JUNKO ONISHI TRIO — Live At The Village Vanguard II (1994) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1.    The House Of Blue Lights 9:19
Written-By – Gigi Gryce
2.    Never Let Me Go 10:27
Written-By – Jay Livingston-Ray Evans
3.    Brilliant Corners 10:24
Written-By – Thelonious Monk
4.    Ringo Oiwake 20:29
Written-By – Fujio Ozawa, Masao Yoneyama
5.    Tea For Two 5:45
Written-By – Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
Credits :
Bass – Reginald Veal
Drums – Herlin Riley
Piano – Junko Onishi

HARVIE SWARTZ — Urban Earth (1985) Vinyl LP | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Urban Earth would also be the name of bassist Harvie Swartz's short-lived group of the late '80s, but for this Gramavision release, he used an all-star lineup: altoist David Sanborn, Bob Mintzer on soprano, guitarist Mike Stern, pianist Ben Aranov, drummer Victor Lewis and percussionist Manolo Badrena. The music (five Swartz originals, "'Round Midnight," and Dave Brubeck's "The Duke") is mostly straight-ahead yet has its unpredictable and exploratory moments. In fact, there are plenty of subtle surprises throughout this relaxed yet consistently stimulating session. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Sweet Walk 6:08
 Harvie Swartz
2. Falling 6:46
 Harvie Swartz
3. Pyramid 5:38
 Harvie Swartz
4. Until Tomorrow 6:24
 Harvie Swartz
5. The Duke 4:25
 Dave Brubeck
6. Mother Ship 6:36
 Harvie Swartz
7. Round Midnight 2:44
Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Harvie Swartz
Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn
Drums – Victor Lewis
Guitar – Mike Stern
Percussion – Manolo Badrena
Piano – Ben Aronov
Soprano Saxophone – Bob Mintzer 

BILL CHARLAP · RENEE ROSNES – Double Portrait (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianists Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes married in 2007, so the had plenty of time to practice for this duo piano date, since they have twin grand pianos in their apartment and have played a few gigs together as well. Both of them have long résumés as leaders and in support of other musicians. Recorded at the 92nd Street Y in New York City (where Charlap took over the reins from Dick Hyman for Jazz in July series a few years earlier), the husband-and-wife team put together a wide-ranging set list. Their arrangement of fusion keyboardist Lyle Mays' "Chorinho" is a brilliant opener, crackling with its infectious Brazilian rhythm. The soft emotional setting of "My Man's Gone Now" proves haunting; the quiet interpretation of Gerry Mulligan's tender ballad "Little Glory" suggests parents watching a sleeping infant; their rendition of Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria" shimmers with a subtle energy; and Rosnes' "The Saros Cycle" sounds as if it were written for film, suggesting a journey. Although some writers and musicians dismiss two piano meetings as a mere gimmick, this session by proves that two pianists who are in sync with one another's thoughts can produce timeless music. No time should be wasted in scheduling a follow-up Ken Dryden
Tracklist  :
1.    Chorinho    3:57
2.    Double Rainbow    5:04
3.    Ana Maria    8:56
4.    The Saros Cycle    4:27
5.    My Man's Gone Now    8:35
6.    Dancing In The Dark    5:03
7.    Inner Urge    5:15
8.    Little Glory    4:15
9.    Never Will I Marry    4:26
Credits :
Painting [Cover Painting] – Marc Chagall
Piano [Uncredited], Producer – Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes

KRIS DAVIS INFRASOUND — Save Your Breath (2015) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Introduced on her 2015 Clean Feed album Save Your Breath, Kris Davis' Infrasound octet is a monster band capable of delivering a gargantuan punch. Creative jazz pianist/composer Davis is joined here by drummer Jim Black, organist Gary Versace, and electric guitarist Nate Radley, and as if they weren't enough to rattle the windows, peerless clarinetists Ben Goldberg, Oscar Noriega, Joachim Badenhorst, and Andrew Bishop add the deep vibrations of their bass and contrabass instruments to the ensemble. Then, for added oomph, Davis enlisted rock veteran producer Ron Saint Germain (Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Living Colour) to engineer and mix the session. The album's opening moments display Davis' Infrasound conception at its most acute, as "Union Forever" (aka "Union" on the 2012 album of the same name by Paradoxical Frog) begins with a circular spiraling motif layered in counterpoint; after a brief retreat, the group's phrasing becomes more clipped and knotty, accentuated by Black's powerfully incisive drumwork in bold contrast to the rounded tones of the clarinets. As the electric instruments enter, "Union Forever" becomes downright Rock in Opposition-tinged avant-proggy, but the octet remains improvisational at heart, with dark chording beneath a moody Noriega clarinet feature as the music escalates in urgency, retreating and then ramping up into a dissonant and powerfully pounding finale with second soloist Versace abandoning all sense of restraint in his keyboard attack.

Massive pummeling chords and Badenhorst's deep roaring beast of a bass clarinet mark the conclusion of the 12-minute "Whirly Swirly" (rearranged from Davis' 2014 trio recording Waiting for You to Grow), emerging out of the tune's cavernous drifting center and an opening free vs. funk battle with Versace on bass keys, Radley increasingly unmoored, and Davis repeating an off-kilter riff like a needle stuck on Monk. "Jumping Over Your Shadow" and "Always Leave Them (Wanting More)," two of the four Davis compositions premiered here, begin in expansive spaces for timbral exploration -- including avant jazz's de rigueur bass clarinet multiphonics and reed pops in the former -- and proceed through all manner of rough and tumble into tightly focused conclusions. Black, Versace, and a deeply bluesed-up Goldberg form a choppy little trio on "Jumping" before piano, guitar, and clarinets appear, stunningly tight, in harmonically advanced angular accents to the groove; "Always Leave Them" pits Davis, Radley, and Black in skittering free jazz mode against long bass clarinet harmonies before the tune wraps as a dark processional not unlike Belgian avant-proggers Univers Zero in tone. Some listeners might hear even more avant-prog stylings in Versace's quirky, Miriodor-ish organ motif on "The Ghost of Your Previous Fuckup," but improvisation also reigns in the track's full-ensemble cacophony, Davis and Black's wildly energized duet, and Bishop's didgeridoo-like contrabass clarinet. In a somewhat curious but affecting move, Save Your Breath's 15-minute closing track shares the album's title but stands as an outlier of sorts, floating in deeply immersive ambience and gradually taking more explicit form as something quietly and mysteriously alluring. Dave Lynch
Tracklist  :
1.    Union Forever    9:24
2.    Jumping Over Your Shadow    10:35
3.    Always Leave Them (Wanting More)    10:00
4.    Whirly Swirly    11:49
5.    The Ghost Of Your Previous Fuckup    9:37
6.    Save Your Breath    14:29
Credits :
 Bass Clarinet – Ben Goldberg, Joachim Badenhorst, Oscar Noriega
 Clarinet – Andrew Bishop, Ben Goldberg, Joachim Badenhorst, Oscar Noriega
 Contra-Alto Clarinet – Ben Goldberg
 Contrabass Clarinet – Andrew Bishop
 Drums – Jim Black
 Guitar – Nate Radley
 Organ – Gary Versace
 Piano, Composed By – Kris Davis

MYRA MELFORD'S FIRE AND WATER QUINTET – For The Love Of Fire And Water (2022) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For the Love of Fire and Water marks the recorded debut of pianist/composer Myra Melford's 2021's quintet featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, cellist Tomeka Reid, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Susie Ibarra. All are notable bandleaders. She put the group together to play a one-off during a 2019 residency; afterwards, she was asked to record and tour with the quartet. Melford composed for this group during 2020's COVID-19 quarantine, and it was recorded in 2021 at Firehouse 12's New Haven, Connecticut studio. Melford wrote from the developmental core of a multi-part work inspired by the drawings of artist Cy Twombly, and her work will be further developed and expanded upon while touring. This installment uses the visual artist's Gaeta Set (For the Love of Fire and Water) drawings as inspiration.

Rogue Art divides the continuous 44-minute work into ten numbered selections for listening convenience, but it's performed continuously. The intro section finds Melford laying percussively wrought chord clusters for a couple of minutes before Reid enters to dialogue with her. Ibarra joins halfway through, rolling, accenting, and filling the space between. Laubrock joins a minute later, adding blips, trilled lines, and interjections in direct conversation before Halvorson appears with multi-note runs and a solo supported by rumbling undercurrents from her bandmates. A syncopated four-chord piano pulse introduces a melody in "II" played by the saxophonist and guitarist, who weave solo interactions throughout post-bop and modal blues as the piano and drums pace them. Reid offers tonal fluidity and physical energy in the middle section, pushing the group toward free interplay. The delicately articulated and gorgeously restrained processional pace of "IV" gives way to "V"'s interlude-like splintered piano chord voicings and bleating sax in a mirror image of its preceding section. "VI" is rendered abstractly as Halvorson and Melford pluck and rub their strings and Laubrock airlessly fingers the holes in her horn with a fixed, pulse-like steadiness. Shard-like guitar chords emerge suddenly and disappear just as quickly as Ibarra taps brushes and sticks over the metal frames on her kit. Reid joins during the final third, playing arco in drone-like accompaniment before Ibarra adds resonance on detuned gongs. "VII" crisscrosses free jazz and blues as Halvorson bends strings while laying down rock chords over wonky rhythmic piano accompaniment. Laubrock joins the dialogue, then assumes the spotlight. "VIII" begins with syncopated handclaps before Reid and Ibarra deliver a kinetic dialogue rich in dynamics. The final section is a beautifully articulated ballad drawn from classical, Italian folk, and flamenco sources. As Halvorson, Reid, and Laubrock add poignant, gorgeously abstract, gently dissonant solo flourishes, Melford anchors the harmonic melody as her band jointly embellishes and complements her playing at will, with a gentle, yet dramatically poetic finish. Whether or not For the Love of Fire and Water is appended by additional thematically related works is immaterial. It stands alone as an entire universe in sound, musical virtuosity, and intimately balanced communication. For now, Melford makes use of all that her quintet has to offer. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    I    7:53
2.    II    2:11
3.    III    3:17
4.    IV    5:21
5.    V    2:40
6.    VI    4:26
7.    VII    6:25
8.    VIII     2:56
9.    IX    4:16
10.    X    4:50
Credits :
 Cello – Tomeka Reid
 Drums, Percussion – Susie Ibarra
 Guitar – Mary Halvorson
 Piano, Melodica, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Myra Melford
 Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ingrid Laubrock

ANNETTE PEACOCK – I Belong To A World That's Destroying Itself (aka Revenge) (2014) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Annette Peacock gets it right again. In the lyric booklet here she writes "This is my first record. It was the right album, in the wrong century." Startling but true. An earlier version of I Belong to a World That's Destroying Itself was released as Revenge by Polydor in 1971 -- the same year as her classic I'm the One on RCA, which is usually regarded as her debut. The former album was credited to the Bley-Peacock Synthesizer Show. Her then-husband Paul Bley got top billing, despite the fact he played on only half the record. Peacock's Ironic label corrects this historical inaccuracy in deluxe fashion. Recorded live in various studios in 1968 and 1969 (written and arranged completely by Peacock), this is one of, if not the, very first record to feature a Moog Synthesizer modulating lead vocals. The rough recording aspect -- understandable given technological limitations at the time -- is actually a boon to this version; it is remarkably fresh, raw, energizing, and prophetic even now. This set marks the first showcase for Peacock's iconic free-form songwriting style -- which has inspired three successive generations of musicians across several genres -- and her trademark phrasing and delivery. As evidenced here, she pioneered a radical technique of commanding the synthesizer to serve her singing in perfect complement -- she made the instrument actually sound passionate. Check the way she makes it strain to meet her high-pitched soaring on "A Loss of Consciousness." The electric bass, trap kit, and a fingerpopping acoustic piano vamp behind her foster the groove. Tom Cosgrove's guitar adds funky leads and the band matches them, while her rhythmic pulse -- processed through the synth -- takes it over the margin somewhere else entirely. The testifying title track is an environmental anthem that demands a return to natural sources; its poetry is just as bracing in the 21st century, and absolutely free of idle sentiment. The gospel stomp of the B-3, electric bass, and breaking drums frame her distorted vocal, adding primal urgency and steely poignancy. This set also contains the first version of "I'm the One." With its rickety upright piano and slightly reverbed vocals, it is at once earthy and otherworldly. On "Joy," with its bumping bassline and grooving Rhodes-and-organ groove, Peacock marshals the Moog to add emotive adornments in the instrumental mix as well as to her voice. She lyrically embraces life and love because of their impermanence. This edition includes two bonus cuts: "Flashbacks," a hard-driving funk jam with a lyric comprised of a diary entry (complete with rough-cut studio moments) that leads directly into "Anytime with You," a deeply moving, souled-out number with clean vocals and Cosgrove's guitar as a second voice. Not that it was required, but I Belong to a World That's Destroying Itself further cements Peacock's role as a singular artist whose searing and provocative musical vision has always been decades ahead of itself. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    A Loss Of Consciousness    6:42
2.    The Cynic    3:35
3.    I Belong To A World That's Destroying Itself    4:30
4.    Climbing Aspirations    1:40
5.    I'm The One    4:30
6.    Joy    7:07
7.    Daddy's Boat (A Lullaby)    7:28
8.    Dreams (If Time Weren't)    4:11
        +    
9.    Flashbacks    3:32
10.    Anytime With You    3:28
Credits :
 Alto Saxophone – Mark Whitecage
 Bass – Gary Peacock, Glen Moore, Richard Youngstein, Stu Woods
 Clarinet – Perry Robinson
 Drums – Barry Altschul, Laurence Cook, Rick Marotta, Steve Haas
 Electric Piano – Bob Mason
 Guitar – Tom Cosgrove
 Mixed By [Remastered And Bonus Tracks] – Annette Peacock, Tod Levine
 Piano [Prepared] – Apache Rose Peacock
 Piano, Organ – Mike Garson
 Synthesizer, Electric Piano – Paul Bley
 Tenor Saxophone – Michael Moss 
 Vocals [Acoustic And Synthesized], Synthesizer [Moog], Vibraphone [Electric], Producer, Written-By, Arranged By, Performer – Annette Peacock

NORMA WINSTONE · KIT DOWNES — Outpost Of Dreams (2024) FLAC 24-96Hz

Outpost of Dreams is the debut collaboration from vocalist/lyricist Norma Winstone and pianist/composer Kit Downes. Both are veteran ECM recordings artists. Winstone hasn't issued a title with the label since 2018's award-winning Descansado: Songs for Films, while Downes, active more recently, released Short Diary with Seb Roachford in 2023. This duo began playing shows together late in 2023 and continued into 2024. Winstone, a seven-decade veteran, has been the talk of Europe since Drake sampled Azimuth's (Winstone with Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor) "The Tunnel" for "IDGAF." Among this set's ten tunes are four originals by Downes and Winstone; her lyric contributions extend here to songs by Taylor, Carla Bley, Ralph Towner, and fiddler/composer Aidan O'Rourke. There are also two folk standards, "Black Is the Color" and "Rowing Home."

At this stage of her seven-decade career, Winstone is winning accolades for her writing as much as her supple singing -- her alto instrument is undiminished by time. In opener "El," Downes weaves impressionistic, mysterious chords in the upper-middle register as Winstone wanders with purpose inside and outside his cadences: "Stardust in the night will watch her grow/Soon become aware (constellations stare)/Everything that lives and breathes and loves filling the air…" "Fly the Wind," by Taylor and Winstone, is sprightly; it sounds like a show tune in the singer's phrasing, but Downes' pianism is rooted in modern jazz. Winstone's lyrics for Bley's "Jesus Maria" embrace its mutated two-chord theme and reflect an unknowable Christ figure as he inhabits and transcends time. Her words for Towner's iconic "Beneath an Evening Sky" chart the depth and strangeness of a woman's perpetual presence in the protagonist's wandering, solitary mind. Single "The Steppe" weds classical, jazz, and classic pop as a song of love and longing, offering: "Winds sweep across the plain/Where will I find you again/The path of a shooting star/The heart dare not follow/I'm lost in the vastness of you…I'm almost submerging/In this lonely outpost of dreams." Downes flows, circles, and swings around and through her delivery. There are few substandard versions of "Black Is the Color." This one, with Downes' ghostly, wandering pianism, first excavates, then all but conceals the melody as Winstone delivers this as a tool of discovery: in certain phrases, she pays tribute to Nina Simone's stellar recording. Downes is masterful; he never intrudes on Winstone's expression yet establishes the piano as a separate lyric voice. The closing traditional sea shanty "Rowing Home" is almost unrecognizable. Downes creates darkly tinged post-bop harmonics under the melody as Winstone improvises inside the words and phrases while changing the tune's shape with her vocalizing. Usually sung by fishermen returning home, this version comes from a bereft protagonist, and it is as poignant as it is resonant. Outpost of Dreams is a quiet, gentle, even tenderly poetic masterpiece that represents music-making as an organic yet adventurous hub of meaning. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    El 5:05
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
2.    Fly The Wind 3:11
Music By – John Taylor
Words By – Norma Winstone
3.    Jesus Maria 4:29
Music By – Carla Bley
Words By – Norma Winstone
4.    Beneath An Evening Sky 3:25
Music By – Ralph Towner
Words By – Norma Winstone
5.    Out Of The Dancing Sea 3:34
Music By – Aidan O'Rourke
Words By – Norma Winstone
6.    The Steppe 5:06
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
7.    Nocturne 5:08
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
8.    Black Is The Colour 4:34
 – Traditional
9.    In Search Of Sleep 3:06
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
10.    Rowing Home 3:57
– Traditional
Arranged By [Arr.] – Bob Cornford
Words By – Norma Winstone
Credits :
Piano – Kit Downes
Producer [Produced By] – Manfred Eicher
Voice – Norma Winstone

CHRISTINE HITT — You'd Be Nice to Come Home To (1999) MAXJAZZ Vocal Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

An artist from Minnesota who studied piano at U-Minnesota and U-Arizona, Hitt recorded these sessions at Southern Illinois University and Studio 88 in St. Louis. This is her debut CD, revealing her talents as a pleasant enough vocalist and pianist whose ultimate comparison could be to Diana Krall, but who ostensibly sounds nothing like the pop-jazz chanteuse. In fact, Hitt plays better piano and sings in a less affected way -- very naturally and comfortably in her midrange. She's not histrionic, but she scats quite skillfully on many occasions, swings without flash or cabaret inclinations, and avoids blatant cuteness. Bassist Tom Kennedy and drummers Jeff Hamilton (five cuts) and Todd Strait (nine cuts) stoke the rhythm, while guitarist Rick Haydon and clarinetist Scott Alberici appear here and there. Ray Kennedy is credited on piano, but his name is missing from any track listings; Hitt sings and plays her own piano throughout, unless there's a typo. This program of 15 standards varies as one might expect, from love ballads and Brazilian music to fun tunes, though there isn't much blues. Hitt scats on the title track, and on "Joyride" she scats exclusively, not singing a written lyric; she employs clipped phrases on the lyric and mad scat on the bridge for the frantic "What Is This Thing Called Love?." On pieces with more relaxed, patient tempos, such as "Dream a Little Dream of Me," Hitt adopts a cozy style; she stays well within herself on "Thou Swell," and emphasizes her upper register to its detriment during "What'll I Do?." South-of-the-border pieces include a uniquely arranged 7/8 to 4/4 samba variation of the e.e. cummings Pooh-bear treat "Sitting in a Tree," the interesting clarinet- and guitar-based "Moonlight," and the fairly standard bossa take of "A Time for Love." Old-time swing with clarinet and strummed guitar on "Moonglow" and "In a Mellow Tone" harkens back to melancholy roots and traditions. On the torch ballad side, Hitt certainly offers an acceptable degree of emotional expressiveness for "My Foolish Heart" and "I've Got a Crush on You," without growing too melodramatic. There are two cuts with no singing that prove her to be quite an able instrumentalist. An exceptional interpretation of "Beautiful Love" sounds like she's played all her life. A waltz treatment of "Sometime Ago" is strangely credited with vocals that never come -- possibly another typo. There's also a bonus CD-ROM video track, "In the Wee Small Hours." For all the things Hitt is, she is not obvious, and that's the best part of her persona. Let others blast you with mushy multi-layered strings, loud beats, or nastily belted-out lyrics; she's searching for something deeper and more profound, and most times on this fine CD, she hits the mark. Recommended. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1.    You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To    3:24
  Cole Porter 
2.     Sitting In A Tree    3:35
3.    Beautiful Love    3:53
  Haven Gillespie / Wayne King / Egbert VanAlstyne / Victor Young 
4.    What'll I Do    2:58
  Irving Berlin 
5.    Dream A Little Dream Of Me    3:31
 Fabian André / Gus Kahn / Wilbur Schwandt 
6.    Moonlight    5:04
  Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / John Williams 
7.    Thou Swell    2:03
  Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 
8.    Sometime Ago    4:32
 Sergio Mihanovich 
9.    A Time For Love    5:49 
  Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster 
10.    Moonglow    2:13
  Eddie DeLange / Will Hudson / Irving Mills 
11.    I've Got A Crush On You    4:14
  George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin 
12.    Joy Spring    3:30
  Clifford Brown 
13.    My Foolish Heart    4:25
  Ned Washington / Victor Young 
14.    What Is This Thing Called Love    2:21
  Cole Porter 
15.    In A Mellow Tone    3:11
 Duke Ellington / Milt Gabler 
Credits :
Christine Hitt - Piano, Vocals
Jeff Hamilton, Todd Strait - Drums
Tom Kennedy - Bass
Scott Alberici - Clarinet
Rick Haydon - Guitar
Ray Kennedy - Piano

SHIRLEY HORN — I Remember Miles (1998) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

No thanks to the paucity of musical genius in the latter half of the 1990s, tribute albums to the departed just kept pouring forth, although in Shirley Horn's case, she was repaying an old personal debt to her subject. After all, it was Miles Davis who originally got Horn out of D.C. in 1960 as his opening act at the Village Vanguard and contributed his trumpet to one of her comeback albums (1990's You Won't Forget Me). Not only that, Horn's understated, laconic, deceptively casual ballad manner is a natural fit for the brooding Miles persona, and she doesn't have to change a thing in this relaxed, wistfully sung, solidly played collection. She doesn't actually perform any Davis compositions; everything here consists of standards that Miles covered or transformed in the 1950s, including three numbers from Porgy and Bess. Roy Hargrove adds his effective muted Miles imitations on "I Fall In Love Too Fast" and open flurries on "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'"; and Toots Thielemans makes like a long, lonesome train whistle on "Summertime." Former Davis cohorts Ron Carter and Al Foster join the rhythm section in a remarkably searching, extended "My Man's Gone Now," the only track which takes note of the electric music that consumed so much of Miles' output (in this case, inspired by the We Want Miles version, not the more familiar Gil Evans interpretation). In a sad way, the very idea of a Miles tribute is an oxymoronic denial of the ever-restless spirit of this genius who didn't believe in looking backwards. But Shirley Horn certainly serves the man's sensitive side well. Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist :
1     My Funny Valentine 5:33
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2     I Fall in Love Too Easily 5:39
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
3     Summertime 4:59
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
Harmonica – Toots Thielemans
4     Baby Won't You Please Come Home 7:21
Charles Warfield / Clarence Williams
Saxophone [Tenor] – Buck Hill
5     This Hotel 3:37
Johnny Keating / Richard Quine
6     I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' 3:39
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
7     Basin Street Blues 5:28
Spencer Williams
8     My Man's Gone Now 10:39
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
9     Blue in Green 5:59
Miles Davis / Bill Evans / Al Jarreau
Credits :
Bass – Charles Ables (faixas: 1, 6, 8, 9), Ron Carter (faixas: 2 to 4, 7, 8)
Drums – Al Foster (faixas: 2 to 4, 7, 8), Steve Williams (faixas: 1, 6, 8, 9)
Illustration [Cover] – Miles Davis
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Hargrove (faixas: 2, 6 to 8)
Vocals, Piano – Shirley Horn

CLEO LAINE with THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA — Solitude (1995) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Rather than being guests, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth have lent their names to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, giving them considerable control over the session; while Mercer Ellington is listed as leader, the conductor and principal arranger is Dankworth. One unfortunate result of this arrangement is that some of the offerings are "based on variations or adaptations" of the original Ellington and/or Billy Strayhorn compositions. Thus, "Chelsea Bridge" comes out "September Rain," and "Take the 'A' Train" is "Cleo's 'A' Train." Neither come off well -- and the latter title is presumptuous. "We're Rockin' in Rhythm" has its moments, especially Dankworth's clarinet solo in the style of Jimmy Hamilton. The best "variation" is "Love Call," based on "Creole Love Call." Laine's version in no way replaces the 1927 Adelaide Hall recording with Ellington, but her voice is well-suited to this early Duke classic. The dubbing of Ellington's piano on "Solitude" (through the wonders of technology) is just grotesque. Fortunately, Laine and Dankworth stick to the real thing for most of the cuts, putting their interpretative imprimatur on Ellington and/or Strayhorn masterpieces. Laine's reading of "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" is one the better renderings of this tune. She seems to have an affection for this song, having recorded it at least twice before. "All Too Soon," with Barry Lee Hall's trumpet and Shelley Paul's tenor playing behind Laine, is another highlight of this session. As long as Laine and Dankworth stick to the Ellington musical script, this album is a welcome addition to the "...With the Duke Ellington Orchestra" catalog. Dave Nathan

Tracklist :
1 Don't Get Around Much Anymore 5:12
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell 
2 Sophisticated Lady 5:52
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish 
3 I'm Beginning to See the Light 3:05
Duke Ellington / Don George / Johnny Hodges / Harry James 
4 All Too Soon 4:19
Duke Ellington / Carl Sigman 
5 Take My Loves 3:12
John Dankworth / Duke Ellington / William Shakespeare / Billy Strayhorn 
6 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 6:14
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster 
7 Love Call 5:25
Duke Ellington / Lorraine Feather 
8 Don't You Know I Care (Or Don't You Care to Know) 4:09
Mack David / Duke Ellington 
9 Solitude 4:21
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills 
Duke Ellington - Piano
10 Reflections 5:04
Duke Ellington / Milt Raskin 
11 We're Rockin' in Rhythm 3:18
Harry Carney / Duke Ellington / Lorraine Feather / Irving Mills 
12 Come Sunday 3:35
Duke Ellington 
13 September Rain 3:45
Lorraine Feather / Billy Strayhorn 
14 Cleo's 'A' Train (Incorporating "Take the 'A' Train") 6:38
John Dankworth / Cleo Laine / Billy Strayhorn 
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Young, Patience Higgins (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Mark Gross (tracks: 3, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Baritone Saxophone – Jay Brandford (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Bass – Hassan Ash-Shakur
Bass Trombone – Raymond Harris 
Clarinet – Charlie Young (tracks: 9, 14)
Conductor, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – John Dankworth
Directed By [Led By] – Mercer Ellington
Drums – Quinten "Rocky" White
Flugelhorn – Barry Lee Hall (tracks: 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13)
Flute – Charlie Young (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 13), Jay Brandford (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 11), Shelley C. Paul (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 13)
Guitar – Stephen Fox (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Piano – Duke Ellington (tracks: 9), Thomas "T.J." James
Tenor Saxophone – Shelley C. Paul
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Zane Paul Zacharoff (tracks: 9, 14)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet – Zane Zacharoff (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 11)
Trombone – Art Baron, Bradley Shigeta (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14), Gregory Royal (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Trumpet – Barrie Lee Hall (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14), Barry Lee Hall (tracks: 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13), John Longo (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14), Ron Tooley (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14), Tony Barrero (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9, 11, 14)
Vocals – Cleo Laine 

KRISTIN KORB — Where You'll Find Me (2001) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Kristin Korb is both a swinging bassist and an occasional jazz singer. Originally she was a guitarist and singer who loved country music; Barbara Mandrell was one of her early musical heroes. Korb also studied piano and violin. She attended the Soundsation Jazz Camp one summer and came away interested in performing jazz. She switched from guitar to electric bass to join a vocal jazz group in the seventh grade, taking up the acoustic bass in 11th grade.
Korb earned a degree in Music Education at Eastern Montana College in 1992 and spent the next two years working on her masters in Classical Bass Performance at the University of California at San Diego. She took lessons from Bertram Turetzky who inspired her to sing and play bass at the same time. In 1994, she met and started studying with Ray Brown, who recorded her debut the following year, Introducing Kristin Korb with the Ray Brown Trio. Where that CD has Korb just singing, her other recordings, for Grace Bass and Double K, feature her as both a vocalist and a bassist. Korb taught jazz history, bass, and the vocal jazz ensemble at Grossmont Community College during 1996-2000, and was the Director of Jazz Studies at Central Washington University during 2000-2002. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2002, she has performed at jazz parties, occasionally toured, and led her own trio. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1.    How About You    3:46
 Lane / Freed
2.    Wouldn't It Be Lovely    5:42
 Lerner / Lowe
3.    East Of The Sun    5:46
 Brooks Bowman
4.    They Say It's Spring    6:23
 Bob Haymes
5.    Where You'll Find Me    3:53
 Kristin Korb
6.    Benny    5:03
 Kristin Korb
7.    Mac    4:40
 Kristin Korb
8.    My Gingerbread Boy    4:32
 Jimmy Heath / Kristin Korb
9.    The Man I Love    5:38
 George Gershwin
10.    Yes, I Know When I've Had It    4:39
 Johnny Pate
11.    Darn That Dream    5:14
 Jimmy Van Heusen
Credits :
Bass, Vocals, Producer, Arranged By – Kristin Korb
Drums – Jeff Hamilton
Piano – Mike Wofford

VANESSA RUBIN — Vanessa Rubin Sings (1995) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Vanessa Rubin has a lovely voice, but rarely wanders much from the melody. Since many of the songs that she performs on this Novus CD have already been done definitively dozens of times by others (such as "Our Love Is Here to Stay," "My Ship," "Morning," and even "Being Green"), the value of the release is not as high as it should be. Rubin does contribute new lyrics to Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil" (renamed "All for One"), her singing is heartfelt on "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," and Steve Turre's four appearances (on trombone and conch shells) are a major asset. But why revive "Black Coffee" (another song that has already been done perfectly) with its self-pitying attitude and dated references to cigarettes? Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Love Is Here to Stay 3:17
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
2     It's Probably Me 5:09
Eric Clapton / Michael Kamen / Sting
3     Being Green 4:29
Joe Raposo
4     All for One 4:21
Vanessa Rubin / Wayne Shorter
5     My Ship 4:42
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
6     Seven Days 3:05
Sting
7     Once upon a Summertime 3:33
Eddie Barclay / Michel Legrand / Eddy Marnay / Johnny Mercer
8     Close Enough for Love 4:09
Johnny Mandel / Paul Williams
9     Morning 3:04
Clare Fischer
10     Unless It's You 2:52
Morgan Ames / Johnny Mandel
11     Black Coffee 5:24
Sonny Burke / Paul Francis Webster
12     His Eye Is on the Sparrow 3:49
Charles H. Gabriel
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar – Oscar Castro-Neves (faixas: 2,6,8,10)
Bass – Dave Carpenter (faixas: 3,4,9), Bob Hurst (faixas: 1,2,7,8,11)
Conch – Steve Turre (faixas: 9)
Drums – Alex Acuña (faixas: 3,4,9,11), Marvin "Smitty" Smith (faixas: 1,2,6,7,8,11)
Guitar – Kevin Eubanks (faixas: 1,), Paul Jackson Jr. (faixas: 7,8)
Harmonica – Toots Thielemans (faixas: 7,8)
Piano – Michael Lang (faixas: 3,4,5,9,11,12)
Producer, Arranged By – Miles Goodman, Oscar Castro-Neves
Trombone – Steve Turre (faixas: 3,11)
Vocals – Vanessa Rubin 

LAÏKA — Misery : A Tribute to Billie Holiday (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Laika Fatien sings English lyrics on songs popularized or dedicated to Billie Holiday, which is unusual for a woman born in Paris of a Spanish-Moroccan mother and a father from the Ivory Coast, and raised Jewish. There's little affectation in her phrasing that suggests her heritage, while diction and hard accents on certain syllables are unmistakable. Her pliant voice is rendered fairly straightforward in a limited range, sometimes echoing Carmen McRae, and as she describes it, is executed in a expressionistic way rather than utilizing theatrics and showy gimmicks. Jazz listeners will be familiar with her impressive bandmates, especially rising star pianist Robert Glasper, whose obvious over the top talent can easily upstage the singer, and at times does. Bassist Darryl Hall and drummer Gregory Hutchinson are more than able accompanists, while European saxophonist David El Malek -- a disciple of Michael Brecker -- adds a certain earthiness to the proceedings. There are only a few famous tunes from Holiday's repertoire, and three selections in duet with the vocalist and a single select group member. The dour "Don't Explain" represents the kind of restraint that is the strong suit of Meredith D'Ambrosio, and Glasper follows suit, while James P. Johnson's "You Can't Lose a Broken Heart" is completely reworked and modernized, with the full quintet energized in a 7/8 time signature, buoyed by El Malek's Brecker-like tenor sax and Fatien's precise and overt enunciation, which are also slightly revealing. There's a fondness for Tony Scott's tunes about Holiday, as "Lady's Back in Town" is a cute and sexy blues swing where Fatien wrote the original lyrics, but it's out of her range and is a bit flat. The title selection is also Scott's, a perfectly blues chilled ballad that has the singer plus her skilled rhythm section coalescing like tasty day old gazpacho. Standards like "How Deep Is the Ocean," "Lover Come Back to Me," and "You Turned the Tables on Me" comprise the meat and potatoes of the program, ranging from pure song form and easy swing, an unusual swirling circular mode courtesy of Glasper, and funky playful discourse with a tango reference respectively. Of the duets, Glasper goes nuts on the intro of "Strange Fruit," El Malek is warm and tender in careful call and response during "What's New?," and the rhythmically free take of "All of You," with the singer aside the rumbling drumming of Hutchinson, is arresting above all the other tracks. This is a polished effort from Laika Fatien, loaded with startling musicianship and carrying enough innovation to make you listen twice. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1. Strange Fruit 5:12 
Written-By – Lewis Allan "Lewis Allan"
2. Lady's Back in Town 4:15 
Written-By – Laïka Fatien, Tony Scott 
3. Don't Explain 3:07 
Written-By – Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
4. You Can't Lose a Broken Heart 3:18 
Written-By – Flournoy E. Miller, James P. Johnson
5. What's New 2:07 
Written-By – Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke
6. All of You 3:39
Written-By – Cole Porter
7. How Deep Is the Ocean 4:39 
Written-By – Irving Berlin
8 Lover Come Back to Me 4:39 
Written-By – Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
9. Misery 4:38 
Written-By – Tony Scott 
10. You Turned the Tables on Me 4:54 
Written-By – Louis Alter / Sidney Mitchell
11. Gloomy Sunday 5:12 
Written-By – Sam M. Lewis
12. Left Alone 5:21
Written-By – Billie Holiday / Mal Waldron
Credits :
Double Bass – Daryl Hall
Drums – Gregory Hutchinson
Piano – Robert Glasper
Tenor Saxophone – David El Malek (tracks: 4, 5, 12)
Vocals, Producer, Arranged By, A&R – Laïka Fatien

BARBARA MORRISON — I Know How to Do It (1997) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Veteran singer Barbara Morrison has long had the versatility to sound sassy on blues-oriented material and coolly sweet on ballads. For this set, Morrison (whose style is flexible enough to handle swinging jazz, R&B and blues) is joined by lesser-known L.A. musicians, and (on a couple of tunes) guest trombonist Al Grey. The material that Morrison interprets is consistently superior, including "I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues," Teddy Edwards' memorable "Don't Touch Me," "Don't Explain," Leonard Feather's "I Know How to Do It" and "Don't Go to Strangers." Because attention was paid to mood and tempo variation, the program on the whole is pretty definitive of Barbara Morrison's talents. Recommended. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :
1.    Don't Let Me Lose This Dream 2:08
Arranged By – Bill Liston
2.    I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues 4:21
Written-By – Don George, Edward Ellington, Larry Fotin
3.    Baby Come Home 4:21
Written-By – Daniel May
4.    The Very Thought Of You 5:36
Written-By – Ray Noble
5.    If I Were A Bell 3:55
Written-By – Frank Loesser
6.    Don't Touch Me 5:34
Written-By – Theodore Edwards

7.    September In The Rain 2:42
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
8.    Don't Explain 6:05

Written-By – Arthur Herzog, Billie Holiday
9.    Love For Sale 3:23
Arranged By – Phil Wright
10.    I Know How To Do It 4:18
Written-By – Leonard Feather
11.    You Don't Know What Love Is 5:12
Written-By – Don Raye, Gene De Paul
12.    Still Called The Blues 3:27
Written-By – Earl Forest, George Jackson, Robert Miller
13.    Don't Go To Strangers 4:55
Arranged By – Phil Wright
Credits :
Double Bass – Benjamin May
Drums – John Merola
Guitar – Charles Small
Organ, Mixed By – Steve Wood
Piano, Producer, Engineer – Daniel May
Trombone – Al Grey

Vocals, Producer – Barbara Morrison

EILEEN FARRELL — I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (1991) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1.     Blues in the Night 3'35
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
2.     Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away) 2'43
Harry Barris / Ted Koehler / Billy Moll
3.     Dreamy 3'14
Erroll Garner / Sydney Shaw
4.     Looking for a Boy 2'11
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5.     Supper Time 3'18
Irving Berlin
6.     On the Sunny Side of the Street 2'35
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
7.     I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 3'52
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
8.     Ten Cents a Dance 2'54
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
9.     Somebody Loves Me 2'55
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin / Ballard MacDonald
10.     September Song 2'43
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
11.     I'm Old Fashioned 2'31
Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer
12.     Solitaire (The Game of Love) 3'17
Charles Burr, Luther Henderson
13.     To Be in Love 3'22
Bart Howard
14.     My Funny Valentine 5'11
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
15.     Ev'ry Time 2'42
Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin
16.     A Foggy Day 3'11
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
17.     The Second Time Around 3'27
Sammy Cahn / James Van Heusen
18.     Taking a Chance on Love 3'08
Vernon Duke / Ted Fetter / John Latouche
19.     Glad to Be Unhappy 2'28
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
20.     He Was Too Good to Me 2'32
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
21.     Old Devil Moon 3'03
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Burton Lane
22.     Fly Me to the Moon 2'58
Bart Howard
23.     The Man I Love 3'42
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
24.     I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues 2'57
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
Credits :
Orchestra – Luther Henderson And His Orchestra
Vocals – Eileen Farrell

SABINA HANK – Blue Moments (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

„As far as I remember, I do hear in colours. Every tone, every note has its definite, own colour and wave. But: None of those 12 tones existing is clear blue.
This – for me – makes the following question arise: That are then and why are blue notes called blue notes? There is an answer for me. And it lies in between – an unseizable blue. In every note, in every sound and chord,
it’s there and it isn’t. Maybe you can’t hear it clearly, maybe you can’t define it, but you can feel it.

An unprovable truth. BLUE MOMENTS.“ Sabina Hank about BLUE MOMENTS

Tracklist :

1.    Restless Souls    4:35
2.    Out In Birmingham B.    4:20
3.    On The Street Where You Live    4:02
4.    Beautiful Love    6:59
5.    Smoke    5:39
6.    More Than A Friend    7:37
7.    Caravan    6:10
8.    Secret Sun    5:34
9.    Silent Tears    6:30
10.    Cruising Around Birmingham B. (Instrumental)    6:57
11.    For All We Know    6:22
Line-Up
Sabina Hank – Vocals, Piano, Comp., Arr.
Alexander Meik, Georg Breinschmid – Double Bass

Stephan Eppinger – Drums 

HELEN SHEPPARD — Hello Tomorrow (2003) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Helen Sheppard is different. Her musical identity is so strong, she doesn't have to hide behind jazz standards or someone else's songs -- she composes her own songs and writes her own lyrics. She is equally at home in diverse styles of music: soul, blues, ballad, jazz, Latin, etc., and in whatever style she chooses to sing, her musical personality shines through. Both her songs and her magnificent voice are instantly identifiable, and her lyrics have some spiritual connotations. We are proud to present the first CD recorded by this extraordinary talent. It is only a matter of time that Helen Sheppard will perform at the major international festivals and in big concert halls. She has arrived, and those on top will have to make some room for her.
Helen has several hundred songs in her archive, but for this CD she wrote new songs which were recorded live without overdubs. Her songs have been arranged by the equally talented composer, conductor, musician, and piano player Tom Unwin whose trio accompanies Helen Sheppard on this CD with Gary Evans on drums and Riaan Vosloo on double bass. Tom has also invited his fellow-musicians to contribute to the recording of some of the songs: Mick Green on saxophone, Martin Holland on trumpet, Tom Drewitt on guitar, and Marc Walpot on accordion. WebSite: helensheppard.com
Tracklist :
1. Don't Say Goodbye 4:07
2. You Don't Love Me 4:51
3. In Your Eyes 3:22
4. Lazarus 4:54
5. Reeling 0:28
6. All The Best Men 5:40
7. Hello Tomorrow 4:24
8. Troubles Inside 2:54
9. Three O'Clock 6:07
10. Walk Ten Miles 3:11
11. Never Too Late 6:00
12. One In A Million 0:47
Credits :
Accordion, Guest – Marc Walpot
Bass – Riaan Vosloo
Drums – Gary Evans
Guitar, Guest – Tom Drewett
Music By, Lyrics By – Helen Sheppard
Piano – Tom Unwin
Saxophone, Guest – Mick Green
Trumpet, Guest – Martin Holland

NELLIE McKAY — Sister Orchid (2018) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

Given her jazz-influenced sound and knack for thoughtfully chosen cover songs, it's surprising that Nellie McKay had never released a complete jazz standards album until 2018's smoky, intimately rendered Sister Orchid. The closest the idiosyncratic singer/songwriter had gotten previously was her brightly attenuated 2009 Doris Day tribute, Normal as Blueberry Pie, which found her investigating songs heavily associated with the iconic actress and singer. Similarly, on 2015's My Weekly Reader, McKay took on some of her favorite '60s pop tunes by bands like the Kinks, Herman's Hermits, Moby Grape, and others. Here, McKay takes a deftly straightforward approach, performing a set of well-chosen standards that wouldn't be out of place on an album by Blossom Dearie (another McKay touchstone) from the 1950s. McKay, who arranged and played all of the songs on Sister Orchid, recorded the album in New York with engineer Chris Allen. Allen has worked with a bevy of jazz, folk, and pop artists including Kurt Elling, José James, Ingrid Michaelson, Andrew Bird, and others, and brings a soft, natural warmth that never interferes with McKay's performance. Primarily, these are spare arrangements, often just McKay accompanying herself on piano, as on the haunting "Angel Eyes." Elsewhere, as on her dusky reading of "Where or When," she weaves in a mournful cello. There are also jaunty bits of ukulele, as on "Lazybones," which also features her overdubbed backing vocals. The Broadway-tested McKay also displays her love of cabaret as she intersperses crowd chatter and clinking glasses to theatrical effect on "Everything Happens to Me." Despite her penchant for artifice, McKay reveals her strong musical chops on Sister Orchid, launching into a mad-eyed boogie-woogie section on "Where or When" and delivering a spine-tingling, synth-accented take on "In a Sentimental Mood" that conjures the neon-soaked atmosphere of David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Matt Collar  
Tracklist :
1. My Romance 2:21
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 
2. Angel Eyes 2:01
Earl Brent / Matt Dennis 
3. Small Day Tomorrow 3:32
Bob Dorough / Fran Landesman 
4. Willow Weep for Me 5:54
Ann Ronell 
5. The Nearness of You 2:17
Hoagy Carmichael / Ned Washington 
6. Georgia on My Mind 3:34
Hoagy Carmichael / Stuart Gorrell 
7. Lazybones 3:10
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer 
8. Where or When 2:41
Matt Dennis / Lorenz Hart 
9. Everything Happens to Me 2:55
Tom Adair / Matt Dennis 
10. In a Sentimental Mood 3:47
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz 
11. My Romance (Reprise) 2:42
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 
Credits : 
Arranged By, Performer – Nellie McKay 

JUDY WEXLER — What I See (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1. Tomorrow is Another Day 6:30 
King Pleasure
2. The Moon is Made of Gold 3:15 
Rickie Lee Jones
3. Convince Me 4:17 
Robin Meloy Goldsby / Joyce Moreno
4. They Say It's Spring 4:46
Marty Clarke / Bob Haymes
5. A Certain Sadness 5:25 
John Court / Carlos Lyra
6. The Long Goodbye 5:11 
Johnny Mercer / John Williams
7. Just for Now 3:49 
André Previn / Dory Previn
8. Follow 5:35 
Jerry Merrick
9. Another Time, Another Place 3:28 
Benny Carter
10. A Kiss To Build a Dream On 3:21 
Oscar Hammerstein II / Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby
11. Laughing at Life 3:37 
Bob Charles / Jeff Colella / Charles Cornell / Charles Kenny / Nick Kenny
Credits :
Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet – Bob Sheppard
Bass – Chris Colangelo
Drums – Steve Hass
Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Ron Stout
Guitar, Ukulele – Larry Koonse
Percussion – Billy Hulting
Piano – Jeff Colella
Trombone – Scott Whitfield
Vocals – Judy Wexler

NANCY LaMOTT — Beautiful Baby (1991) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This album, Nancy LaMott's first, was originally released in 1991 and then reissued in 1996, shortly after her tragic death from uterine cancer. Even at this, the outset of her recording career, she shows all the moves needed to be a top-of-the-list cabaret singer. Not content to simply recite the story of the lyrics, each track is a separate dramatic event filled with just the right emotional intensity to fit the character of the song she is singing. For "It Might as Well Be Spring" there's a feeling of yearning, while "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" starts off cute and ends up on the barroom floor. On the latter she engages in some slow-motion give and take with the trumpet of long-time session player Glenn Drewes. "Blues Skies" is a production with LaMott treating it like a hymn at the start, then with each successive chorus the tempo picks up speed, with the rest of the rhythm section joining in with Christopher Marlowe as LaMott's coda is a note somewhere in the upper stratosphere. On this tune, she shows how effective a vibrato can be if applied judiciously to emphasize a line or a word. There are times when a lieder recital atmosphere is created by the pure, crystalline, expressive LaMott vocalizing combined with the classical like piano of Christopher Marlowe. Standards are not LaMott's only forte. She handles award-winning Annie Dinerman's wistful, hopeful, and stop the world "Child in Me Again" with aplomb. Mike Migliore's flighty flute helps make this track one of the finest on an album of good tracks. Beautiful Baby is cabaret at its best, and is recommended. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1 Skylark 3:07
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer  
2 The Surrey With the Fringe on Top 3:41
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers  
3 Child in Me Again 4:00
Annie Dinerman 
 4 I Have Dreamed 4:11
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
5 Why Don't We Run Away 3:07
David Zippel 
 6 It Might as Well Be Spring 6:22
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers  
7 Blue Skies 4:15
Irving Berlin 
8 With Every Breath I Take 5:09
Cy Coleman / David Zippel  
9 You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby 4:38
Johnny Mercer / Harry Warren  
10 Help Is on the Way 3:11
Nancy LaMott 
11 In Passing Years 4:03
Rick Jensen 
Credits :
Nancy LaMott - Vocals
Ken Sebesky - Guitar
Deborah Assael-Migliore - Cello
Mike Migliore - Flute, Alto Saxophone
Glenn Drewes - Trumpet
Kenny Werner, Rick Jensen, Christopher Marlowe - Piano
David Friedman - Synthesizer
Jim Miller, John Riley - Drums