PATTI AUSTIN — Avant Gershwin (2007) Two Version | APE (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A staple of pop, R&B and jazz over the past thirty years, this impossibly versatile singer's 16 album career during that time rolls like a fascinating journey through those genres while also drawing wisdom and inspiration on occasion from The Great American Songbook. Avant Gershwin, Patti Austin's shimmering hour-plus tour de force through both familiar and obscure -- but always intriguing -- selections from the catalog of George & Ira Gershwin, is, for the record, not the first time she's dazzled with their songs. Her 1998 masterpiece The Real Me included "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me." And her 2002 tribute album For Ella included "Love Is Here to Stay," "But Not for Me" and "The Man I Love." Recorded live before an audience at the Kölner Philharmonic in Köln, and Westfalenpark Dortmund, Germany over two evenings in 2006, Avant Gershwin is in many ways an extension of the Fitzgerald tribute; both find her performing with the vibrant, brassy and swinging backing of the WDR Big Band. Its centerpieces are the "Overture/Gershwin Medley" -- a twelve-minute, moodswinging romp through the big rhythm songs, "Clap Yo' Hands," "Fascinating Rhythm" and "I Got Rhythm" -- and the dramatic 17-minute "Porgy and Bess Medley," which casts Austin as the consummate musical theater performer. The latter begins with a gentle orchestral overture and a tender read of "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" and a lush twist on the familiar "Summertime" before shifting into full swing mode on "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" and back to port for the start of "It Ain't Necessarily So" ahead of a theatrical finish. Beyond right on the money arrangements and Austin's always colorful phrasing, perhaps the most inspired element of the project is her impeccable song choice. Rather than settle for the songs everyone's heard ad nauseum, with the exception of "Swanee," she puts her own stamp on the lovelorn "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," the witty and delightful "Who Cares"and "Funny Face," and the heartbreaking "Love Walked In/Love Is Sweeping the Country." "Lady Be Good" provides a rousing, bold and brassy finish, with Austin doing the kind of sizzlin' scat that would do her idol proud. Who could ask for anything more? This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Jonathan Widran
Tracklist :
 1. Overture/Gershwin Medley (12:19)
2. I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise (6:14)
3. Who Cares (6:34)
4. Funny Face (4:02)
5. Love Walked In/Love Is Sweeping The Country (5:35)
6. Swanee (5:13)
7. Porgy And Bess Medley (17:08)
8. Lady Be Good (6:52)
Credits :
Featuring – WDR Big Band Köln
Vocal - Patti Austin
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Michael Abene

MAYNARD FERGUSON - Primal Scream (1976-2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

An all-star cast assists Maynard Ferguson in this disco-tinged big-band outing. Ferguson's trademark trumpet playing is featured in all its screaming glory, and Mark Colby contributes a couple of high-energy sax solos. "Primal Scream" and "Invitation" sound as though they were lifted right off the mid-'70s disco dancefloor, complete with T.S.O.P.-type strings and pulsing rhythms. "Pagliacci," too, has the disco beat pounding underneath a Jay Chattaway adaptation of an operatic melody, with Bobby Militello featured on an energetic, overblown flute solo. Chick Corea's "The Cheshire Cat Walk" sounds like latter-day Return to Forever, as Corea's synth trades licks with Ferguson's horn over a familiar RTF rhythmic/chordal bassline sequence. The final cut, Eric Gale's "Swamp," stands out because of its reggae beat. This album was an obvious attempt to jump on the disco-funk bandwagon, and serves as a well-played, though dated, document of that era. by Jim Newsom
Tracklist :
1     Primal Scream 7:09
Jay Chattaway / Maynard Ferguson
2     The Cheshire Cat Walk 10:09
Chick Corea
3     Invitation 5:32
Bronislaw Kaper
4     Pagliacci 5:55
Jay Chattaway / Ruggero Leoncavallo
5     Swamp 7:24
Eric Gale
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Dave Sanborn
Bass – Gary King
Bass Trombone – David Taylor, Paul Faulise
Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken
Drums – Steve Gadd
Flute, Baritone Saxophone – Bobby Militello
French Horn – Brooks Tillotson, Earl Chapin
Guitar – Eric Gale, Jeff Mirenov, Jerry Friedman
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Piano, Synthesizer [Arp], Clavinet – Bob James
Producer – Bob James
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mark Colby
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Farrell
Trombone – Tony Studd
Trumpet – Marvin Stamm
Trumpet [All Solos] – Maynard Ferguson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bernie Glow, Jon Faddis, Stan Mark
Viola – Emanuel Vardi, Theodore Israel
Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Frederick Buldivini, Harry Cykman, Joseph Malin, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman
Vocals – Hilda Harris, Lani Groves, Patti Austin 

LALO SCHIFRIN - Black Widow (1976-2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although he is best-known for film scores like Bullitt and Enter The Dragon, prolific composer Lalo Schifrin has always maintained a side career as a jazz musician. He racked up a massive success in this field in 1976 with Black Widow, a slick instrumental excursion that combined the musical dexterity of jazz with the dance-friendly rhythms of disco. This album found Schifrin turning his skills as an arranger and keyboardist to a set of material that matched up some unlikely but effective covers with a few originals. Highlights among the covers include "Quiet Village," which transforms the exotica classic into a slow-burning funk vamp dressed with plenty of spacey synthesizer, and "Moonglow & Theme From Picnic," which reworks these classic film themes by giving them keyboard-driven arrangements that are gently nudged along by an insistent beat. Black Widow also spawned a dancefloor hit with Schifrin's imaginative reworking of "Jaws," which transformed John Williams' spooky monster-movie theme into an ominous, percolating slice of nocturnal funk built on wah-wah guitar and Schifrin's elegantly jazzy keyboard excursions. In terms of the original tunes, the standout is the title track, a keyboard showcase that weaves surging strings around a funky bass groove that is fleshed out with all manner of synth and electric piano shadings. The strong disco edge to the proceedings may turn off jazz purists, but Schifrin's imaginative and stylish arrangements keep the music from succumbing to disco-beat boredom, and his expert backup band (including session stalwarts like Andy Newmark and John Tropea) attacks the material with energy and style to burn. The end result is one of the peak albums in Lalo Schifrin's lengthy catalogue and a necessity for anyone interested in his jazz work. by Donald A. Guarisco   
Tracklist:
1 Black Widow 4:15
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin
2 Flamingo 4:28
Written-By – Ed Anderson, Ted Grouya
3 Quiet Village 3:59
Written-By – Les Baxter
4 Moonglow / Theme From Picnic 5:36
Written-By – DeLange, Mills, Hudson
5 Jaws 5:47
Written-By – J. Williams
6 Baia 4:03
Written-By – A. Barroso, R. Gilbert
7 Turning Point 3:28
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin
8 Dragonfly 5:15
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin

- Bonus Tracks - 

9 Frenesi 3:53

10 Tabu 4:33

11 Baia (Alt. Take) 7:44

12 Con Alma 6:30

Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Joe Farrell
Arranged By, Conductor – Lalo Schifrin
Backing Vocals – Patti Austin
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Bass Trombone – Dave Taylor
Congas – Carlos Martin (tracks: 2 to 8)
Drums – Andy Newmark
Flute – George Marge, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell
Flute [Solo] – Hubert Laws (tracks: 5)
Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: 3), John Tropea
Guitar [Solo] – Jerry Friedman (tracks: 3)
Keyboards – Clark Spangler, Lalo Schifrin
Percussion – Carter Collins, Don Alias, Sue Evans
 Trombone – Barry Rogers, Billy Campbell, Wayne Andre
Trumpet – Jon Faddis
Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman