-By – Randy Newman
10    Richie Beirach / Gregor Huebner / George Mraz–    Chant (Radio Edit) 3:01
Bass – George Mraz
Piano – Richie Beirach
Violin – Gregor Hübner
Written-By – Palestrina
11    Huong Thanh / Nguyên Lê / Paul McCandless–    South Delta Song    4:07
English Horn – Paul McCandless
Guitar – Nguyên Lê
Vocals – Huong Thanh
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
12    Marsmobil / Roberto Di Gioia / Till Brönner–    Hand In Hand (Radio Edit) 3:32
Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Keyboards – Roberto Di Gioia
Written-By – Roberto Di Gioia
13    Rigmor Gustafsson / Nils Landgren–    Makin' Whoopee 3:58
Bass – Lars Danielsson
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Piano – Roberto Di Gioia
Trombone – Nils Landgren
Vocals – Rigmor Gustafsson
Written-By – Walter Donaldson
14    Elbtonalpercussion / Christopher Dell–    Freak Taeb (Radio Edit) 2:28
Marimba – Christopher Dell
Percussion – Andrej Kauffmann, Jan-Frederick Behrend, Stephan Krause, Wolfgang Rummel
Written-By – Jan-Frederick Behrend
15    Jens Thomas / Christof Lauer–    Be Yourself 3:39
Piano – Jens Thomas
Saxophone – Christof Lauer
Written-By – Jens Thomas
16    Nils Landgren Funk Unit–    Thank You For The Music 6:52
Drums – Wolfgang Haffner
Guitar – Henrik Janson
Keyboards – Jesper Nordenström, Roberto Di Gioia
Trombone, Vocals – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Ulvaeus - Andersson

CHARLIE HADEN QUARTET WEST — Sophisticated Ladies (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

Bassist extraordinaire Charlie Haden has always prized diversity in his music, whether reaching for the outer limits with Ornette Coleman a half-century ago, leading his own experimental Liberation Music Orchestra or, in 2008, celebrating his roots in what's now called Americana onRambling Boy, a Grammy-nominated album that featured contributions from Elvis Costello, Béla Fleck, and others. As they mark their 25th year together, Haden's Quartet West -- not so much a side trip at this point as a comfy base to occasionally return to -- offers up Sophisticated Ladies, a collection split between collaborations with superstar female vocalists and rich instrumentals, nearly all of it heavily orchestrated. The set expands upon the concept Haden first explored in 1999 on The Art of the Song, which utilized vocalists Shirley Horn and Bill Henderson on various film songs and standards. This time, with tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist/arranger Alan Broadbent (both mainstays of the quartet), and drummer Rodney Green, Haden goes for a lush, all-embracing sound that suggests a warm, cozy mood that reflects a time -- which may or may not ever have existed -- when life was much less hectic. The recording largely pays tribute to the romantic balladry of the mid-20th century, and Haden's choices of both material and guest artists allow him to bring that concept to fruition gloriously. Diana Krall, leading the back-to-back "Goodbye" and "Wahoo," closes out the album: the first is a whispery take on the Gordon Jenkins number that served as Benny Goodman's theme song, and the latter an uptempo swinger written by Benny Harris. Norah Jones was a natural pick for a set that values classiness and sensuality, and her "Ill Wind," penned by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler and arranged by Haden, exudes a smoky nightclub ambience, Broadbent's piano lending a blues touch to Jones' soothing delivery. Cassandra Wilson is another inspired pick, and her interpretation of Johnny Mercer's "My Love and I," bathed in strings and elegance, is a highlight of the set. The album's other vocal performances -- by Melody Gardot, Renée Fleming, and Ruth Cameron -- are also memorable, but not to be overlooked are the non-vocal tracks. Hank Jones' bluesy "Angel Face" is simultaneously sweet and melancholy, while Steve Khun's fiery "Today I Am a Man" is the swingingest number here. And of course, Haden couldn't very well title his album Sophisticated Ladies without including Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," which matches Watts' bold saxophone licks to another luxuriant orchestration. Sophisticated Ladies does fall just short at times of mimicking a brand of saccharine faux-post-big-band jazz that flourished in the '50s and early '60s, but Haden and his team are too masterful to allow their tribute to lose its stylishness and, of course, its sophistication. Jeff Tamarkin
Tracklist :
1. If I'm Lucky - 5:40
Vocals [Vocal] – Melody Gardot
Written-By – Eddie De Lange, Josef Myrow
2. Sophisticated Lady - 4:29
Written-By – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish
3. Ill Wind - 4:25
Arranged By – Charlie Haden
Vocals [Vocal] – Norah Jones
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
4. Today I Am A Man - 5:23
Arranged By – Charlie Haden
Written-By – Steve Khun
5. My Love And I - 4:14
Vocals - Cassandra Wilson
Written-By – David Raksin, Johnny Mercer
6. Theme From 'Markham' - 4:40
Written-By – Stanley Wilson
7. Let's Call It A Day - 5:52
Vocals - Ruth Cameron
Written-By – Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
8. Angel Face - 4:09
Written-By – Hank Jones
9. A Love Like This - 5:13
 Vocals - Renée Fleming
Written-By – Ned Washington, Victor Young
10. My Old Flame - 5:35
Arranged By – Charlie Haden
Written-By – Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow
11. Goodbye - 5:49
 Vocals - Diana Krall
Written-By – Gordon Jenkins
12. Wahoo - 4:53
Arranged By – Charlie Haden
Written-By – Bennie Harris
Credits
Arranged By [Quartet Arrangements By] – Charlie Haden
Arranged By [String Orchestra Arranged By], Conductor [String Orchestra Conducted By] – Alan Broadbent
Band – Charlie Haden Quartet West
Contractor [String Contractor: String Orchestra Los Angeles, May 20th and 21st, 2010, Capitol Studios] – Marcy Vaj
Contractor [String Contractor: String Orchestra New York, June 4th 2010, Avatar Studios] – Jill Dell'Abate
Double Bass – Charlie Haden
Drums – Rodney Green
Featuring – Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Renée Fleming, Ruth Cameron
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Cello – Elizabeth Wright, Jodi Burnett, Tim Loo
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Cello [Principal] – Steve Richards
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Viola – Margot Aldcroft, Robert Berg, Susanna Giordano
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Viola [Principal] – Karen Elaine
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Violin – Adriana Zoppo, Anatoly Fosinsky, Cameron Patrick, Eric Gorfain, Kevin Kumar, Kirsten Fife, Maria Newman, Marina Manukian, Michael Ferril, Pam Gates, Ruth Buegger Johnson*, Susan Chatman
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Violin [Principal] – Margaret Wooten
Musician [String Orchestra Los Angeles], Violin, Concertmaster – Marcy Vaj
Musician [String Orchestra New York], Cello – Diane Barere, Ellen Westerman, Jeanne Leblanc, Jerry Grossman
Musician [String Orchestra New York], Viola – Dov Scheindlin, Karen Dreyfus, Todd Low, Vincent Lionti
Musician [String Orchestra New York], Violin – Avril Brown, Cecelia Hobbs Gardner, Hae Young Ham, Jonathan Dinklage, Joyce Hammann, Karen Karlsrud, Katherine Fong, Katherine Livolsi*, Laura McGinniss, Narciso Figueroa, Una Tone, Yuilo Kamakari, Yuri Vodovoz
Musician [String Orchestra New York], Violin, Concertmaster – Elena Barere
Piano – Alan Broadbent
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts

WILLIE NELSON | WYNTON MARSALIS ft. NORAH JONES - Here We Go Again 'Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles' (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis first worked together at The Allen Room at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center for two nights in 2007, and while at first it would seem to be an odd pairing, it really isn’t: Nelson's singing and guitar playing have always fallen well to the jazz side of country all along anyway, and he’s hardly been a garden variety hat act during his long career, while Marsalis has long worked to reintroduce jazz as a viable popular form in American music. It’s about synthesis, really, and so it makes perfect sense for Nelson and Marsalis to turn to the music of Ray Charles, one of the greatest assimilators of American pop music -- all forms of it, from gospel to blues, country, jazz, and R&B-for their encore shows at the heralded jazz house -- this time for two sold-out nights at Rose Theater in February 2009 with special guest Norah Jones. Marsalis arranged the music as both an homage to Charles and as a loose song cycle about the ups and downs of love, and backed by his working quintet of tenor saxophonist Walter Blanding, pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, and drummer Ali Jackson, plus Nelson's longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael, it all feels wonderfully appropriate, with Charles' standards like “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “Cryin’ Time,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “Busted,” “Makin’ Whoopie,” and his iconic signature hit, “What’d I Say” all sounding comfortable and fresh. The only thing missing is Ray Charles himself, who undoubtedly would have had no trouble fitting into these shows. Radio now splits everything into little niches. That isn’t what Charles was about. He saw music as convergence. This fine concert album plays in that same spirit. Steve Leggett
Tracklist :
1     Hallelujah I Love Her So [Gospel 2-Beat/Boogaloo/ 4/4 Swing] 4'54
Ray Charles
2     Come Rain or Come Shine [Walking Ballad] 3'52
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
3     Unchain My Heart [Bolero with Habanera Bass] 5'35
T. Powell / B. Sharp
4     Cryin' Time [Country Ballad] 4'32
Buck Owens
5     Losing Hand [Dirge with Chain-Gang Shuffle] 5'16
Charles Calhoun
6     Hit the Road Jack [Gospel 2-Beat/4/4 Swing] 7'45
Percy Mayfield
7     I'm Moving On [Boogaloo with Afro-Latin Backbeat/ 4/4 Swing] 5'44
Hank Snow
8     Busted [Gospel 12/8 Shuffle] 5'04
Harlan Howard
9     Here We Go Again [Rhythm & Blues 12/8 Shuffle] 5'10
10     Makin' Whoopee [Hard-Bop 2-Beat/4/4 Swing] 4'54
Gus Kahn
11     I Love You So Much (It Hurts) [Waltz] 2'52
Floyd Tillman
12     What'd I Say [Boogaloo] 6'11
Ray Charles
Credits
Drums, Percussion – Ali Jackson
Harmonica – Mickey Raphael
Piano – Dan Nimmer
Vocals – Norah Jones
Vocals, Guitar – Willie Nelson
Vocals, Tenor Saxophone – Walter Blanding
Vocals, Trumpet – Wynton Marsalis