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

VINCE MENDOZA | ARIF MARDIN — Jazzpaña (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

"JAZZPAÑA, the most ambitious recording project ever undertaken by Siggi Loch in a most active and extensive music business career, fuses American jazz and the flamenco music of Andalusia in a most imaginative, adventurous, and inspirational way. JAZZPAÑA is a showcase for the special compositional and arranging skills af Arif Mardin and Vince Mendoza, for the impeccable and dynamic section work of the WDR Big Band, for the exotic, extrovert artistry of Ramon El Portugues and Los Jovenes Flamencos, and for the assured and articulate playing of top jazz guest players Michael Brecker, Al Di Meola, Steve Khan, and Peter Erskine. Furthermore, JAZZPAÑA reveals Vince Mendoza as a composer and arranger of immense talent and imagination. This music inevitably prompts comparism with the classic Gill Evans - Miles Davis collaboration of 1959, Sketches of Spain. ...but Mendoza has his own individual identity, approaching the task of composing and arranging rather like a painter creating a landscape of canvas."
Nominated for two GRAMMY AWARDS in 1994. ACT
Tracklist :
1    El Vito Cante    3:44
2    Tangos    8:38
3    Entre Tinieblas    5:30
4    Tanguillo    7:46
5    Soy Gitano    4:49
6    Bulería    9:31
7    Suite Fraternidad (First Movement Generalife)    4:50
8    Suite Fraternidad (Second Movement Albacin)    8:22
9    El Vito El Gran Tamaño    9:19
Credits :
WDR BIGBAND conducted by Vince Mendoza
Guests:
Michael Brecker - Tenor Saxaphone
Al Di Meola - Electric Guitar
Peter Erskine - Drums
Dieter Ilg - Bass
Steve Khan - Electric Guitar
Freddie Santiago - Percussion

BERNARD PURDIE — Bernard Purdie's Soul To Jazz (1996) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Moanin' 2:05
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
2    Superstition 6:08
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Stevie Wonder
3    Iko Iko 5:45
Accordion, Soloist – Gil Goldstein
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Written-By – James Crawford
4    Señor Blues 6:51
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris, Michael Brecker
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Horace Silver
5    When A Man Loves A Woman 4:35
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Andrew Wright, Calvin Lewis
6    Freedom Jazz Dance 4:29
Arranged By – Arif Mardin
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Eddie Harris
7    SideWinder 7:15
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Flugelhorn, Soloist – Randy Brecker
Piano, Soloist – Frank Chastenier
Written-By – Lee Morgan
8    Brother Where Are You? 4:14
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Oscar Brown Jr.
9    Wade In The Water 4:42
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
 – Traditional
10    Work Song 3:51
Bass Guitar – Dave King
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Dean Brown
Piano – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone – Nils Landgren
Written-By – Nat Adderley
11    Land Of 1.000 Dancers 3:09
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Chris Kenner
12    Gimme Some Lovin' 3:44
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Backing Vocals – Jane Comerford, Sharlie Pryce
Guitar, Soloist – Dean Brown
Vocals, Soloist – Martin Moss
Written-By – Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood
13    Moanin' 7:40
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Eddie Harris
Trombone, Soloist – Nils Landgren
Trumpet, Soloist – John Marshall
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
Credits :
Band – WDR Big Band
Bass – John Goldsby
Design – Petra Horn
Directed By – Gil Goldstein
Piano, Keyboards – Frank Chastenier
Saxophone – Harald Rosenstein, Heiner Wiberny, Jens Neufang, Olivier Peters, Rolf Römer
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler, Henning Berg, Roy Deuvall
Trumpet – Andy Haderer, John Marshall, Klaus Osterloh, Rob Bruynen, Rüdiger Baldauf

EDDIE HARRIS — The Last Concert (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Unless something unauthorized turns up, this appears to be Eddie Harris' last recording. The concert was taped in Europe -- where Harris was far more respected in his last years than in America -- eight months before his death. The occasion would be an atypical affair for him, appearing as a featured soloist (along with the fine trombonist Nils Landgren and, on one track, trumpeter John Marshall) in front of the WDR Big Band in Cologne. At first, the program consists of a series of straight-ahead Gil Goldstein charts on well-worn soul-jazz classics like "Sidewinder," "Moanin'," "Wade in the Water," and "Work Song," and then takes a decided, somewhat less successful turn toward '60s soul on "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Gimme Some Lovin'" (with idiomatic vocals by Haywood J. Gregory). Of Harris' own corpus of tunes, only the inevitable "Freedom Jazz Dance" appears here (in an Arif Mardin chart), with Eddie offering probably the last of his fascinating run of solos over the previous three decades on his bewildering tune. Though ailing at the time (the inside photo shows that he doesn't look well at all), Harris is still in undiminished, swinging, highly individual form through the concert, gliding easily over the rhythm section on tenor sax and switching on some of his electronic octave doubling and harmonizing effects. By now, his vocabulary of funky licks had long been set in stone, so there are no revelations, just an assured apotheosis of his distinctive style. The day after the concert, Harris and Goldstein went into WDR Studio 4 to record a long, poignant duo encore, "You Stole My Heart," which features an unexpectedly deep, soulful vocal by Eddie and a pair of lingering, pithy, affectionate tenor solos that seem to bid farewell in a most touching way. Whether he knew it or not, that last tune is a marvelous epitaph. Richard S. Ginell

"On his Last Concert, the outstanding stature of the musician becomes evident once again." - JAZZPODIUM ACT
Tracklist :
1    SideWinder 8:08
Soloist – E. Harris, Frank Chastenier
Written-By – Lee Morgan
2    Moanin' 7:30
Soloist – E. Harris, John Marshall, Nils Landgren
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
3    Wade In The Water 5:45
 – Traditional
Soloist – E. Harris
4    Freedom Jazz Dance 4:56
Arranged By – Arif Mardin, Gil Goldstein
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Eddie Harris
5    Work Song 5:57
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Nat Adderley
6    When A Man Loves A Woman 5:39
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Wright, Lewis
7    Gimme Some Lovin' 10:22
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Davis, Winwood
8    You Stole My Heart - The Last Encore 14:07
Piano – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie Harris
Credits :
Accompanied By – Bernard Purdie, Dave King, Dean Brown, Haywood J. Gregory, Nils Landgren
Band – WDR Big Band Köln (tracks: 1 to 7)
Bass – John Goldsby (tracks: 1 to 7)
Conductor – Gil Goldstein (tracks: 1 to 7)
Piano, Organ – Frank Chastenier (tracks: 1 to 7)
Saxophone – Harald Rosenstein (tracks: 1 to 7), Heiner Wiberny (tracks: 1 to 7), Jens Neufang (tracks: 1 to 7), Olivier Peters (tracks: 1 to 7), Rolf Römer (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp (tracks: 1 to 7), Dave Horler (tracks: 1 to 7), Henning Berg (tracks: 1 to 7), Roy Deuvall (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trumpet – Andy Haderer (tracks: 1 to 7), John Marshall (tracks: 1 to 7), Klaus Osterloh (tracks: 1 to 7), Rob Bruynen (tracks: 1 to 7), Rüdiger Baldauf (tracks: 1 to 7)

VINCE MENDOZA – Sketches (1994) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The world premiere of 'Sketches' was the highlight of the JazzFest Berlin 1993. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Pavane (Pour Une Infante Défunte) 9:06
Composed By – Maurice Ravel
Sketches
Composed By – Vince Mendoza
2    Part 1    2:04
3    Part 2    8:12
4    Part 3    10:21
5    Part 4    7:05
6    Part 5    9:27
7    Part 6    5:22
8    Part 7    5:47
9    Part 8    4:43
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
Arranged By, Remix – Vince Mendoza
Artwork [Front Cover] – Georg Baselitz
Bass – Dieter Ilg
Drums – Peter Erskine
Guitar – Nguyên Lê
Orchestra – The WDR Big Band
Soprano Saxophone – Dave Liebman

BOB BROOKMEYER — Electricity (1994) Serie : The World Greatest Jazz Orchestras – VI | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Listeners expecting the music on this CD to be similar to Bob Brookmeyer's jazz records of the 1950s will be surprised. The emphasis here is not on Brookmeyer's valve trombone playing (which is barely heard other than on "No Song" and "The Crystal Palace") but on his very adventurous writing for an electronic group (with guitarist John Abercrombie and two keyboard players) and the horns of the WDR Big Band. The six originals are essentially mood music, setting up atmospheres that develop slowly and are occasionally explosive, particularly when Abercrombie stretches out. This well played and creative music is easier to respect than to love. Scott Yanow

The six-part suite spans from impressionistic motifs to twelve-tone technique. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Farewell, New York    16:46
Bob Brookmeyer
2    Ugly Music    10:33
Bob Brookmeyer
3    White Blues    11:41
Bob Brookmeyer
4    Say Ah    7:17
Bob Brookmeyer
5    No Song    13:13
Bob Brookmeyer
6    The Crystal Palace    10:19
Bob Brookmeyer
Credits :
Bass – Dieter Ilg
Drums – Danny Gottlieb
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Illustration [Original] – Michelangelo Buonarroti
Keyboards – Frank Chastenier, Rainer Brüninghaus
Orchestra – WDR Big Band Köln
Saxophone – Heiner Wiberny, Olivier Peters, Paul Peucker, Rolf Römer
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp, Dave Horler, Roy Deuvall
Trumpet – Andy Haderer, Klaus Osterloh, Rick Kiefer
Valve Trombone, Liner Notes, Mixed By [Remixed] – Bob Brookmeyer