YOUNG FRIENDS — Great German Songbook (2005) Serie : young german jazz | FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

"Perhaps a groundbreaking project" - (SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG) ACT
Tracklist :
1    Du, Du Liegst Mir Am Herzen    1:39
2    Kauf Dir Einen Bunten Luftballon    5:06
3    Dein Ist Mein Ganzes Herz    4:03
4    Sie Sieht Mich Nicht    4:38
5    Nur Nicht Aus Liebe Weinen    4:49
6    Eins Und Eins    4:11
7    Auf Wiedersehn, My Dear    4:54
8    Mensch    5:38
9    Es Sungen 3 Engel    5:30
10    Ich Weiß, Es Wird Einmal Ein Wunder Geschehen    2:38
11    Strangers In The Night    5:15
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Florian Trübsbach
Bass – Eva Kruse
Drums – Eric Schaefer
Piano – Michael Wollny
Trombone – Johannes Lauer
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Axel Schlosser

THE NGUYÊN LÊ TRIO — Million Waves (1995) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

"With 'Million Waves,' this trio secures a spot in the premier league." - (STEREOPLAY) ACT
Tracklist  :
1    Mille Vagues    5:28
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
2    Trilogy 21:00
Written-By – Danny Gottlieb, Dieter Ilg, Nguyên Lê
3    Be Good    4:16
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
4    Mango Blues    4:16
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
5    Butterflies & Zebras    3:25
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
6    Little Wing 4:01
Written-By – Jimi Hendrix
7    El Saola 5:48
Written-By – Dominique Borker, Nguyên Lê
8    Sledge    2:50
Written-By – Nguyên Lê
9    Moonshine 3:56
Written-By – Dominique Borker, Nguyên Lê
10    I Feel Good 3:59
Written-By – James Brown
Credits :
Nguyên Lê - Electric Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, E-bow
Dieter Ilg - Acoustic Bass, Mouth Jive
Danny Gottlieb - Drums & Percussion

YOUN SUN NAH 나윤선 — Same Girl (2010) 2CD | Collector's Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

If one were to listen only to "My Favorite Things," the Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein Great American Songbook standard that opens Same Girl, one might deduce that Korea's Youn Sun Nah is just another cabaret singer with a pretty voice. The kalimba with which she is accompanying herself as she sings -- the sole instrument heard -- lends a sense of purity to the tune, and although the vocalist avoids the usual routes taken with the song, there's no real reason to get excited. Yet. Then things get interesting, fast. As she works her way through material from sources as diverse as Randy Newman, Sergio Mendes, and Metallica -- yes, Metallica; she does a mean "Enter Sandman" -- in addition to two original compositions and a Korean standard, Nah establishes that, in fact, she is incontestably an original, a jazz singer of great range, complexity, emotion, and ideas. Precision timing and sharp diction mark Nah's approach as she traverses the lyrics, but it's not only her technical prowess that makes Same Girl (her second release as a leader on the ACT label, after having spent a decade with a French band) such a delight. For one thing, she is constantly full of surprises. On the Mendes tune, "Song of No Regrets," Nah could have followed the rule book and sung the number as a samba. Instead, she turns it into a near a cappella minimalist dirge, Lars Danielsson's cello bringing to the rendition an unexpected eeriness and majesty. Terry Cox's "Moondog" is something else altogether, all jutting angles and piercing barbs, Ulf Wakenius' guitar and Xavier Desandre-Navarre's drums seemingly flailing willy-nilly behind Nah's warbles, yet somehow making perfect sense in the context of the arrangement, even when Nah breaks the solemnity with a jarring kazoo solo, of all things. For a real taste of her ability to knock a listener out cold, though, Wakenius' "Breakfast in Baghdad" is the place to go: to call Nah a scat singer is like calling John Coltrane a guy who fooled around a bit with the sax. Nah is a wildwoman let loose, treating each syllable as a new adventure in acrobatics, the musicians flying free and fancifully behind her captivating, seriously stunning ravings. Youn Sun Nah doesn't simply interpret; any good jazz signer can do that. She gets to the root of a melody and a lyric, deconstructs it wholly, and then presents it in a way it's never before been heard. Not many around who can do that anymore. Jeff Tamarkin  

Styles and genres may vary from song to song, but it is always the "Same Girl" who transforms the pieces into a sound world that is unmistakably her own: Youn Sun Nah. ACT
Tracklist 1 :
1    My Favorite Things 4:00
Written-By – Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rogers
2    My Name Is Carnival 4:02
Written-By – Jackson C. Frank
3    Breakfast In Baghdad 5:56
Written-By – Ulf Wakenius
4    Uncertain Weather 3:22
Written-By – Youn Sun Nah
5    Song Of No Regrets 3:45
Written-By – Lani Hall, Sergio Mendes
6    Kangwondo Arirang 4:06
 – Korean Traditional
7    Enter Sandman 4:52
Written-By – Metallica
8    Same Girl 4:14
Written-By – Randy Newman
9    Moondog 4:10
Written-By – Terry Cox
10    Pancake 3:36
Written-By – Youn Sun Nah
11    La Chanson D'Hélène 5:07
Narrator – Roland Brival
Written-By – Jean-Loup Dabadie, Philippe Sarde
Tracklist 2 :
1    Bitter Ballad 4:08
Trumpet – Mathias Eick
Written By – Youn Sun Nah
2    Avec Le Temps 5:06
Written By – Léo Ferré
3    Peace 4:02
Written By – Youn Sun Nah
4    Utviklingssang 6:05
Written By – Carla Bley
Video    My Favorite Things    4:10
Credits :
Youn Sun Nah - Vocals, Kalimba, Music Box, Kazoo
Ulf Wakenius - Guitars
Lars Danielsson - Acoustic Bass, Cello
Xavier Desandre-Navarre - Percussion
Special guest on track 11: Roland Brival - Narration

HUONG THANH — Moon And Wind (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

"The perfect fusion of Western rhythms and melodies with the unique soundscapes of the Far East" - (MUSIKWOCHE) ACT
Tracklist :
1    The Soaring Of The Heron    6:37
2    All Is Peace    4:19
3    One River, Two Streams    5:47
4    Lovers On The Mountain    5:27
5    Crossing The Bridge    4:49
6    Autumn Wind    5:12
7    Blackbird Song    5:32
8    The Awaiting    8:04
9    Going Back To Hué    6:20
10    The Source    5:01
Credits :
Huong Thanh - Vocals
Nguyên Lê - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Fretless Bass, Synths & Computer Programming
Hao Nhiên Pham - Bamboo Flute, 3-stringed Lute (dàn dày)
Duong Tam - 16-Strings Zither (dàn tranh), Moon Shaped Lute (dàn nguyêt), Lotus Lute (dàn sen), Monocorde (dàn bau), Woodblock (song lan), Backing Vocals
Dominique Borker - Acoustic piano, Synths
Illya Amar - Sanza
Tino di Geraldo - Cajón, Frame Drum, Palmas
Karim Ziad - Gumbri
Paolo Fresu - Trumpet

IDA SAND — The Gospel Truth (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Earthy and distinctive, gospel-infused, blues and soul-soaked: Ida Sand sings classics from Nina Simone to Bobby Scott. with Raul Midón, Joe Sample and Nils Landgren as guests, among others. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Eyes On The Prize    3:35
2    Ain't No Sunshine    3:45
3    He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother    4:12
4    A Change Is Gonna Come    4:32
5    Have A Talk With God    3:37
6    I Wanna Know What Love Is    4:50
7    Until The End    3:15
8    I Wish I Would Know How    4:14
9    Have A Little Faith In Me    4:21
10    It Is To Know    3:49
11    Like A Prayer    4:00
12    God Only Knows    4:16
Credits :
Ida Sand - Vocals, Piano & Keyboards
Mattias Torell - Guitars
Thobias Gabrielson - Bass
Anders Hedlund - Drums & Percussion

Special Guests:
Raul Midón - Vocals
Joe Sample - Piano
Steve Gadd - Drums
Nils Landgren - Trombone
Magnus Lindgren - Woodwinds
The ACT Jubilee Singers - Backing Vocals