Artist: Molly Johnson
     Album: Messin Around
     Label: UMVD
     Year: 2002, release: 2006
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 93 mb (with frontcover)


     Jazz singer Molly Johnson has done time in both pop and art rock bands and has served as an opening act for such blues and R&B superstars as Ray Charles and B.B. King, so the stylistic range in evidence on her first album for Narada Jazz doesn't come as much of a surprise. She jumps from bracing and jazz-inflected pop/rock (the radio remix of "Another Day") to a piano-based reggae/R&B hybrid ("Ooh Child/Redemption Song") without missing a beat, and slinks her way through torchy blues numbers with equal facility. On the downside, "Celie's Blues" sounds just as anachronistic and politically forced in this version as it did popping up out of nowhere in the middle of The Color Purple, and the fact that Johnson's delivery comes across as little more than a Billie Holiday impression just makes things worse. On the other hand, her version of "Summertime," which was an inevitable song choice given her vocal style, is given new life by the minimalist arrangement of voice, bass, and percussion, and "Red Cardinal" has a fun, jumpy Tin Pan Alley feel. Overall, this album can be confidently recommended to adventurous lovers of vocal jazz. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

     Artist: Van Morrison with Georgie Fame & The Dallas Jazz Orchestra
     Album: Live At Montreux Jazz Festival '89
     Label: DAT record
     Year: 1989
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Time: 1:52:46
     Size: 191 Mb



     The Dallas Jazz Orchestra (DJO) is a jazz big band based in Dallas, Texas, founded by Thom Mason and Galen Jeter. Since its beginning in 1973, the DJO has produced numerous notable recordings, two of which were Grammy nominated, and has performed internationally in concerts and jazz festivals, such as the Montreaux Jazz Festival.
This release full live performance by Van Morrison with Georgie Fame and DJO at Casino de Montreux, Switzerland 1989 July 17th . The music is mostly blues- and jazz-oriented with the highlights including " Bonnie & Clyde," " King Porter Stomp".

     Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
     Album: Lady Time
     Label: OJC/Pablo
     Year: 1978, release: 1995
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 91,8 mb
     Total time: 42:54



     This CD places Ella Fitzgerald (then 60) in an unusual setting. Joined only by organist Jackie Davis and drummer Louie Bellson, she tackles a wide variety of material that ranges from "I'm Walkin'" and "I Cried for You" to "Mack the Knife" (which did not need to be remade) and "And the Angels Sing." Not one of her more essential releases, Lady Time does show that even at this fairly late stage in her career, Ella Fitzgerald could outswing just about anyone.

     Artist: Nina Simone
     Album: Nina Sings Duke Ellington! / At Carnegie Hall
     Label: Collectibles Records COL-CD-6414
     Years: 1962-1963 ; release: June 6, 2000
     Format, bitrate: flac+cue+log+art; mp3@320+art
     Time: 61 mins
     Size: 286Mb; 141Mb
     AMG Rating

     This Collectables package pairs Nina Simone's 1962 Colpix release Sings Duke Ellington and At Carnegie Hall from the following year. Eighteen tracks in all with over 68 minutes of music make this an attractive package for fans of the talented vocalist and pianist. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide

     This two-for-one CD spotlights one of jazz's great song stylists. Few singers were as unique as Nina Simone; Her deep voice and rapid vibrato made her instantly recognizable. She was also a stunning pianist, and the second half of this CD--her Carnegie Hall performance--spotlights her instrumental skills as well as her singing.

Not surprisingly, NINA SINGS DUKE ELLINGTON features many classic jazz tunes. Simone sings ballads such as "I Got It Bad" and "Solitude" with intense emotional vulnerability. With the exception of Billie Holiday, few singers have such a natural gift for musical expression. NINA SIMONE AT CARNEGIE HALL is more understated and dark. Comprised of torch songs and movie themes, this album contains only ballads. This doesn't always include vocal numbers either. For example, Simone's piano is showcased extremely well on "Theme from Samson and Delilah." Simone performs this piece like a refined classical pianist, employing Chopin-esque trills and strident forearm chords. In fact, her reading of this movie theme just may be the most eyebrow-raising moment on this disc.

     Artist: Eartha Kitt
     Album:Sentimental Eartha
     Label: See for Miles UK
     Year: 1970 ; release: 1995
     Format, MP3 @ 320 kbps
     Time: 24.22
     Size: 38.42Mb



     Eartha Kitt's Sentimental Eartha is a ten-track album of psychedelic-tinged love ballads. Standout tracks include three recorded earlier by Donovan: "Catch the Wind" (his debut single!), "Hurdy Gurdy Man," and "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," in which Kitt's smokey, sultry voice is used to optimum effect. The tracks on Sentimental Eartha also include another favorite from the 1960s, in this case "My Sentimental Friend" by Herman's Hermits. The rest of the disc includes lesser known inspirational and sentimental songs, all of which combine to make a well arranged and cohesive collection. Creative song selection makes this disc a true find. ~ JT Griffith, All Music Guide

     Artists: Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
     Album: The Complete Reprise Recordings
     Years: 1967, 1969; release: 2010 (Original recording remastered)
     Label: Concord Records
     Quality: Mp3/320kbps
     Total Time: 58:23
     Total Size: 119MB


     For the first time in over three decades, the Frank Sinatra/Antonio Carlos Jobim recordings are now together in The Complete Reprise Recordings, the most comprehensive compilation of the Sinatra/Jobim sessions yet. The re-mastered classics of the two late musical legends include "Dindi," "How Insensitive," "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," and of course, "The Girl from Ipanema," a Jobim masterpiece covered by numerous colleagues such as pianist Vince Guaraldi. In addition to those, there are three new bonus tracks on this reprise that allow for a new compositional spark that perfectly compliment the jazz standards that Jobim arranges in his distinct Brazilian bossa nova style. The Complete Reprise Recordings are a must-have for any collector, and a new lifestyle for dedicated Sinatra/Jobim fans. Sinatra's voice has been heard around the world, and as it is matched flawlessly with the compositional genius of Antonio Carlos Jobim, his fame will continue to grow more than a decade after his passing.

     Artist: Carol Welsman
     Album: The Language of Love
     Label: Savoy Jazz
     Year: 2002; release: 2003
     Format, bitrate: Flac
     Time: ~51 min
     Size: 293Mb
     AMG Rating

     Carol Welsman sings an easy, airy, romantic set with hints of passion and sensuality immersed in a savory palate of impressive nuance on The Language of Love. With three Juno Award nominations as well as the 2002 Vocalist of the Year award, the internationally acclaimed vocalist and pianist is appreciated more than ever. Welsman immaculately captures the unique expressions of love with elongated phrasings, lite scats, and endearing vocal techniques delectably mirrored in her bluesy rendition of Gershwin's "The Man I Love" and through the gentle swing of the French version of "Chanson de Maxence." Welsman takes the topic to new heights and eradicates the pain of falling in love with an upbeat bossa nova version of Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things." She demystifies Gino Paoli's "Senza Fine" and beautifully brings the Italian composer's smooth essence to the forefront in his native language. This is a beautifully expressed piece and holds the listener captive until the final note is played. With The Language of Love, Carol Welsman surpasses her other endeavors and should garner more acclaim because of the delightful interpretations she offers.

     Artist: Eartha Kitt
     Album: Live From The Cafe Carlyle
     Label: DRG
     Year: 2006
     Format: MP3@ 256Kb/s
     Time: 48.13
     Size: 68.7Mb
     AMG rating

At age 79, Eartha Kitt remains a remarkably vibrant performer, by the evidence of Live from the Cafe Carlyle, recorded at the tony Eastside Manhattan nightclub. Although she refers to her age, even jumping the gun by half-a-year and calling herself 80, Kitt betrays little evidence of it in a typical set full of witty and romantic songs, some of them rendered masterfully in different languages. "Come-On-A My House," a novelty hit for Rosemary Clooney when Kitt was just starting out in the early '50s, somehow comes out in Japanese, which actually seems to improve it. There's plenty of romance and not a little sex, at least by innuendo, as Kitt evokes such predecessors and departed contemporaries as Edith Piaf, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. The small audience is audibly appreciative, but sometimes a little behind the performer's rapid-fire wit and taste for provocation. Even when she acknowledges her age with such closing songs as "September Song" and "It Was a Very Good Year," she does so only to affirm that she's still alive and capable; it's still a very good year, she proclaims. She has made a number of live albums, and in a sense, this is just another one. But when your reviews are good enough to reprint as liner notes (as happens here in notices from The New York Times, Variety, and others), a show clearly is worth preserving for posterity, and Live from the Cafe Carlyle is at once a late triumph, a reconfirmation of Kitt's ongoing abilities, and a master class in the art of nightclub performing. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi , All Music Guide

     Artist: The Swingle Singers
     Album: Mood Swings
     Label: Primarily A Cappella
     Year: 2002, release: 2003
     Quality: MP3@320kbps
     Size: 135 mb
     Total time: 61:31



The Swingles' discography boasts a stylistic diversity unmatched by any other a cappella group--from Mozart to madrigals, Bach to the Beatles, folk songs to fugues and film themes, but 'Mood' focuses on their forte: jazz. These eight gifted singers have a symbiotic relationship with some of the best arrangers in the world, Ward Swingle, Bertrand Groeger, Alexander L'Estrange, Jonathan Rathbone and others. 'Mood' begins with Miles Davis's 'So What,' which is followed by a brilliant selection of 1960s Latin jazz, 'Surfboard,' Jobim's 'Insensatez' and 'The Girl From Ipanema' (The best version we've heard), and 'Milonga del Angel.' Three moody jazz ballads, 'A Time For Love,' 'The Peacocks' and 'What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?' follow. Then three Richard Rodgers classics, 'Have You Met Miss Jones?,' 'My Funny Valentine' and 'The Lady Is A Tramp.' Then come four classic 30s and 40s standards: 'Just One of those Things,' 'My Foolish Heart,' 'All The Things You Are' and 'It Don't Mean A Thing,' finishing with Quincy Jones' 1966 hit, 'Soul Bossa Nova' (from Austin Powers). Our favorite is the stunning 60s Latin Jazz section, which we hope they devote a whole CD to, but every song is a finely-crafted jewel. 'Mood Swings' swings us into a jazz mood and never lets us go. Listen to the vocal trumpet solo on 'The Lady Is a Tramp'--it's almost unnecessary, because the soprano voices are already doing soaring jazz trumpet riffs throughout the song. This is breathtaking proof of our contention that the Swingles are the best at whatever style they choose to singÐsimply perfect! Highly recommended.

     Artists: Carol Welsman
     Album: Lucky to be Me
     Label: Welcar
     Year: 1995
     Format, bitrate: mp3@256 kbs
     Time: 60:00
     Size: 81,8 Mb

     Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand. She started the Welcar Music label in Toronto, recording her debut CD, Lucky to Be Me, in 1995. She performed throughout Canada and also worked as a jazz vocal professor at the University of Toronto. During 2004-2005 she toured in Japan, Italy, and Brazil in addition to Canada and worked a bit in Los Angeles as a singer/pianist, but Carol Welsman has yet to become well known in the U.S. despite being a household name in Canada.

     Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
     Album: The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books
     Label: Verve
     Year: 1993
     Format, bitrate: Flac
     Time: 15:29:49
     Size: 4,59GB
     AMG Rating:


     This admittedly pricey -- but by all means mandatory -- Grammy Award-winning box set is the final word on the "songbooks" recorded by Ella Fitzgerald between 1956 and 1964. In order of their initial release, contained within are Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1958), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book (1961), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book (1963), and finally, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964). The audio contents have been completely remastered and each title has been expanded -- wherever possible -- to include previously unissued material. In terms of packaging, the producers went to extreme lengths to create exact reproductions of all the vintage LP jacket artwork. Even going so far as to precisely miniaturize the entire hardbound text The Gershwins: Words Upon Music that accompanied their 1959 collection as well as the booklet that came with the Ellington anthology. The icing on the cake is the newly created 120-page tome that puts both the eight respective songbooks -- and their over 240 musical selections -- in proper context of Fitzgerald's luminous career. Readers are also treated to behind-the-scenes insights on the artist's interaction with the veritable who's who of arrangers. Among them are Buddy Bregman, who worked on Cole Porter as well as Rodgers & Hart; the dynamic duo of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on the Ellington set; Paul Weston directed the Irving Berlin entry; Nelson Riddle was in charge of the George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and Jerome Kern installments; and Billy May held the baton during the Harold Arlen sessions. There are a few sides that shouldn't be overlooked, especially as they are otherwise or formerly unavailable. Particularly worthy of mention are "You're the Top," "I Concentrate on You," and "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" from Cole Porter. Plus, a ten-minute rehearsal with Ellington and an alternate of "Chelsea Bridge" from the same. The Gershwin affair yielded an extra version of "Oh, Lady Be Good," while the Arlen catalog produced outtakes of "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block" and "Sing My Heart." As previously mentioned, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books (1993) received the nod for Best Historical Recording at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994.

     Artist: Ann Richards
     Album: I'm Shooting High
     Label: Capitol
     Year: 1958
     Quality: mp3, 256kbps
     Size: 57.2 MB
     AMG rating




Ann Richards, only in her early twenties at the time, had already sung with Charlie Barnet and would always be closely associated with Stan Kenton (whom she married and later divorced). Her life was short, but she did record a few albums as a leader, including this one, her debut. Backed by an unidentified big band conducted by Brian Farnon and arranged by Warren Barker, Richards displays an appealing voice and a swinging style. She was best at this point on upbeat material, so the highlights include "I'm Shooting High," "Poor Little Rich Girl" and "Will You Still Be Mine."

     Artist: Carol Welsman
     Album: Swing Ladies, Swing! A Tribute to Singers of the Swing Era
     Label: Welcar
     Year: 1999
     Format, bitrate: mp3@320 kbs
     Time: 52:08
     Size: 115,87 Mb

     Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand. She started the Welcar Music label in Toronto, recording her debut CD, Lucky to Be Me, in 1995. She performed throughout Canada and also worked as a jazz vocal professor at the University of Toronto. During 2004-2005 she toured in Japan, Italy, and Brazil in addition to Canada and worked a bit in Los Angeles as a singer/pianist, but Carol Welsman has yet to become well known in the U.S. despite being a household name in Canada.

     Artists: Irene Kral, Jack Sheldon + Shelly Manne Quintet
     Album: My Fair Lady with the Un-Original Cast
     Label: Capitol, ST 2143
     Year: 1964
     Format, bitrate: Flac (vinyl rip)
     Time: 39.40
     Size: 196.8 Mb


This is a rather confusing LP. In 1956, drummer Shelly Manne recorded a best-selling album of songs from the play My Fair Lady in a trio with pianist Andre Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar. This 1964 project has nothing in common, for it features Manne's quintet, a larger ensemble (arranged by Johnny Williams) on some songs, and a few vocals by Jack Sheldon and Irene Kral. Probably a decision should have been made to have this be primarily a vocal album, since featuring singing on only six of the dozen selections gives the set an incomplete feel. Sheldon has three vocals, Kral takes two ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Show Me"), and they share "The Rain in Spain," but these were not necessarily the songs with the finest lyrics; "On the Street Where You Live" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" are among the numbers that are taken as instrumentals. Otherwise, the Manne quintet (with trumpeter Don Sleet, altoist Charlie Kennedy, pianist Russ Freeman, and bassist Monty Budwig) is well featured, with 13 horns added on some tunes. An interesting but not essential release.

     Artist: China Moses & Raphael Lemonnier
     Album: This One's for Dinah
     Label: Blue Note / EMI Music
     Year: 2009
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Size: 118 MB



     2009 release from the Soul/Jazz vocalist and the French producer, composer and arranger, a tribute to Jazz legend Dinah Washington. China is first and foremost an eclectic artist who embodies the American idea of an entertainer. Her first single, 'Time', was released in 1996, whereupon her career took off. This was followed by three albums: China (1997), On Tourne en Rond (2000) and Good Lovin' (2004). Subsequent collaborations with Me'shell Ndegeocello, Bob Power, Etienne de Cr‚cy, Guru, Mounir Belkhir, Diam's, Camille, Fabe, DJ Mehdi and Karriem Riggins cemented her reputation in the world of alternative R&B. 13 tracks.

     Artist: Cheryl Bentyne
     Album: Talk of the Town
     Label: Telarc
     Year: 2002, release: 2004
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320kb/s
     Time: 54 min
     Size: 120,18 mb
     AMG rating


     Cheryl Bentyne is justly celebrated for her work as the soprano voice in Manhattan Transfer, but her work outside of that ensemble is just as impressive, if sometimes less flashy. This solo album, in fact, is notable for its lack of pyrotechnical wizardry, and is all the stronger for it. Focusing almost exclusively on standards, Talk of the Town finds Bentyne singing with an almost Ella Fitzgerald-like transparency, imposing little of her own ego on the material and avoiding heavy-handed interpretation. This is not to say that she sings without personality or style -- simply that she sings like someone who wants to showcase the songs themselves rather than her own artistry. The result is quietly spectacular: on straightforwardly melodic fare like Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and the classic ballad "These Foolish Things," the songs are like jewels in simple but lush settings; on more difficult numbers, such as "Little Butterfly" (which consists of lyrics by Jon Hendricks set to the Thelonious Monk composition "Pannonica"), she negotiates the tricky changes with grace and deceptive ease. Bentyne's voice sounds the way a warm shower feels. Very highly recommended.

     Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
     Album: Ella In Hamburg
     Label: Verve
     Year: 1965, release: 2007
     Quality: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 104 mb
     Total time: 48:23


     Ella Fitzgerald and the Tommy Flanagan Trio (the pianist is joined by bassist Keter Betts and drummer Gus Johnson) are in top form during this engaging 1965 concert in Hamburg, Germany; after being out of print for decades it finally was reissued on CD in Japan. She's at her best singing classic material such as the uptempo "That Old Black Magic" and a strutting take of "And the Angels Sing" (not a song one typically associates with Ella). She also is very effective on ballads such as "Body and Soul," "Here's That Rainy Day," and "Angel Eyes." Even though liner note writer implies that the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" is a great jazz vehicle, it is actually a resounding dud, as was often the case when the singer ventured into covering rock hits of the 1960s and 1970s. But an occasional misfire should not dissuade anyone from acquiring this CD, as Ella Fitzgerald is in great voice throughout the performance, and Tommy Flanagan's accompaniment is matchless. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

     Artist: Betty Carter
     Album: Inside Betty Carter
     Label: Blue Note
     Year: 1964
     Format, bitrate: mp3@320
     Time: 26:02
     Size: 55,55 MB



     These recordings can be considered the final ones of Betty Carter's early period for, by the time she next appeared on record (in 1969), the singer was much more adventurous in her improvisations. On the former date Carter (who is quite memorable on "This Is Always," "Some Other Time," and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most") is accompanied by pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Roy McCurdy. Highly recommended to Betty Carter fans and to those listeners who find her later work somewhat forbidding. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

     Artist: Blossom Dearie
     Album: Sings Rootin' Songs
     Label - DIW
     Orig. Year: 1963
     Quality: mp3; 192 kb/s
     Size: 61 MB
     Time: 30:44



     Her first album after leaving Verve Records, Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs was recorded for Hires Root Beer, on whose television      commercials Dearie had sung. The album was available for 50ў and two bottle caps. Vinyl copies are now rare, and the CD was re-released by DIW Records, a Japanese record label in 2005.

          
     Artist: Charlie Parker
     Album: Complete Savoy & Dial Sessions
     Label: Disconforme/Definitive Records
     Year: 1944-1948
     Release: 2001
     Format, bitrate: APE
     Time: 9:02:53
     Size: 2,25 GB



     Words can hardly describe the revolutionary effect of these seminal recordings -- collected here on eight full-length CDs, with a comprehensive 93-page booklet with original essays, photos, and detailed discographical information -- when first released. Charlie Parker's vision, spectacular technique, and style helped to transform the world of jazz in the 1940s, and it has never been the same. As with the efforts of creative visionaries, his early innovations were at first resisted by some as too radical, but with time, Bird became universally recognized for the genius he was. It is impossible to imagine any serious collection of 20th century music not containing at least some of the tracks collected on this splendid compilation. These disks collect all of Parker's studio sessions on Dial and Savoy, the two labels that assiduously chronicled his career during the decade. The set excludes four CDs of live material and most sessions recorded by amateurs, but includes outtakes, Bird's recordings as a sideman, and tracks cut or issued under the Savoy and Dial labels, including the Spotlite, Stash, Guild, Musicraft, Bel-Tone, and the Comet lines. So many great musicians performed with Bird that part of the thrill is not only the scintillating work of Parker, but also the opportunity to revisit seminal performances by Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell, and a host of others. The sound is, for the most part, remarkably good, making this an indispensable collection for any lover of jazz.