Blossom Dearie

Blossom Dearie - Once upon a summer time

"A distinctive, girlish voice, crisp, impeccable delivery, and an irrepressible sense of playful swing made Blossom Dearie one of the most enjoyable singers of the vocal era. Her warmth and sparkle ensured that she'd never treat standards as the well-worn songs they often appeared in less capable hands. And though her reputation was made on record with a string of excellent albums for Verve during the '50s, she remained a draw with Manhattan cabaret audiences long into the new millennium.Actually born with the name Blossom Dearie in the New York Catskills, she began playing piano at an early age and studied classical music before making the switch to jazz while in high school. After graduation, she moved to New York and began appearing with vocal groups like the Blue Flames (attached to Woody Herman) and the Blue Reys (with Alvino Rey). She also played cocktail piano around the city, and moved to Paris in 1952 to form her own group, the Blue Stars of France. Dearie also appeared in a nightclub act with Annie Ross, and made a short, uncredited appearance on King Pleasure's vocalese classic, "Moody's Mood for Love." She recorded an obscure album of piano solos, and in 1954, the Blue Stars hit the national charts with a French version of "Lullaby of Birdland."After hearing Dearie perform in Paris in 1956, Norman Granz signed her to Verve and she returned to America by the end of the year. Her eponymous debut for Verve featured a set of standards that slanted traditional pop back to its roots in Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and cabaret. Her focus on intimate readings of standards ("Deed I Do," "Thou Swell") and the relaxed trio setting (bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jo Jones, plus Dearie on piano) drew nods to her cabaret background.On her next few records, Dearie stuck to her focus on standards and small groups, though her gift for songwriting emerged as well with songs like "Blossom's Blues." She performed in solo settings at supper clubs all over New York, and appeared on the more cultured of the late-'50s New York talk shows. Her husband, flutist Bobby Jaspar, made several appearances on her records, notably 1959's My Gentleman Friend. After a recording break in the early '60s, Blossom Dearie signed to Capitol for one album (1964's May I Come In?), but then recorded sparingly during the rest of the decade.Finally, in the early '70s, she formed her own Daffodil Records label and began releasing her own work, including 1974's Blossom Dearie Sings and the following year's My Favorite Celebrity Is You. She also performed at Carnegie Hall with Anita O'Day and Joe Williams, billed as the Jazz Singers. She continued to perform and record during the 1980s, centered mostly in New York but also a regular attraction in London as well." All Music Guide

Sex Mob

Sex Mob - Dime Grind Palace

"Steven Bernstein and Sex Mob, still the perfect antidote to the sometimes overly cerebral jazz scene, are back with Dime Grind Palace. Not that the music is inconsequential—it features stellar playing from the Mob and their friends—but it strives for emotional energy and a good time over chin-stroking. The Mob consists of slide-trumpet virtuoso Bernstein, saxophone torturer Briggan Krauss, upright bass thumper Tony Scherr, and alchemist drummer Kenny Wollesen. Unlike previous Mob discs, Dime Grind Palace features mostly original Bernstein tunes. Among the many guest performers, trombonist Roswell Rudd and multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum stand out, each contributing to most of the tunes. The songs on Dime Grind Palace segue one into another, and coupled with the raw production, this creates the impression of a long jam session at a party with players sitting in and stepping out. The two improvisations, ”Entrance Music” and “Exit Music,” that bookend the disc contribute to this impression. “Kitchen” is one of two tracks played only by the Mob, and features punchy horn lines over a James Brownish, offbeat groove and a muted slide-trumpet solo enhanced to sound like a guitar. The unmistakable slide guitar of David Tronzo is heard on the title track and fits comfortably within its laid-back, greasy vibe. Rudd goes to work on the two covers, “Blue and Sentimental” and “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand,” the latter a feel-good rocker that his trombone dances over. Apfelbaum offers a spooky melodica part for the sci-fi track “Mothra,” which offers an adamant rhythm, a unison horn part that pushes the musical tension, and wicked dive bombs from Krauss. Other highlights include Rudd's tune “Norbert's Weiner” with Doug Wieselman's clarinet and Scherr's plucked groove; and the trading horn figures of “Artie Shaw,” the other Mob-only tune. Dime Grind Palace is perfect for laughing off a tough week and starting the weekend—it'll leave you smiling. Those who have seen the Mob live know that this is exactly the intent." - By Sean Patrick Fitzell @ AllAboutJazz.

Reuploaded : Jackson C Frank: Blues run the Game

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird - Weather Systems

With Weather Systems, violin virtuoso Andrew Bird took another conscious step to broaden his career when he moved out of Chicago to a farm in northwest Illinois, renovated the barn into a recording studio, and left the Rykodisc label for the small indie Grimsey (the album was later licensed to Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe label) to create his most distinct recording to date. Only two of the Bowl of Fire members lend their abilities here (hence the billing of the record as a solo venture): longtime comrade Kevin O'Donnell, with his fluid and melodic drumming, adds to much of the recording, as does vocalist/guitarist Nora O'Connor, whose voice sounds like it was made to duet with Bird's. Contributions by Lambchop collaborator Mark Nevers on minimal guitar and production round out the cast on this moody and transfixing effort. The violin is the most prominent component by far; layer upon layer create beautifully complex string sections and saturate the soundscapes behind Bird's eloquent lyricism. This is nothing new, as evidenced on his astonishing predecessor, The Swimming Hour, but his approach to the instrument — a great deal of pizzicato, strumming, and liberal use of effects — suggests that Bird prepared not only for a unique advance on his songwriting, but also how he would pull off these songs in a live solo setting, which was partially documented on his live EP of 2002, Fingerlings. An excellent display of this layering approach is the truly progressive title track — one of the greatest moments in Bird's career. The entire track is assembled solely with multi-tracked violins fluttering in and out, one fingerpicked almost like a banjo roll, and at the three-and-three-quarters-minute mark, an octave pedal is applied to the pizzicato violin, pitching the notes down two octaves to provide a bassline underneath a vivid, cinematic, delicate, yet broad and sweeping choir of violins and whistling. Not to get too far ahead; the title track is not the first example of Bird's aptitude for whistling on Weather Systems, or indeed for his entire catalog, but this recording (his fourth full-length) is the first to showcase his ability to do so, adding another dynamic to the talented vocalist. In fact, the opening track, aptly titled "First Song," begins with a whistled melody and O'Connor's guitar accompaniment, then breaks into a comfortable waltz lyrically borrowing from and based on the Galway Kinnell poem of the same title. The journey through the rest of Weather Systems is just as relaxed, passing through Bird's most sinister composition, "I," with its slightly atonal and creepy, high violins; the pop gem "Lull," guided by O'Donnell's shuffling drums and rhythmic vocal play by Bird and O'Connor; and an inspired take on the Handsome Family's "Don't Be Scared," which serves as the crescendo of the album. In the end, Weather Systems is the kind of perfection any number of artists strive for; the performance is passionate, lucid, and engaging, and the recording has depth and warm ambience to the point that the room itself becomes an instrument (one can hear the creaking of the floorboards under Bird's feet on the title track). The album in its entirety achieves a rarity in pop music where the production, performance, and sincerity — with arrangements which never sound forced — meet the quality of the songwriting, resulting in a timeless effort where the sum is greater than its parts. - All Music Guide

King Crimson

King Crimson - Islands(1971)

"The last King Crimson studio album before the group's trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red, it is also the last to feature the lyrics of Peter Sinfield and the last to feature the band's 'traditional' progressive sound.The album was not particularly well received critically, although fans have suggested that the second side of the LP is much stronger than the first, which could have something to do with the poor reviews. [1] There are four tracks with lyrics on this album, and three of them concern women, one of them in a notoriously misogynistic way: "Ladies of the Road", about groupies, although fans have suggested that the song might be a joke." - Wikipedia

"Relajante, hermoso, memorativo y cálido trabajo del guitarrista Robert Fripp, que junto al letrista Pete Sinfield despliega un sofisticado álbum conceptual con recuerdos e imaginería marina, más concretamente de las Islas Baleares. Canciones enclavadas en el denominado rock progresivo, una mezcolanza entre rock, música clásica y jazz. Imaginativas disposiciones sónicas comenzadas por la etérea "Formentera Lady", un sensible tema con un buen trabajo en el saxo por parte de Mel Collins y ululantes coros mujeriles, obra de la soprano Paulina Lucas. La sinuosa pieza de cónclave jazz "Sailor's tale" es otro punto destacable del disco, al igual que "Ladies of the road", una extraordinaria canción de temática groupie y condición Beatle (el cantante Boz Burrell parece el mismísimo Lennon en la época Abbey Road), el maravilloso clasicismo melódico de la instrumental "Prelude: Song of the gulls" y la emocionante y bella "Islands", un idóneo cierre para un Lp de gran calado emocional. Ir a la biografía de King Crimson" - AlohaPopRock

Robbie Basho

Robbie Basho - Seal of the Blue Lotus (1965)

Seal of the Blue Lotus is the 1965 debut from the extraordinary folk guitarist Robbie Basho, who released numerous albums for John Fahey's Takoma label during the '60s. His mystical approach to six- and 12-string guitar improvisation shares many similarities to John Fahey in that Basho, too, was inspired by Eastern modalities — his six-string melodies recalling the Indian ragas of Ravi Shankar's "Dhun in Musra Mund." "Mountain Man's Farewell" is an outstanding piece that displays the early seeds of a revolutionary guitar style that Basho, along with John Fahey and Sandy Bull, redefined American folk music. An essential document for folk guitar fans. - All Music Guide

Billy Cobham

Billy Cobham - Sprectrum(1973)

Drummer Billy Cobham was fresh from his success with the Mahavishnu Orchestra when he recorded his debut album, which is still his best. Most of the selections showcase Cobham in a quartet with keyboardist Jan Hammer, guitarist Tommy Bolin, and electric bassist Lee Sklar. Two other numbers include Joe Farrell on flute and soprano and trumpeter Jimmy Owens with guitarist John Tropea, Hammer, bassist Ron Carter, and Ray Barretto on congas. The generally high-quality compositions (which include "Red Baron") make this fusion set a standout, a strong mixture of rock-ish rhythms and jazz improvising. - All Music Guide

Re-uploads

Post actualizados / Downloads reuploaded

Oregon - Music of Another Present Era (1972)

Pee Wee Russell - Swingin' With Pee Wee (1961)

Jimi Hendrix - Blues (1994)

Julie London - About The Blues (1957)

Herbie Hancock - Blow-Up OST (1966)