Tingvall Trio - Discografia

Da casa Skip, abbiamo il piacere di presentare la discografia di questo straordinario trio che tanto successo hanno avuto nel nostro paese grazie alle recensioni delle riviste specializzate soprattutto in ambito hi end. In tutto sono tre i cd di questo trio guidato dal pianista svedese Martin Tingvall cui si affianca il batterista tedesco di scuola rock Jürgen Spiegel e il bassista cubano Omar Rodriguez Calvo. La diversita' di provenienza geografica e musicale consente al trio di presentare un jazz permeato di influenze folk scandinave a cui si aggiunge un buon ritmo. Per quanto rigurada la qualita' dell'incisione segnaliamo che i vari lavori sono stati disco del mese dell'autorevole Audioreview.

VATTENSAGA

Following "Skagerrak" and "Norr" the trio finalizes their trilogy of nordic stories with "Vattensaga". Recorded at the famous ArteSuono studio in Italy, bestknown for a series of great ECM recordings, the album stands for an even improved group sound and the outstanding songwriting qualities of Martin Tingvall. Thirteen new musical pearls, leaving space for sound paintings of drummer Jürgen Spiegel , the mediterranean lightness of double bass player Omar Rodruguez Calvo and the bright piano playing of Martin Tingvall , experiencing a Fazioli grand piano fort he first time. A definite highlight of the trios band history so far.

NOOR

To put it mildly, the consistency of the young trio have continued to pursue and refine their very own sound as a group on "Norr" is stunning. Nordic ballad elegies like "Utsikt" or "Båtsregn" alternate with groove-accented cuts like "Grrr", pieces like "Barnslig", a track that could have been inspired by Lyle Mays, or "Mjau" , whose lightness emerges from something surprisingly similar to what might have been a calypso number like "St.Thomas" by Sonny Rollins. A refreshing follow - up album for hard-core jazz fans and a broad group of listeners from other genres simply interested in the melodies and grooves.


Press Quotes:

Hessischer Rundfunk "Mikado" CD of the Week 03/08:"When the term piano trio falls, naturally they've listened to their key role figures in Jazz and let those idols flash through in their music, but they are not afraid to show their own qualities, either. First and foremost Martin Tingvall, the pianist, whose class as a composer comes fully to bear here."

Radio Berlin Brandenburg "Kulturradio" 03/08:
"Soft, tender melodies are layered to form tight, powerful and rhythmically complex songs. On 'Norr', this trio proves that its creative substance is nowhere near exhausted. Fantastic."

Nordeutscher Rundfunk "Jazz Aktuell" 03/08:
"Album of the Week"
"With 'Norr', the band revolving around Swedish pianist Martin Tingvall is refining and expanding the course it had taken on 'Skagerrak', their debut, in a convincing manner."

Jazzthing 02/08:
"Today's sounds are ready and waiting the minute the CD from the Tingvall Trio starts spinning in the player. Music that appeals with no ifs, ands or buts."

Image Hifi 02/08:
"Norr has even surpassed its hard-to-beat first album. The pianist's 11 new pieces have become more spellbinding, more change-of-pace and more emotional. Like this, piano trios do have a future!"

Financial Times 03/08:
CD of the Week
"The celebration carries on with 'Norr'. Ballads turning on that wistful Scandinavian sound, compositions wrought with classical figures, mighty groove pieces. The roles within the trio are liquid and change in mid-flight. The main thing is that the music packs a punch."

Stereo 04/08:
"The Swedish-German Tingvall Trio has occupied a front-row seat in the spectrum of recording artists without kicking up a fuss. Notoriety like that ought to assure them the attention of listening audiences in the long run."

Stereoplay 04/08:
"Norr is a happily refreshing second LP. Chilled, not just cool."

SKAGERRAK

Fitted out with a wonderful warm sound captured by Iceland's genius at the board Hrolfur Vagnsson, the debut CD "Skagerrak" is a marvelous cross-section of finely spun jazz compositions such as "Medvind", Latino tracks like "Mustasch", rhythmically no-hold-barred ass-kickers like "Norrland Guld" and pensive fantasies like "God natt". "Movie" instantly generates frame sequences in the mind, while with "Nimis" it's easy to imagine Will Downing constructing a relaxed pop number out of it. An outstanding jazz - piano . trio !

Press Quotes:

NDR 5'06:
"Impressive and capital evidence of fresh, unspoilt musicality."

Jazz Podium 6'06:
"Tingvall's songs are intensely melodic, yet little hooks and refined turnabouts pop up in the melodies time and again."

Audio 7'06:
"Everything flows while each bar conceals a mini-surprise. The Tingvall Trio grooves with reminiscences of Drums 'n Bass, Funk and Rock - A retort to the Esbjörn Svensson Trio."

Stereoplay 7'06:
"Sound Tip of the Month"

Stereo 07'06:
"TT sets its own accents in the ranks of young keyboard trios bringing forth Jazz which is both catchy and accessible at the same time."

Rondo 7'06:
"Again and again, this magnificently floating Trio Jazz transports listeners anew to a world full of fantasy and tenderness, even after hearing it several times."

Brigitte 21.6.06:
"Their northern Jazz is fresh and played with virtuosity, It has elements that rock and elegiac passages in which pianist and listener blend as one."

Rolling Stone 7'06:
"Self-written compositions between Folk Jazz, McCoy Tyner and Pop affiliates. Delectable!"

Music Manual Winter '06:
"Like a horn, the songs by Martin Tingvall bend themselves around strikingly impressionist Jazz motifs to mouth into brilliant trio improvisations. Appealing melodics remain the basis of a tantalizing fantasy."

Delmark Novita' : Ernest Dawkins, Grana' Louise, Magic Sam

Grana' Louise

Internationally recognized Graná Louise has delighted countless music fans around the world with her outstanding blues performances. Her deep, rich voice belts out the kind of raw, gut blues that makes your spine tingle and heart ache. Graná performs at Chicago's hottest blues clubs including Blue Chicago, Buddy Guy's Legends, B.L.U.E.S and The Kingston Mines. She has been a repeat featured act at the Chicago Blues Fest, performing both blues and gospel. Graná has rocked the house at the acclaimed Apollo Theater in New York and festivals from Detroit to Mexico, Reykjavik to the French Riviera, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, Brazil and beyond. Getting' Kinda Rough! combines studio and live recordings, brand new original songs and covers that have been personalized so as to make them her own.

Ernest Dawkins'

In 1978 Ernest Dawkins formed New Horizons Ensemble, a group which today continues to create a sound that showcases their unique combination of jazz, bebop, swing, and avant garde. The Chicago Tribune describes them as "a band with an uncommon versatility that erupts into new music bursts of dissonance and color. This band can enlighten an audience while enthralling it." The Prairie Prophet is NHE's fifth Delmark CD and features Ernest Dawkins, saxophone; Steve Berry, trombone; Marquis Hill, trumpet, Jeff Parker, guitar; Junius Paul, bass; Isaiah Spencer, drums. Contains all new original Ernest Dawkins compositions. This CD is dedicated to Fred Anderson

Magic Sam

One of the greatest blues albums of all time, West Side Soul was chosen by Living Blues magazine as one of it's top ten Desert Island Blues Discs. The new Digipak case contains previously unissued photos and 1960s pluggers (promoting west side gigs) from the private collection of Bill Lindemann. The source material for the CD is the original 1967 analog stereo mix by Stu Black who recorded many of Delmark's classic 1960s blues and jazz recordings. With Mighty Joe Young, guitar; Stockholm Slim, piano; Earnest Johnson or Mac Thompson, bass; Odie Payne Jr. or Odie Payne III, drums. 12 songs include That's All I Need, I Need You So Bad, Feelin' Good, All Your Love, Don't Want No Woman, Sweet Home Chicago and more

Anthony Braxton - Mestre 2008 - ( Composition 367 c )

Il genio di Chicago degli strumenti ad ancia è tornato con il suo nuovo Quartetto, “Diamone Curtain Wall Quartet” grazie all’italiana Caligola. Del resto la popolarità del più geniale e creativo sax del free jazz internazionale nel nostro paese è indiscutibile e gli vale fans ed ammiratori di ogni generazione. Una fama ed un seguito che Anthony Braxton, classe 1945, merita ampiamente per ciò che rappresenta nel panorama del jazz mondiale. Ma chi pensasse di trovarsi ddi fronte a un cd live di "ricordi" di ciò che è stato il jazz si sbaglia di grosso. Anthony è un innovatore, un ricercatore di suoni e questa sua natura non può essere tradita. Ecco che allora in “Mestre 2008”, Anthony si esibisce utilizzando l'intera gamma dei sassofoni dal sopranino al contrabbasso e una grande varietà di clarinetti ma in una dimensione inconsueta nell'attuale panorama jazz affiancato da Taylor Ho Bynum ( cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo and bass trumpets, valve trombone ) Katherine Young ( electric guitar ) , considerata una delle piu' interessanti realta' del chitarrismo contemporaneo e Mary Halverson ( basson ) . Il cd ritrae fedelmente il concerto che Braxton tenne al Centro Culturale Candiani a Mestre nel 2008 durante il quale esegui' la Composition 367c.

------bio-----

Anthony Braxton, polistrumentista e compositore, è nato il 4 giugno 1945 a Chicago, e qui si è laureato prima in armonia e composizione al Chicago Musical College, poi in filosofia alla Roosevelt University. Suona anche il flauto ed il pianoforte, ma ha dimestichezza soprattutto con li sassofoni ed i clarini. Approda nell’AACM di Chicago, scuola–associazione fondata da Richard Abrams e Roscoe Mitchell, poco più che ventenne, ma si mette in luce già nel 1968 registrando due importanti dischi come leader, «Three compositions of new jazz», con Muhal Richard Abrams, piano, Leo Smith, tromba, Leroy Jenkins, violino, e soprattutto «For Alto», un album doppio per sax solo, avveniristico per l’epoca, che aprirà la strada ai lavori solistici di altri sassofonisti.
Fra il 1969 ed il 1974 Braxton compie frequenti viaggi a Parigi, dove ha occasione di registrare numerosi dischi e di incontrare molti esponenti dell’avanguardia jazzistica europea. Fra il 1970 ed il 1971 guida un interessante quartetto, “Circle”, con Chick Corea, pianoforte, Dave Holland, contrabbasso, e Barry Altschul, batteria. Di questo gruppo esce nel 1971 un album live, «Circle: Paris concert». Corea segue un’altra strada, ma la coppia ritmica del “Circle” diverrà la base, fino al 1976, di tutti i suoi futuri quartetti, prima con il trombettista Kenny Wheeler, poi con il trombonista George Lewis. In questo periodo d’intensa attività, ed anche di larga popolarità, incide duetti con Muhal Richard Abrams al pianoforte e Richard Teitelbaum al synth. Realizza quindi due ambiziose registrazioni per grande orchestra: «Creative Orchestra Music» nel 1976, ispirata alle tradizioni bandistiche americane, e «For four orchestras» nel 1978, dove vengono utilizzati ben 160 esecutori. A cavallo fra gli anni ’70 ed ’80 cambiano sempre più spesso i componenti dei suoi quartetti. Ray Anderson prende il posto di George Lewis al trombone, mentre al contrabbasso si succedono John Lindberg e Mark Helias, alla batteria Thurman Barker e Ed Blackwell. Dalla fine degli anni ’80 guida un quartetto con Marilyn Crispell, pianoforte, Mark Dresser, contrabbasso, e Gerry Hemingway, batteria. Braxton registra più volte in duo con Max Roach, e torna a lavorare episodicamente anche al sax solo. Molte e fruttuose le collaborazioni, che lo vedono a fianco di Roscoe Mitchell e Ornette Coleman, ma anche di improvvisatori europei come Derek Bailey, Evan Parker e Willem Breuker.
Da quando, nel 1985, ottiene la cattedra di composizione al Mills College – ma qualche anno dopo si trasferisce alla Wesleyan University di Middletown – la sua attività concertistica inevitabilmente si dirada, ma ciò non gli impedisce di registrare, anzi. A partire dalla seconda metà degli anni ’80, grazie all’appoggio dell’etichetta indipendente inglese Leo Records, Braxton pubblica decine e decine di dischi – quasi un centinaio sino ad oggi – che rappresentano un’accurata e preziosa documentazione della sua musica. Utilizza quasi esclusivamente sue composizioni, eseguite dai più diversi organici. Influenzato da sassofonisti di scuola jazzistica come Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy e Ornette Coleman, ma anche da compositori contemporanei come John Cage, Karlheinz Sockhausen e Arnold Schoenberg, Braxton va valutato non solo come sassofonista, per quanto innovatore ed originale, ma soprattutto come compositore. Non è un caso che Leo Records abbia recentemente pubblicato un cofanetto di 9 dischi interamente occupato da trascrizioni della sua musica per pianoforte. I suoi brani, che spesso privilegiano le parti scritte rispetto a quelle improvvisate, hanno quasi sempre per titolo dei simboli grafici e/o matematici, apparentemente poco comprensibili e distinguibili. Alcuni di questi diagrammi indicano la posizione dei musicisti durante la performance, ed hanno quindi anticipato la musica aleatoria di John Zorn, che di Braxton è sempre stato un grande estimatore.
Laureato in filosofia, appassionato giocatore di scacchi e fumatore di pipa, l’ormai sessantenne sassofonista chicagoano non è l’unico jazzista ad aver coltivato un interesse profondo per la scienza dei numeri: Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, hanno spesso giocato con algoritmi e moduli numerici. Ma il caso di Braxton è diverso: spesso, anche se non sempre, numeri e formule costituiscono le matrici generative fondamentali della sua musica. I “patterns” melodici, le sequenze ritmiche, persino molte combinazioni timbriche derivano da una serie più o meno estesa di rigorosi principi matematici.
Negli ultimi tempi Braxton più che rileggere “standards” predilige suonare la sua musica, che ama definire “ghost trance music”, insieme a giovani interpreti, anche di formazione classica. Il quartetto con cui affronta questo nuovo cd è assolutamente inedito, ed ha una composizione piuttosto inconsueta nel mondo del jazz, mettendo insieme il fagotto e gli ottoni, la chitarra elettrica e le ance (od i clarini) del leader. Il tutto condito da una buona dose di elettronica.

Monty Alexander - Uplift

Quando noi parliamo di genius siamo consci che questa parola può sicuramente assumere diversi significati a seconda dei personaggi a cui la asccostiamo. Nessuno di noi penso possa dubitare che possiamo usare tale attributo con musicisti del calibro di Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Hank Jones sino a Oscar Peterson. Ciascuno di questi straordinari musicisti è riuscito a personalizzare la propria arte attraverso una ricerca che ha esaltato al massimo le proprie caratteristiche e potenzialita' creando nell'ascoltatore emozioni nuove, facendogli scoprire un mondo che era li ma che non si aveva gli occhi per vedere. Ecco, se noi ulilizziamo in tal senso la parola Genius allora è indiscusso che calzi perfettamente all'arte di Monty Alexander e il suo ultimo cd prodotto dalla Jazz Legacy non fa altro che confermalo.

Feat :
Monty Alexander - piano
Hassan Shakur - bass
Herlin Riley - drums
Frits Landesbergen -drums

Tracklist :
1. Come Fly With Me / 2. One Mint Julep 3. Renewal / 4. Sweet Georgia Brown / 5. I Just Cant See For Lookin’ / 6. Django / 7. Body and Soul / 8. Hope --- Medley --- 9. Home / 10. Fungii Mama

The words “genius”, “piano”, “virtuoso”, and “jazz” are very seldom used in the same sentence. Over the long history of jazz these four words have only consistently appeared together when discussing the work of Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Hank Jones, and Oscar Peterson. You can argue the case for quite a few virtuoso jazz pianists of past and present, but when their body of work is compared side by side, you will always end up with the names of Tatum, Cole, Garner, Jones, and Peterson on top.


What you are about to listen to is the sixth artist whose name undoubtedly belongs next to the aforementioned legends. Like Mr. Garner, he does not read traditional music. Like Mr. Tatum, he displays a technique that is a once-in-a-lifetime wonder to behold. Like Mr. Cole, his musical taste and lyrical expression are second to no one alive. Like Mr. Jones, he possesses an exquisite touch. And like Mr. Peterson, his output of work (62 CDs as a leader) and his sense of drama, timing and swing can only be described as extraordinary, joyous, and incredibly moving. After one listen to this collection of live performances, you will quickly realize that these facts are undeniable—and that all men are NOT created equal. Some men are simply touched by a higher force as a great and profound gift for us all to savor.

In Hal Leonard’s 2005 book The Greatest Jazz Pianists of All Time, Mr. Alexander placed in the top five of all time. In his homeland of Jamaica, he received the highest honor bestowed upon an artist: Commander in the Order of Distinction, “for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador.”

He has spent the majority of his distinguished career traveling the globe, performing in the greatest concert halls on earth. Well known in more foreign countries than I can list here, the American jazz fan has not had as much occasion to witness his incredible mastery as they should have. But so many performance offers have constantly poured in from around the planet that we’ve had to share his great artistry with the rest of the world.

We can thank Frank Sinatra and his best friend Jilly Rizzo for hiring Monty after he moved to the United States in 1961 at the age of seventeen. It was at Jilly’s famed New York City nightclub that Monty caught the ears of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Milt “Bags” Jackson. It was Bags that introduced him to the great bassist Ray Brown, and the rest as they say, is history.

It has been an honor, blessing, and great privilege to call this man my dear friend for many years, and to produce this magnificent collection of music for the rest of the world to enjoy. I personally feel that this project is one of the finest I’ve ever been associated with.

I must say, in my very humble opinion, that this CD… is a masterpiece. Webster’s dictionary defines the word UPLIFT as a verb: to lift up, elevate, improve the spiritual, social, or intellectual condition.
That is Monty’s mission.

Prepare to take off.

John Lee

Bruce Cockburn - Small Source Of Comfort

“Small Source Of Comfort” è il primo disco in studio degli ultimi sei anni per questo leggendario songwriter canadese la cui carriera è arrivata alla quarta decade di attività. 14 nuovi brani che riflettono i vari interessi di questo impegnato songwriter. Dei ritorno da un viaggio in Afghanistan, Bruce ha trovato nuove fonti d’ispirazione ed un rinnovato impegno politico-sociale. Oltre che un songwriter di indiscusso valore, come provano 40 anni alla True North, label canadese di musica d’autore per eccellenza, Cockburn è un chitarrista molto considerato dagli addetti ai lavori tanto che è stato paragonato dal New York Times a figure leggendarie quali Andrès Segovia, Django Reinhardt e Bill Frisell.

Tracks :

Iris Of The World /Call Me Rose / Bohemian 3-Step / Radiance / Five Fifty-One /Driving Away / Lois On The Autobahn / Boundless / Called Me Back / Comets Of Kandahar / Each One Lost / Parnassus And Fog / Ancestors / Gifts



With a career that has spanned four decades producing an acclaimed body of work that has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, Bruce Cockburn continues to be revered by fans and fellow musicians alike as one of the most important songwriters of his generation.

Small Source of Comfort is Cockburn's first studio album in six years - a rhythmic
and highly evocative collection of 14 new tracks inspired by his renowned unusual and diverse muse - recent trips to Afghanistan and ponderings on the re-incarnation of Richard Nixon, to road trips and unreturned phone calls. The album boasts some of the best musicians recording today, including violinist
Jenny Scheinman, former Wailin’ Jenny Annabelle Chvostek, and long time collaborators Gary Craig, Jon Dymond and producer Colin Linden.

As both a songwriter and a guitarist, Bruce Cockburn is considered among the world’s best. The New York Times called him a “virtuoso on guitar,” while Acoustic Guitar magazine placed him in the esteemed company of Andrés Segovia, Bill Frisell and Django Reinhardt.

Cockburn’s songs have been covered by such diverse and talented artists as Elbow, Jimmy Buffett, Judy Collins, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins, K.D. Lang, Barenaked Ladies, and the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia

Abeat Presenta : A. Menconi,A. Romano L. Mantuzza ; Ann Malcolm ; Amato Jazz Trio; Fausto Ferraiuolo Trio

Alessio Menconi, Aldo Romano, Luca Mantuzza

Adventures Trio

Due fra i migliori rappresentanti del jazz italiano moderno unitamente all’inesauribile “mito” Aldo Romano, danno vita ad un disco in cui tradizione e modernità si fondono in maniera superlativa. La peculiarità risiede nel sound scaturito, frutto dello stile personale dei componenti magistralmente condotti dalla sapiente vena di Romano, perfetto “ baricentro” dell’ensamble. Alessio Menconi è unanimemente riconosciuto come vero talento dello strumento. Forse uno dei pochi chitarristi italiani ad aver elaborato uno stile affrancato dai soliti modelli . Già chitarrista di Paolo Conte, fa parte del Bobo trio con Faso e Meyer ( la ritmica di Elio e le Storie Tese ); è stato inserito inserito nel gotha mondiale dei chitarristi insieme a Robben Ford, Steve Lukather, Hiram Bullock, Larry Corryell e altri, in occasione di una compilation americana dedicata a Jimi Hendrix.
Luca Mannutza, vincitore del premio Massimo Urbani nel 2002 ha inanellato una serie di collaborazioni entusiasmanti ed oggi è annoverato tra i migliori pianisti della scena jazz contemporanea. In questo progetto si cimenta per la prima volta discograficamente con l’organo.
Aldo Romano non ha bisogno di presentazioni particolari : artista a tutto campo ( scultura, pittura, poesia e musica ) è trait d’union fantastico fra i due giovani musicisti.
Classe, eleganza, raffinatezza, modernità ed al contempo leggerezza costituiscono l’eccellenza di questo disco.

Two of the best representatives of the Italian modern jazz together whit the inexhaustible "myth" Aldo Romano put on a disk in which tradition and modernity are merged in a superlative way. The sound is one peculiarity of this record , the result of personal style of the trio, masterfully conducted by Aldo Romano, perfect "center of gravity" of the ensemble. Alessio Menconi is widely recognized as talent of the instrument. Perhaps one of the few guitarists to have developed an Italian style freed from the usual models.menconi has been inserted into the elite world of guitarists with Robben Ford, Steve Lukather, Hiram Bullock, Larry Corryell ont an american production devoted to Jimi Hendrix.
Mannutza Luca boasts a number of exciting collaborations and today is among the leading pianists of the contemporary Italian jazz scene. In this project he plays organ for the first time in his discographic career .
Aldo Romano needs no special presentations: all-round artist (sculpture, painting, poetry and music) is wonderful trait d'union between the two younger musicians.
Class, elegance, sophistication, modernity and lightness at the same time constitute the excellence of this record.

Ann Malcolm octet feat. Tom Harrell

The Crystal Paperweight

Ann Malcolm è straordinaria singer americana da alcuni anni residente in Svizzera con alle spalle pubblicazioni di grande pregio internazionale ( per esempio al fianco di Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, Keith Copeland, Brian Lemon, Szakcsi, Robi Lakatos, Vince Benedetti, Junior Mance, Reggie Johnson ed altri ancora ).
“ The Crystal Paperweight ” rappresenta per Ann Malcolm una delle più esaltanti realizzazioni di sempre ed ha caratteristiche davvero speciali: innanzitutto vede Tom Harrell coinvolto non solo in qualità di trombettista ( dalle doti uniche al mondo) ma anche di arrangiatore dell’intero disco e compositore. Ann Malcolm ha realizzato alcuni testi che per la prima volta affiancano alcune notissime composizioni dello stesso Harrell: ciò costituisce un notevole valore aggiunto se si considera che nella storia compositiva di Tom Harrell è cosa raramente concessa.
Il disco offre una varietà stilistica e di sound notevole rimanendo sempre elegantissimo e curato. Le spiccati doti di sensibilità ed espressione della Malcolm nonchè la maestria degli arrangiamenti hanno permesso di oscillare da esecuzioni mainstream a jazz ballad sino ad ammiccare al pop ed al soul di "Remember The Time "( M. Jackson).
Ann Malcolm è l'incarnazione della cantante jazz femminile odierna , sofisticata e potente allo stesso tempo, con eccellente e plastico timbro . Ann Malcolm è nato in Iowa, Stati Uniti .

The charismatic jazz vocalist Ann Malcolm is the embodiment of the traditional female jazz singer and the power that lies behind sophisticated, restrained notes. The beautiful, accentuated sound she produces allows her to sing in a cool melodic style that swings, picking up every detail of mainstream music, ballads and modern jazz with her clear jazzy into- nation and acute sensitivity. Ann Malcolm was born in Iowa, USA and finished her BA and Masters Degrees
in Music in Iowa and Boston respectively. She lives in Basel, Switzerland since many years and performs throughout Europe. On this new recording "The Crystal Paperweight" arranged by Tom Harrell, Ann is accompanied by an ensemble of perfectly matched jazz
talents with a wealth of experience. Between them, and the fantastic arrangements and soloing of Tom Harrell, they succeed in creating an intimate atmosphere that gets right under the skin.

Feat :

Tom Harrell : trumpet,composer, arranger
Domenic Landolf : alto flute
Ann Malcolm : vocal, lyrics, alto sax
Patrice Moret : upright bass
Daniel Pezzotti : cello
Alejandro Rutkauskas : violin
Andy Scherrer : tenor sax
Dejan Terzic : drums
Colin Vallon : piano, fender Rhodes
Wolfgang Zwiauer : electric bass on tracks 3 and 8

Amato Jazz Trio

Well

Amato jazz trio : una delle più forti espressioni del jazz tipicamente italiano.
"L’Amato Jazz Trio è uno dei più originali trii d’Europa e oltre”. (Franco Fayenz/ Amadeus)
“Well” è la ulteriore dimostrazione di come una profonda conoscenza delle radici del jazz possa magnificamente sposarsi ed integrarsi con alcune componenti tipicamente mediterranee ed europee.
Un trio magmatico come la lava del vulcano che sovrasta da sempre la Sicilia. Le composizioni immergono l’ascoltatore in una atmosfera densa di colori e sapori che rimandano alla ricchezza e alla tipicità della loro terra.
La disinvoltura esecutiva, l’interplay naturale (i fratelli Amato suonano insieme da quando erano bambini), la profonda vena intellettuale da una parte ed il fuoco e la solarità dall’altra, hanno reso questo trio uno degli esempi più originali e potenti del variegato panorama italiano. Alcuni brani originali ,una doppia elaborazione di alcune partiture di Stravinskij, danno l’idea di come all’ombra del vulcano la musica possa essere nuovamente sciolta, liquefatta, disgregata e restituita in forma nuova. Una perla nel panorama jazzistico degli ultimi anni.

Amato jazz trio : one of the strongest expressions of the typical Italian jazz.
The Amato Jazz Trio is one of the most original trio of Europe and beyond. " (Franco Fayenz / Amadeus)
"Well" is another demonstration of how a deep understanding of the roots of jazz can marry with some Mediterranean and European components.
A trio of magma as the lava of the volcano that dominates Sicily has always been. Their music puts the listener in an atmosphere full of colors and flavors that recall the richness and typicality of their land.
The ease of implementation, the natural interplay (Amato brothers have played together since they were children), the deep intellectual vein on one side and the fire and the brightness of the other, have made this trio one of the most original and powerful of the varied Italian scene. Some originals songs and a double processing of a couple of Stravinsky's scores give an idea of how, in the shadow of the volcano, the music can be disoolved,re-melted, melted, broken up and returned in a new form . A real jewel in the Italian jazz scene.

Feat.

Alberto Amato : doublebass
Elio Amato : piano
Loris Amato : drums

Fausto Ferraiuolo trio, feat. Johannes Faber

artnam-mantra

Artnam, un ambigramma che letto al contrario si legge Mantra. Entrambe le parole contengono il suffisso nam che in sanscrito significa” dedicarsi a qualcosa con passione”, significa anche onore , lode, devozione, armonizzare la propria vita con la legge dell’universo ed anche attingere energia e ...
Artnam-Mantra è musica senza musica, melodia senza tempo che sottende ogni ricerca spirituale e che si fa gioco dei nomi e degli autori nascondendosi l’uno nell’altro.
Ecco che allora il motivo ispiratore di questo cd aleggia sin dall’inizio conducendo l’ascoltatore in una dimensione di bellezza e piacere emotivo e spirituale.
Terzo cd di Fausto Ferraiuolo per Abeat che si conferma pianista dalle doti non comuni.
Dotato di grande tecnica messa interamente al servizio di composizioni di rara bellezza.
Il disco manifesta una intensità espressiva elevatissima ed è impreziosito dalla perfetta fusione con la tromba di Johannes Faber.
Il disco è sin dal primo ascolto convincente ed emozionante : il pianismo di Ferraiuolo è lirico ed intenso supportato da una ritmica perfettamente oliata...( Paolo Fresu).
Composizioni interessanti...suonate con energia ed abilità. Faber alla tromba è incantevole e seducente... ( John Taylor ).


Artnam, an ambigram that reads Mantra read backwards. Both words contain the suffix nam which in Sanskrit means "to dedicate themselves to something with passion," also means honor, praise, devotion, to harmonize their lives with the law of the universe and also draw energy and ...
Artnam-Mantra is music without music, timeless melody that underlies every spiritual quest and makes fun of the names of the authors and hiding in each other.
So then the central concept of this CD hangs from the start leading the listener into a dimension of beauty and pleasure emotionally and spiritually.
Third cd by Fausto Ferraiuolo for Abeat . He is a pianist with uncommon qualities.
Equipped with great technique developed entirely at the service of compositions of rare beauty.
The record shows a high intensity of expression and is enhanced by blending perfectly with the trump of Johannes Faber.
The record is convincing and exciting since the first listening: the piano playing of ferraiuolo is lyrical and intense, also supported by a well-oiled rhythm ... (Paolo Fresu).
Interesting compositions ... played with energy and skill. Faber on the trumpet is charming and seductive ... (John Taylor).

Bocephus King - Willie Dixon God Damn

Ritorna Jamie Perry, in arte Bocephus King. Un nome che poco o nulla dira' se non agli addetti ai lavori, ma un nome che può essere tranquillamente accostato per poetica e intensita' dei testi ai grandi profeti del rock irrequieto e in cerca di senso : Kurt Cobain e Jim Morrison su tutti. Musica e poesia oscurate dalla pensatezza di una vita non facile, che richiede senso. E su questa ricerca con sonorita' che potremmo accostare ai grandi songwriter oscillando ora tra un novello Van Morrison, ora tra un navigato Cohen, che bisogna ascoltare il nuovo album che testimonia lo stato di grazia di questo eclettico rocker canadese di Vancouver : un album maturo, intenso ed ispirato. Il viaggio è ancora lungo ma ha trovato molti compagni anche nella nostra Italia. Il ragazzo ne ha di esperienza da raccontare, e il talento è immenso. Questo cd non è solo un lavoro discografico, questo cd è un urlo di riscatto, una richesta di senso che vuole essere ascoltata e perchè no corrisposta.

- Bocephus King – Willie Dixon God Damn! Non un tributo al grande del blues, ma un disco rock, bello e variegato, come non speravamo di (ri)scoprire da questo personaggio che alla fine del millennio aveva lasciato tanto sperare. Un talento ritrovato!

Come Bocephus King si descrive :

...........Just As Long As You Arrive....B.King/J.L.Perry......... I've been waiting forever. I can wait forevermore. I'll just sit here and feel it, till my feelings get sore.~~~ The crow tried to tell me, but I didn't understand.. said if I ever felt TRUE love, It could kill me where I stand.~~~ There is no running water. No works of fiction or fact. They tried the Quarter-Back-Sneak.. it got the Quarter-back sacked.~~~ They arrived quite early this morning, without a single, muttered word. No news of my Mother, I hope her wayward mind is cured.~~~ She's been hearing all of them voices. Eating all of them pills. Marrying strong men, who hit her hard but pay the bills.~~~ This station's gloom is familiar. Didn't we meet here before? Singing "Jesus loved the leper, just as Jesus loved the whore."~~~ St. Francis wants to meet you. He's seen you in all of my prayers. His laugh makes me so nervous, but I know how desperately he cares.~~~ It puts Hell in my heart, mama.. to know that I've made you cry.. and now I don't care if you arrive late, love, just as long as you arrive.~~~ There's no advice to be taken. No worn path you can walk. But wait too long for your wishes.... and they'll be outlined in chalk.~~~ There is no promise I can make you. There are no guarantees. But I won't just fight the inevitable, until one of us flees.~~~ I took your warning too lightly. I got the old Monk high. Now there's death on the highway and I forgot how to cry.~~~ The thought of you starts me shaking, but at least I know I'm alive. I don't care if it kills me. Some part of me will survive.~~~ I can't take all that you show me. Don't like some things that I see. But your love is my light, babe. The only light there for me.~~~ I got troubles a plenty. You've got your troubles too. But it's only for your touch, that I could ever be true.~~~ The lying mind: I murdered. His mistresses, I bribed. Now I don't care if you arrive late, love.. just as long as you arrive.~~~ I've been coming through slaughter.... with the reins clenched in my teeth. The horses died in the canyon. My guides, they died in their sleep.~~~ Maybe I died when I met you.. and now I'm only your ghost. Haunting every last raindrop.. on the gold, miraculous Coast.~~~ The seige is relentless. The enemy: un-bowed. Our promise, not broken, is all that we have allowed.~~~ We're not always so wretched... but this place brings it right out. Right out in the open. Out there for all things to doubt.~~~ This ain't the first time I've fallen. But it's the first time it's stuck. Maybe my Sun has stopped setting. Maybe I'm pushing my luck.~~~ I see your eyes everywhere, dear.. gazing from some distant time. Maybe that time we were lovers. Maybe that time you were mine.~~~ They're building on grim speculation. The empty prisons just wait. Tell your boozy-breath-Priest, to keep his hands off your plate.~~~ Ask no more of the doubter. She wants now only to sleep. If it's at all worth going, it's worth going that deep.~~~ Too many nails in the coffin. The lid is on now for good. She only said she could love him, she never said that she would.~~~ You want to be upright and singing, If we're going to do this thing. Stronger than the hollow vows, stronger than the ring.~~~ We've got to be Geronimo-brave, love. Be packed and ready to go. Lest we see only the shadows, of love's holy glow.~~~ If the truth is worth anything, anything more than a dare. then the truth is, I love you and I will always be there.~~~ Be there scars on your soul mama. Be there stars in your eyes. There are always exceptions, Not every sleeping heart lies.~~~ You've always been so strong. You just hide it so well. But I deciphered the message, from the walls of your cell.~~~ You may not like my methods. Their madness steals all your breath. You think this plot may still kill me, but I don't care about death.~~~ I know there are pastures of plenty. Your soul is suspecting it too.. and now it's hard to make your heart keep doing, something it don't want to do.~~~ The truth will tear you wide open. But the trip is surely worth the fall... if any of this whole mad trip.. is worth anything at all.~~~ I've know joy, pain and pleasure. Measured many maidens charms.. but it all lost it's meaning, once I'd danced in your arms.~~~ I know that I wasn't dreaming. At least, I'm not anymore. I'm lost in the truth, baby. I've never been here before.~~~ I saw the whole messy story. It seemed a little contrived. Now I don't care if you arrive late, love.. just as long as you arrive.~~~ Baby, everybody loses. Baby, everybody grieves. There's a place without doubt... it's just so hard to believe.~~~ I've won, lost and wondered, what the whole, ugly game meant. They all live hard in dellusion. For fun they sin and repent.~~~ Their words all are empty. Their lessons rob you of years. They've got apologies for everything When that fails, they have tears.~~~ The world is much bigger, than a few broken hearts. There's a train at the station, and soon my love, it departs.~~~ I got a ticket this morning. O.K., I got two... guess I don't mind being foolish, If I am foolish for you.~~~ The Sun's been up for hours but everyone's still asleep. Except for my wounded neighbor, through the walls I hear her weep.~~~ The night left precious reminders, of how lucky I was to survive. Now I don't care if you arrive late, love, just as long as you arrive.~~~

Bgo Novita' : MUDDY WATERS - FATS DOMINO – THE HOLLIES – LITA FORD

Da casa BGO siamo lieti di presentare alcuni classici del blues, del rock & roll sino ad arrivare al beat ed al più moderno rock. Titoli spesso introvabili rivedono la luce in cd in questa appetibile ed economica formula.

The Hollies – Bus Stop + Stop! Stop! Stop!

Two US Imperial label albums from 1966. ‘Bus Stop’ and ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’ were both US Top Ten singles that same year. The albums themselves made the Billboard Top 100 chart
Today, the Hollies with original members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliot still continue to record and tour.

Digitally remastered and slipcased

Tracklist :

Bus Stop: Bus Stop - Candy Man - Baby That’s All - I Am A Rock - Sweet Little Sixteen - We’re Through - Don’t Run And Hide - Oriental Sadness - Mickey’s Monkey - Little Lover - You Know He Did - Whatcha Gonna Do ’Bout It

Stop! Stop! Stop!: What’s Wrong With The Way I Live - Pay You Back With Interest - Tell Me To My Face - Clown - Suspicious Look In Your Eyes - It’s You - High Classed - Peculiar Situation - What Went Wrong - Crusader - Don’t Even Think About Changing - Stop! Stop! Stop!

Fats Domino – Rare Dominos Vol. 1 & 2

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A selection of tracks dating from 1949 – 1957 .A mixture of B-sides, EP tracks and (at the time) unreleased items
Digitally remastered and slipcased

Tracklist :

Rare Dominos Vol. 1: Don’t Lie To Me - Sometimes I Wonder - Nobody Loves Me - Rocking Chair - Dreaming - Careless Love - I’ve Got Eyes For You - Right From Wrong - No No Baby - My Baby’s Gone - Boogie Woogie Baby - How Long - Rose Mary - Fats Domino Blues - What’s The Matter Baby - Stay Away - Don’t Leave Me This Way - Hey La Bas Boogie

Rare Dominos Vol. 2: Yes My Darling - Help Me - Don’t You Know I Love You - Don’t Know What’s Wrong, Set Me Free - Oh Baby - Don’t Leave Me This Way - Hey Fat Man - How Long - Korea Blues - Mardi Gras In New Orleans - I Guess I’ll Be On My Way - The Fat Man’s Hop - I’ll Be Gone - You Know I Miss You - Little Bee - Don’t You Know - I Lived My Life - Trust In Me

Lita Ford – Stiletto

Ex-Runaways member Ford's 1990 album which made the US Top 100 albums chart
Digitally remastered and slipcased

Tacklist :

Your Wake Up Call - Hungry - Dedication - Stiletto - Lisa - The Ripper - Big Gun - Only Women Bleed - Bad Boy - Aces & Eights - Cherry Red - Outro

Muddy Waters – They Call Me Muddy Waters + Live At Mister Kelly (2lps Chess 1971 in 1 cd)

Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Steve Swallow - One Of Many

Grazie anche a casa Cam, abbiamo realizzato di come le strade del pianista John Taylor e quelle di Kenny Wheeler spesso si incrocino per regalarci paesaggi sonori di incomparabile bellezza. Abbiamo imparato a conoscere Kenny Wheeler in molte sfumature, e tutte diverse tra loro: dal mitico trio Azimuth; con Anthony Braxton ancora prima, con Dave Holland poi. Lo abbiamo ammirato per il suo stile nella cosiddetta musica improvvisata; come compositore e arrangiatore anche, specie per Maynard Ferguson. Tuttavia negli ultimi anni quando si ascolta un disco di Wheeler non si può che rimanere impressionati dalla sua arte poetica, da quel suono (alla tromba e al flicorno), da quel lirismo inconfondibile che agisce sulla soggettività del poeta, con prevalenza degli aspetti emotivi e sentimentali su quelli razionali. Così sono anche le sue composizioni, soavi ma risolute. “One Of Many”, che lo vede impegnato in trio con John Taylor e Steve Swallow, favoloso e completo motore ritmico ma anche melodico,di “One Of Many”, opera di rara intensità e bellezza.

Leggi qui il bellissimo articolo che All About Jazz Italia ha dedicato agli 80 anni di Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler has long been one of the most advanced voices on his instrument. Blessed with a full, lovely tone and an astounding range, Wheeler sounds equally at home in fiery free jazz explorations or softer, more lyrical post-bop meditations. Wheeler has written over one hundred compositions and is a skilled arranger for small groups and larger ensembles. His compositions blend lyrical melodies with a distinctive and ever changing harmonic palette. Although resident in England since 1952 and often thought to be an English musician, Kenny Wheeler was born in Canada in 1930 and began playing trumpet at age 12. After studying at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, he moved to London in 1952, where he gigged with swing and dance bands. In the 1970s, Wheeler played with Anthony Braxton, and went on to record the well-received Gnu High, which established him as a soloist of note. Wheeler turned out a series of excellent albums, including 1977’s Deer Wan and 1983’s Double, Double You (that year, Wheeler also began a four-year run with the Dave Holland Quintet). Several more generally fine outings followed in the ’90s, including the ECM dates Music for Large and Small Ensembles and The Widow in the Window and other recordings. Kenny Wheeler is a true innovator and a consequential part of modern music.

Now about him Johannes Wohlleben ( Kenny Recording Engineer says : " Many years ago I recorded Kenny Wheeler in different jazz formations, but it was the Cam Jazz recordings that showed me Kenny's playing as absolutely unique"

HARRY BELAFONTE SING THE BLUES

Harry Belafonte cantante jazz e blues, negli anni ’50 ha suonato come un’autentica rivelazione per il grosso pubblico che lo conosceva solo come folk-singer. Questo lungo cd raccoglie tutte le sue registrazioni jazz and blues oriented dove è accompagnato da jazzisti di prima grandezza che esaltano la sua levigata ed espressiva voce. Registrazioni prese da “Sing The Blues” (1949 e da “The Blues Is Man” (1955) per un totale di ben 19 brani. Presentato una prima volta nel 1958, vede finalmente la luce in cd per la gioia di collezionisti ed appassionati, o, più semplicemente, per chi è sensibile ai grandi interpreti.

- Harry Belafonte – Sing The Blues Feat. Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Dan Fagerquist, Hank Jones, Jimmy Rowles, Plas Johnson, Milt Bernhart, Red Callender, Brew Moore, Zoot Sims, Al Haig.

LadySmith Black Mambazo - Songs From A Zulu Farms

I Ladysmith Black Mambazo fanno parte della storia del Sud Africa recente dove la musica ha sicuramente giocato un ruolo fondamnetale per l'affermazione dei diritti umani. Questo gruppo a cappella ha cantato la storia della propria patria per oltre 40 anni promuovendo la loro cultura con chiunque avesse avuto la curiosita' di avvicinarsi. Ed è cosi' che il gruppo si è ritrovato a collaborare con personaggi del calibro di Paul Simon ( raggiungendo una notorieta' mondiale grazie all'album Graceland ), Stevie Wonder fino a Dolly Parton. Dopo questo lungo viaggio musicale oggi 2011 i Ladysmith tornano alle loro radici, alla loro terra, alle loro tradizioni con Zulu Farm, una raccolta di canti tradizionali che i genitori sono soliti insegnare ai propri figli per ricordar loro da dove provengono affinchè sappiano dove andare. E per assurdo anche se ambientate in un contesto territoriale ben preciso queste canzoni diventano universali perchè riguardano le paure, i sogni e le speranze di tutti i ragazzi, il rispetto per ciò che li circonda e l'amore dei propri genitori.

"There's such a rich, wonderful history. A personal history that comes from the group that's not always found in their CDs," Mitch Goldstein, the band's manager, tells Weekend Edition Sunday host Liane Hansen. "When we were sitting down and talking about the next project they wanted to work on, I suggested that they share with their audience — with their fans — their personal side.
"I've been to the farms where they grew up outside of Ladysmith [a town in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa]," Goldstein says. "When I'm there with Joseph [Shabalala], the founder of the group, and Albert [Mazibuko], they share stories of their childhood and the songs and what their parents used to teach them."

Quindi la musica come momento di educazione tradizionale e di crescita come in "Imithi Gobakahle (Children Come Home)," che insegna ai bambini come comportarsi all'arrivo improvviso di una tempesta o in "Ntulube (Away, You River Snakes)." che invece accompagna i bimbi durante le loro nuotate al fiume insegnando loro il rispetto della natura che li circonda. Insomma un ennesimo piccolo tassello per conoscere piu' da vicino una cultura divenuta celebre al mondo grazie agli ultimi mondiali di calcio ma che rivendica la propria autonomia dal Waka Waka globalizzato.

Per ascoltare la bellissima intervista ( in inglese ) su npr cliccate qui



Since their earliest recordings, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has maintained a respect and a reverence for their past. Indeed, the centuries-old story of their homeland – sometimes joyous, sometimes troubled, but always rich and exhilarating – has been at the very foundation of this vocal group since its very beginning. But alongside the South African history witnessed by an entire world, there’s a quieter, more personal past shared by the members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo – a time of youth and innocence, when the world consisted of nothing more than the hills and open fields of their parents’ farms in Zulu country. Before the stage performances, before the collaborations with other artists, before the Grammy awards, before all of that and so much more, the only songs these children knew were the traditional folk tunes handed down to them by their parents, their grandparents, and the countless generations that preceded them.

And yet, for all the decades that have come and gone, these songs are still very much alive. Ladysmith Black Mambazo shares them with the world in their new recording, Songs From A Zulu Farm, set for release in January, 2011. Founder and frontman Joseph Shabalala and the other members of the group recreate the idyllic world in which they once lived and offer a glimpse of it to fans and audiences around the globe. To say this is their most personal work to date would be an understatement.

“These are songs from the earliest time in our lives,” says Shabalala. “These are stories our fathers and mothers and other relatives shared with us, songs our grandparents sang. These songs represent an important memory of our early life. When we sing these songs, we’re singing songs from our history. It is such a joy for us to put these stories and songs together for our fans to enjoy too.”

Included among the sixteen tracks is “Old McDonald…Zulu Style,” a South African rendition of the well known children’s song, “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” This original classic is reworked in ways never before imagined as it is piped through the language and culture of the Zulu people. As well, there are various traditional tunes taken directly from the Zulu culture. Some are cautionary tales: “Imithi Gobakahle” (“Children Come Home”) calls the children inside when the skies grow dark and a rainstorm threatens, while “Ekhaya” (“Don’t Leave Home too Soon”) encourages teenagers to stay with their families until they are truly ready to live on their own. Other songs are about the various mischievous and troublesome animals so prevalent in Zulu country: “Ntulube” (“Away, You River Snakes”), is an attempt to chase snakes and frogs out of the river to make the water better for swimming, while “Uthekwane” (“The Prettiest Bird?”) is an ode to a vain bird who boasts of her beauty to the other animals. Toward the end of the cd, Shabalala professes his love and longing for the times and places of his youth in “Thalaza,” a song he composed to encourage people of every nation and culture to reconnect to innocence of their younger years."

“Your roots are who you are,” says Shabalala, who revisits the farmland of his youth every month. “I go home to see the sights I’ve known since I was a baby. When I see that field I see my father and mother standing with me as a little boy. I love going home because it is just that…home.”

While Songs From A Zulu Farm may originate from the culture of South Africa, it speaks to certain joys of childhood that are universal. “There are children being told – or being sung – stories that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. These are the same stories and songs that they too will share with their children. We hope that these songs sung to children in South Africa can be shared with and enjoyed by families in other places in the world.

Alligator Records : 40 ANNI DI “GENUINE HOUSEROCKIN’ MUSIC”

Quella che a prima vista potrebbe sembrare l'ennesima compilation economica in realta' è un lavoro di ricordi, di confronto e di verifica che l'Alligator, nata a Chicago nel 1971, vuole fare con i suoi fans per riflettere insieme sui suoi primi 40 anni di storia. Per i piu' appassionati sara' sicuramente una grande gioia poter riascoltare brani che hanno fatto da colonna sonora per oltre meta' della nostra vita. Ma questa compilation si rivolge soprattutto alle nuove generazioni che vogliono accostarsi seriamente a questo genere che tanto ha dato alla musica moderna. Ecco allora a voi questo doppio cd di Chicago blues, 38 brani e 157 minuti di musica dove sara' possibile ascoltare il blues piu' puro ma anche “roots-rock”, o “rockabilly” , “porch soul”,“gospel” e tutti quei generi musicali accomunati dalla medesima matrice : Il Blues !!!!

- Alligator Records – 40th Anniversary DeLuxe edition di 2cd, 38 brani, 157 minuti di musica. Feat. Hound Dog Taylor, Steve Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanaan, Johnny Winter, Holmes Brothers. Eric Lindell, James Cotton, Shemekia Copeland, Albert Collins, e molti dei maggiori artisti Alligator!

You could say that Alligator Records was born in January, 1970, at a little neighborhood bar called Florence’s Lounge on Chicago’s South Side. On a Sunday afternoon, a blues fan newly arrived in the city dropped in to check out a gig by a tall, gangly guitarist that everyone called “Dog.” When I stepped into the crowded little club packed with dancing, drinking, laughing patrons, I was overwhelmed by joyful, raw and energized electric boogie blues. Hound Dog Taylor, perched on a folding chair with a steel slide on the fifth of his six fingers, was pouring out piercing, distorted licks and chords on a cheap Japanese guitar and singing in a high, cracking true bluesman’s voice. He was accompanied only by a broken-toothed second guitarist named Brewer Phillips, playing ever-changing bass lines on an old Fender Telecaster, and a gum-chewing drummer named Ted Harvey who propelled every song forward, picking up the tempo on his minimalist kit, and making it impossible to keep from dancing. It was simply the happiest music I ever heard, and I knew it had to be recorded.

I spent the next year and a half learning everything I could about making and selling records from my boss and mentor, Bob Koester of Delmark Records. Finally, in May of 1971, I was ready to take this amazing little band into the studio. I wanted to capture the spirit of Florence’s Lounge on tape, for all the world to hear. And fueled by a sufficient amount of Canadian Club and the encouragement of my co-producer Wesley Race, they delivered just that spirit. They fulfilled my dream, and started another one—now I wanted to record the other wonderful bands I was hearing every night in the little blues bars on the South and West Sides of Chicago, musicians like Koko Taylor and Fenton Robinson and Carey Bell and Son Seals. And soon, the dream expanded to recording blues musicians from all across the country, legendary artists like Albert Collins and Professor Longhair and Gatemouth Brown and Johnny Otis, and talented newcomers like Shemekia Copeland and Corey Harris.

When I created Alligator Records, the very first promo piece to promote that very first Hound Dog Taylor album was headed “Genuine Houserockin’ Music.” That became our slogan, and we wear it proudly today. “Genuine” because the music we record is deeply rooted in the blues tradition (even when it pushes the standard definition of blues) and is created by musicians who have honed their songs not on synthesizers in their bedrooms, but in front of real audiences, responding to the emotional needs of their listeners. “House” instead of “theatre” or “arena” or “stadium,” because our music is ultimately intimate, even when it’s big and loud. It’s not meant to be presented. It’s meant to be shared between the musicians and the audience, like everyone at Florence’s shared the music with Hound Dog Taylor. And “Rockin’” because it’s designed to move you. Most of Alligator’s records will move your feet or your body, but we’ve tried to make records that will move that other part of you—your soul. Sometimes that can mean music that cleanses your inner pain by pulling it out of you, the “hurts so good” that is so special to the blues. And sometimes it just means the pure release and fun of musicians pouring their energy into a great groove.

Over the forty years, our definition of “Genuine Houserockin’ Music” has expanded to include not only pure blues artists, but also musicians and songwriters who have taken the spirit of the blues and created their own sounds and styles, sometimes called roots rock or rockabilly or front porch soul or, in a few cases, gospel, the ultimate soul-rockin’ music. But our mission has remained the same—to record honest, blues-infused music that moves the feet and soothes the soul, and hopefully makes you feel as good as a Sunday afternoon at Florence’s Lounge.

– Bruce Iglauer ( fondatore dell'Alligator )

Giovanni Guidi - We Don't Live Here Anymore

This recording catches you off-guard and has nothing to do with his previous ones... Giovanni claims once again with awareness and tenacity his desire to stay in the game.
"Awesome!" "Extraordinary!" "Mature!"

Seguiamo Giovanni da molto tempo il che può "suonare" strano se si considera la sua giovane eta' costretta a "bruciare" tappe di una carriera jazzistica in un settore ove tanti giornalisti e pochi critici rischiano di attaccarti eterne etichette al tuo primo lavoro. Ecco allora che Guidi ci spiazza ogni volta trasferendo nella musica quella naturale evoluzione dell'anima che fa essere ogni progetto discografico diverso da quello precedente, ogni concerto un nuovo cammino, ogni giorno una nuova meta perchè sono proprio diverse le cose di cui si sente l'esigenza di parlare, anche solo attraverso i tasti di un pianoforte. Ecco allora che con immenso piacere presentiamo il nuovo cd di Giovanni Guidi - We Don't Live Here Anymore. Se i lavori discografici di Giovanni Guidi fossero una album fotografico sarebbe impressionante constatare come ogni singola pagina e ogni singola foto sia completamente diversa dall’altra. A soli venticinque anni il pianista Folignate impressiona infatti per coraggio e consapevolezza: al quarto album inciso per CAMJazz con questo “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” Guidi rivendica ancora una volta, con consapevolezza e caparbietà, la voglia di mettersi in gioco. Un album che spiazza, e che nulla a che spartire con i precedenti “Indian Summer”, “The House Behind This One” o “The Unknown Rebel Band”, perché ogni volta c’è una nuova storia da raccontare, un concept su cui costruire un’architettura musicale, un momento della vita che va fissato nella memoria attraverso la sala d’incisione, quasi fosse una necessità. L’ultimo lavoro, inciso alla corte del genio indiscusso del sound engineer James Farber nei celebri studi Sear Sound di New York, è un album che alterna composizioni di Guidi a libere improvvisazioni, che vive e trova la propria forma nel dialogo e nel sentire reciproco dei musicisti che il pianista ha voluto accanto a sé. Una ricerca impressionante sul timbro e sul tocco, quello del pianoforte prima di tutto, che giorno dopo giorno si sta trasformando non solo in un suono, ma nel proprio suono. E poi quello dell’altro italiano che Guidi ha voluto accanto a sé, quel Gianluca Petrella che oltre ad essere uno dei più brillanti e geniali artisti in circolazione, sta diventato per diritto uno dei partner privilegiati di Guidi e con il quale sempre più spesso a condividere palchi e progetti. Oltre a Petrella ad impreziosire molto il progetto troviamo anche il sax di tal Michael Blake che impressiona per bravura ma anche per duttilita' e capacita di adeguarsi nei vari progetti ove viene chiamato in causa. Un Sassofonista assolutamente da seguire e scoprire.

Giovanni Guidi Piano
Gianluca Petrella trombone,
Michael Blake sax,
Thomas Morgan bass,
Gerald Cleaver on drums.

Tracklist

1 DESS 4:53
2 FURIOUS SEASONS 4:47
3 WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE 6:35
4 SHE COULD TELL THEY WERE FRIENDS 3:34
5 DISTURBING THE PEACE 5:52
6 THE DREAMERS 3:21
7 BEGATTO KITCHEN 2:39
8 OVERNIGHT REVOLUTION 7:50
9 WHAT REMAINS 7:01
10 IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE 8:27

L'uscita del cd sara' accompagnata da un tour promozionale assolutamente da seguire Ecco le date

16 Marostica - Panic Jazz Club
17 Parigi - Sunset Jazz Club
18 Vicchio- Teatro Giotto
19 Torino - Conservatorio Verdi
20 Gioia del Colle - Uéffilo
22 Roma - Teatro Studio Auditorium
23 Assisi -Teatro degli Instabili
24 Bologna - Bravo Caffè
25 Ferrara - Torrione Jazz Club
27 Sant'Elpidio - La Limonaia

Dodicilune Novita' : Cinzia Spata, Salvo Lazzara, Camillo Pace

Cinzia Spata - Into The Moment

Preparazione, originalità, voglia di rischiare, e una line-up straordinaria, un gruppo tutto americano con il talento di Bruce Barth al pianoforte e il vibrante tenore di George Garzone su tutti: queste le doti di “Into the moment”, ultimo splendido lavoro di Cinzia Spata, una delle voci italiane maggiormente stimate all'estero, vera e propria musicians' musician.
Mezzo espressivo primario, per Spata la voce è pensata e “suonata” come un vero strumento, con le sue modulazioni, la sua tecnica improvvisativa, le sue nuances. Cinzia Spata pensa la voce e pensa i brani, da lei tutti arrangiati: un florilegio di nuovi e vecchi standards, da "Questar" a "My Favourite Things", da "The widow in the window" a "Soul Eyes". Un disco che denota un gusto leggero e regala un piacere centellinato e fine, fatto di goduriosa eleganza e sottile gioia.

Cinzia Spata, vocal
Bruce Barth, piano
Dave Clark, double bass
Yoron Israel, drums
Ken Cervenka, trumpet, flugelhorn
George Garzone, tenor sax

Salvo Lazzara Pensiero Nomade – Materia E Memoria

" I think at life as a continuous flux of experiences, a passing through of events, a daily ritual of memory. Maybe music is the best way, just like poetry, to stop the time and grab the sense of life in this constant change and mutability. "

Salvo Lazzara, guitars, oud, bass, loop & samples
Davide Guidoni, drums, percussions, programming,
Alessandro Toniolo, flute, devices,
Luca Pietropaoli, trumpet, flugelhorn, devices,
Fabio Anile, piano, keyboards, programming, percussions.

Camillo Pace & Connie Valentini – Uhuru Wetu

Un giorno mi vedo recapitare a casa un cd con sei fra i più famosi brani di Bob Marley, Hallelujah di Leonard Cohen e il brano originale “Il volo dell’angelo”, interpretati con gusto e maestria dalla voce di Connie Valentini e da Camillo Pace in veste di contrabbassista, arrangiatore e compositore. Insieme a loro, la chitarra di Nando Di Modugno, le percussioni di Pippo Ark D’Ambrosio, che completano con classe la ritmica appropriata a questo tipo di sound, e le voci di Nyamai Anthony Mukoko e di Likono Alexander Ashivaka, che, con i loro cori, sottolineano il clima tribale-mediterraneo di questo progetto. Accanto a tutto questo non potevano mancare gli interventi di Roberto Ottaviano che con le sue frasi sempre originali, puntuali e con un bellissimo suono, crea energia e tensione positiva. Ho lasciato per ultimo Vincenzo Deluci , perché, quando ho ascoltato “No Woman No Cry”, le sue note, già dall’introduzione, mi hanno emozionato per la loro anima profonda e sincera. Quando , dopo qualche giorno, mi ha chiamato Camillo per chiedermi se mi era piaciuto il cd e se mi andava di partecipare alla registrazione, non ho potuto fare a meno di accettare con entusiasmo l’invito. Questa è la storia di “Uhuru Wetu”. "
Marco Tamburini

Camillo Pace, doublebass
Connie Valentini, voice
Marco Tamburini, trumpet, flugelhorn (4, 5, 6)
Roberto Ottaviano, soprano sax (1, 3, 8)
Vincenzo Deluci, slide trumpet (2)
Nando Di Modugno, guitar
Pippo Ark D’Ambrosio, percussions
Nyamai Anthony Mukoko, voice (5, 6, 7, 8)
Likono Alexander Ashivaka, voice (5, 6, 7, 8)
All arrangements by Camillo Pace

Novita' Ace Records del Mese di Febbraio

Da casa Ace, nuova corposa uscita che spazia tra rock & roll e musica nera in tutte le loro sfumature, per non parlare dei grandi autori che hanno contribuito all’evoluzione della musica americana. Un a fonte inesauribile per collezionisti ed appassionati di questi generi, che troveranno materiale rarissimo e da anni introvabile raccolto in cd a lunga durata. Il passato di blues, rock & roll e black-music in genere rivive attraverso questa label.

THE SONGS OF DAN PENN & SPOONER OLDHAM

SWAMP DOGG

DORIS TROY

JACKIE DE SHANNON

RICK NELSON

THE MUSIC CITY STORY

Sweet Inspiration – The Songs Of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham

We have received many requests to add Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham to our songwriter series. It’s never really been about if we would, so much as when. With 2011 being something of a “Year Of Southern Soul” for Ace and Kent, what better way to kick it off than with a genius gathering of 24 of the best songs ever to bear their names below the title.

“Sweet Inspiration” does a bang-up job of assembling the key songs Dan and Spooner wrote together during the 1960s and early 1970s. A quick look at the track listing will show prospective buyers that my co-compiler Bob Dunham and I have tried hard to make sure that there’s a version of every major Penn and Oldham composition included. We haven’t always chosen the obvious versions, so there will be some nice surprises here for even the most avid collectors. It was difficult to bring what started out as a massive wish list down to just 24 selections, but we think our choices do justice to the performers of the songs and, most importantly, the writers.

Everyone will have their own highlights. Mine would include Arthur Conley’s Fame recording of ‘In The Same Old Way’ (which was originally written as a straight ahead country song) and country thrush Jeanne Newman’s riveting, previously unissued Goldwax recording of ‘It Tears Me Up’, one of the earliest songs Penn and Oldham wrote together. I’m also very partial to the Southern sincerity of the Box Tops’ ‘Everything I Am’ (a UK Top 3 hit for Plastic Penny in late 1967) and Tommy Roe’s little-known 1966 take on ‘Wish You Didn’t Have To Go’, a number made more famous a year later by James and Bobby Purify. But greatness abounds from beginning to end of this set, and it’s unlikely that any prospective purchaser will not be totally impressed by everything it contains.

A companion volume – which will also include songs co-written by Dan and/or Spooner with collaborators such as Donnie Fritts, Rick Hall, Marlin Greene and Chips Moman – will hopefully see the light of day next year. In the meantime, here’s over an hour of the sweetly inspired songwriting of Wallace Daniel Pennington and Lindon Dewey Oldham. Oh, what a power!

Tracklist

01 OUT OF LEFT FIELD - Percy Sledge //02 I'M YOUR PUPPET Dionne Warwick // 03 SWEET INSPIRATION The Sweet Inspirations // 04 A WOMAN LEFT LONELY Charlie Rich // 05 I WORSHIP THE GROUND YOU WALK ON Etta James // 06 I'M LIVING GOOD The Ovations // 07 TAKE ME (JUST AS I AM) Solomon Burke // 08 CRY LIKE A BABY Arthur Alexander // 09 IT TEARS ME UP Jeanne Newman // 10 SLIPPIN' AROUND WITH YOU Art Freeman // 11 I MET HER IN CHURCH Tony Borders // 12 ARE YOU NEVER COMING HOME Sandy Posey // 13 LET IT HAPPEN James Carr // 14 EVERYTHING I AM The Box Tops // 15 FEED THE FLAME Ted Taylor // 16 WATCHING THE TRAINS GO BY Tony Joe White // 17 IN THE SAME OLD WAY Arthur Conley // 18 DENVER Ronnie Milsap // 19 DREAMER Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles // 20 GOOD THINGS DON'T COME EASY Irma Thomas // 21 I NEED SOMEONE The Wallace Brothers // 22 HE AIN'T GONNA DO RIGHT Barbara Lynn // 23 WISH YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO Tommy Roe // 24 LET'S DO IT OVER Joe Simon

Swamp Dogg – It’s All Good (A singles Collection 1963 – 1969)

Some compilation CDs carry titles that oversell their content, but not this one. As the compiler and annotator of the project, I can say with hand on heart that here’s one collection with a title that you can truly believe in.

What you get here really IS “all good”. The songs may not have made their creator rich, or famous beyond the circle of collectors who avidly seek out each and every note he recorded, but these 24 tracks amply demonstrate why Jerry Williams aka Swamp Dogg is held in such high regard by soul fans, and why there’s still enormous demand for his music almost 60 years after he cut his first recordings as an 11 year-old piano-playing prodigy.

“It’s All Good” brings you more than 25 year’s worth of primo Swamp, in a variety of styles and under almost as many aliases. It embraces everything from Jerry Lee Lewis impersonations (‘Hum Baby’, ‘She’s So Divine’) and Northern Soul anthems (‘If You Ask Me’), big city balladry (‘Baby You’re My Everything’ and Swamp’s previously unissued, stunning version of ‘Oh Lord What Are You Doing To Me’) to sublime Southern Soul (‘Knowing I’m Pleasing Me And You’) and then some. More than anything, it demonstrates the multitudinous talents of Jerry Williams Jr. as musician, singer, songwriter, producer and arranger of some of the best music made across the last 50 years.

We’ve managed to find room for a couple of great 60s sides that, for one reason or another, managed to evade release at the time of their recording. The rest of the selections were all originally issued on singles. Some of them also appeared on Swamp albums, but we have used the 45 versions – many of which have never appeared on CD – to give collectors something new. With superb sound quality throughout and a booklet packed with pics and info, it’s a treat that will enthral Dogg-lovers all over the world.

“It’s All Good” comes to you with the personal seal of approval of Swamp Dogg himself. As well as being a great listen in its own right, it’s the perfect complement to our earlier “Blame It On The Dogg” compilation, as well as other Kent titles by Doris Duke, Sandra Phillips/Bette Williams, Irma Thomas and Charlie “Raw Spitt” Whitehead that bear his unmistakable stamp. If “It’s All Good” lives up to its title and your expectations, you could do worse than invest in any and all of those.

Doris Troy – I’ll Do Anything (The Doris Troy Anthology 1960 – 1966 )

I’ll never understand why the term “one hit wonder” has come to be seen as pejorative. One hit is certainly one more than I ever had – how about you?

Doris Troy placed only one song on the US Hot 100, but what a song! ‘Just One Look’ has endured as a much-covered standard, heard in countless movies and commercials. If that one wonderful hit is all you know of singer-songwriter-producer-arranger-session vocalist-actress Doris Troy, then here’s chance to catch up with what you missed. I’ll give you a hint – you’ve missed a lot. Doris Troy earned every hyphen. “I’ll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996” amasses, for the first time ever, songs from every phase of a most illustrious career, ranging from her very first recording to her last.

Affectionately dubbed Mama Soul, Doris Troy cut her teeth singing in church and worked as a teenaged usherette at New York’s legendary Apollo Theater before joining Cissy Houston, Dionne and Dee Warwick and Judy Clay in forming the premier New York studio backup group (two Chuck Jackson classics that feature cameos by Doris are included herein). She released two singles in 1960 as Doris Payne and a 1961 duet under the name Jay & Dee (all three make their digital debut here) before striking gold with her self-penned superhit.

10 sterling examples of her tenure with Atlantic Records comprise the heart of this set, including the irresistibly catchy ska-tinged ‘What’cha Gonna Do About It’ and ‘Please Little Angel’, co-written with a then-fledgling writing team named Ashford and Simpson. Incidentally, Doris co-wrote the song that gives this anthology its title, ‘I’ll Do Anything’, with another nascent writing combine you may have heard of named Gamble and Huff.

Both sides of the ultra-rare 1967 Capitol single ‘He’s Qualified’ and ‘Face Up To The Truth’ make their CD bow here. After that release, Doris decamped to England, again becoming the go-to girl for background vocals on classic hits for Dusty Springfield, George Harrison, Pink Floyd and the Stones, to name a few. In cahoots with Harrison, she released a brilliant LP on Apple in 1970, represented on this disc by ‘Ain’t That Cute’ and ‘You Tore Me Up Inside’.

Two definite high points are 1974’s Dandy Livingstone-produced reggae-inflected romp through Eddie Floyd’s ‘Don’t Tell Your Mama’ and a sparkling disco workout from 1977, ‘Can’t Hold On’, both new to CD. By this time, Doris had moved back to the States where she eventually starred in the musical based on her life, Mama I Want To Sing, written by her sister, New York radio luminary Vy Higgensen. The sisters are heard on a high-spirited duet released here for the first time anywhere.

Doris’ final recording was for Ace in 1996 – ‘Hear Me Calling’, a duet with British blue-eyed soul wunderkind James Hunter. Doris’ heartfelt, gut-wrenching reading of the gospel standard ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ provides a poignant and powerful coda to a poignant and powerful collection.

The customary worth-the-price booklet includes rare photos and cuttings, remembrances from friends and colleagues Ady Croasdell and David Nathan, and Mick Patrick’s biographical essay drawing from a previously unpublished 1995 interview with Mama Soul herself. If you’ve only given just one look to Doris Troy, “I’ll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996” is a golden opportunity to rectify that oversight.

Jackie DeShannon – Come And Get Me (The Complete Liberty And Imperial Singles Vol. 2)

Ace’s first volume of Jackie DeShannon’s Liberty and Imperial singles left her at the end of 1963. The same girl who performed a blistering set of folk and blues at LA’s Ash Grove venue had, a few weeks later, effortlessly climbed the Wall of Sound with Jack Nitzsche to produce one of the generation’s great pop records, ‘When You Walk In The Room’.

1964 saw Jackie composing more quality pop with new writing partner Randy Newman, then touring the States as specially requested support act to the Beatles hollering out ‘Shout’ to the screaming fans, and finishing the year in England exploring the boundaries of rock and folk with Jimmy Page.

1965 started gloriously with Jackie’s breathtaking recording of Bacharach and David’s homage to world peace ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love’. She co-starred with Bobby Vee in the teen movie C’mon Let’s Live A Little, laid down a riveting and still unreleased demo album of her own songs in the folk style, toured on the Caravan of Stars with the Drifters and Peter and Gordon, and took a break to study at the renowned Chouinard Art Institute.

In 1966 she recorded with the Byrds, released the sophisticated album “Are You Ready For This?” and signed a new recording and songwriting contract with Liberty.

This second volume of Jackie’s collected 45s leaves her at the start of 1967, when she laid down two ultra smooth and classy recordings of major film themes.

I’ve had the enormous pleasure of meeting Jackie a couple of times. Always excited, always enthusiastic, her conversation moves from spot-on analysis of the latest singers and bands, to recollections of every aspect of her life, to the thrill and tension of live performance.

Jackie DeShannon’s unwillingness to be typecast or pinned down to a single style has been the backbone of her splendid career and the reason why her loyal band of admirers – and all of those who have caught up with her over the years – find her performances, her songwriting and her recordings, a constant source of pleasure. Explore “Come And Get Me” at your leisure, you won’t be let down, you’ll smile with recognition and open your eyes wide at the unexpected, but most of all you’ll spend an hour and a bit with a young woman fully engaged in her career of making music of the highest quality.

Rick Nelson – In Concert The Troubadur, 1969

Rick Nelson and his four backing musicians were booked to play a week’s engagement at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. It wasn’t the first time the group had played there, but this time, between 30 October and 2 November 1969, the shows would be recorded for an album that would give new credibility to its star.

Six months earlier Rick had cut the Dylan song ‘She Belongs To Me’ and had used the steel guitarist Buddy Emmons on the session. Back in 1967, when Rick was recording his “Country Fever” album, Emmons had played steel on the old Jim Reeves song ‘When You Are Gone’, but the track was aborted. Rick was unable to secure the services of Emmons on a regular basis, so had toured for four months with his new trio of Randy Meisner, Allen Kemp and Pat Shanahan with the promise that “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow would join in time for the Troubadour recording. Let down at the eleventh hour, top pedal-steel player Tom Brumley joined just a day before the gigs began. The “In Concert” LP marked Rick’s first new recordings without his super sideman James Burton.

The album came as quite a shock to some people. Here was an artist considered by many to be a fabricated teen idol. Fired up and ready to go, at age 29 Rick Nelson had never looked or sounded better, singing the songs he loved, and some he’d written himself. How could he interpret Bob Dylan, Eric Andersen and Tim Hardin? It turned out that he could do so very well and the calibre of his own songs such as ‘Easy To Be Free’ even approached theirs. “In Concert” was a groundbreaking album that made a big contribution to the new style of music that came to be called country rock.

The album was released by Decca in the USA in January 1970 as a showcase for Rick and his new band. Not only did it receive critical acclaim, Rick’s fans also loved it. It was issued in a superb gatefold sleeve, folding out to reveal some great colour photos of Rick and the band, with a close up of Rick in action on the front cover. All the Troubadour concerts were recorded over a four-day period, sometimes with three shows a night. The tapes were edited down and Rick made the final choice of 12 tracks for release. Those tracks were transferred from 8-track to 16-track for overdubbing.

Having been deleted for many years, the album is reissued here in glorious expanded form over two complete CDs – more than Rick’s legion of fans could have ever hoped for. As the compilers of this musical treat, we were able to listen to nine reels of previously unissued material, from which we selected the best tracks. CD1 comprises the original 12-track album from the actual master recording remastered with dramatically improved sound plus 10 previously unreleased live cuts. Some might say that these 10 tracks alone, remixed with great care by Rob Keyloch and mastered by Duncan Cowell, would make a great Rick Nelson CD. CD2 contains a further 20 unissued mixes of live recordings from the Troubadour shows. All sound so fresh and up-to-date that it’s hard to believe that they were recorded live and not in the studio. All the alternate versions have been mixed directly from the original 8-track recordings to produce pristine sound.

The Music City Story

Ray Dobard’s Music City Records of Berkeley, California, across the Bay from San Francisco, is a catalogue of mythic proportions that has been cherished for decades by a small hardcore of R&B, vocal group and, latterly, soul fanatics. Based on the available evidence – 50-odd 45 and 78rpm releases – and a lot of hearsay and rumour, many have spent hours fantasising about the purported riches in the possession of its famously protective, zealous owner.

Ace Records is thus proud to unlock the Music City vault for the edification and entertainment of the world at large with the 3CD set “The Music City Story”, an unprecedented survey of the label’s 25-year operation, and an excellent primer for Ace’s forthcoming genre- and artist-based compilations of Music City material, telling the story with many rare gems from the catalogue and a surfeit of previously unissued goodies.

Although Ray Dobard experimented with recording a variety of genres, the legend of Music City is predicated on its role as a premier exponent of black rhythm and blues styles, with a strong regional flavour. Most significantly, the sound of Music City was street. Much of what appeared on the label and lies in its voluminous cache of unreleased recordings can be said to reflect the evolution of black popular music between the early 50s and the mid-1970s. It reflects reality: this is what was heard in clubs and juke joints, at high school auditoria and rec centres, rent parties or literally out on the sidewalk, with all the dissonance and unoriginality that might imply, but matched equally by huge, invigorating dollops of innocence and exuberance, and a surprising amount of inspiration.

Amongst the set’s 78 tracks are names familiar to doo wop and blues collectors – the Crescendos, Gaylarks, Rovers, 5 Lyrics, Alvin Smith etc – while behind several others lurk famous names (James Brown, Lou Rawls) or others soon to be famous (Sugar Pie DeSanto, members of Sly & the Family Stone). From the raucous jump blues of Del Graham’s ‘Your Money Ain’t Long Enough’ to the hip street soul of Darondo, the breadth of genres represented is extensive, but the overall emphasis in “The Music City Story” is upon the black vocal group, be it 50s, 60s or 70s vintage. It is the rich seam of Bay Area groups mined by Music City that collectors most closely associate with the label. Dobard had only a couple of minor hits – the 4 Deuces’ popular ‘W-P-L-J’, Johnny Heartsman’s raucous ‘Johnny’s House Party’ – but kept the tape machine running pretty much constantly for much of his quarter-century in the business.

It has been many years since as significant a stash as Music City’s has come to light, and accompanying the tantalising musical treats is an extensive, heavily-illustrated sleeve note detailing the label’s history. Given that the late Dobard was notorious evasive, an air of mystery has always surrounded his activities in music, but this is the first time a recounting of the Music City saga has been based upon hard data, rather than supposition. Documents, letters, tape box annotations, discographical notes, session chatter, even recorded phone conversations form a considerable body of evidence, that helps bring into focus what this fiercely independent and pioneering black entrepreneur achieved. Ray was no Dootsie Williams or Jake Porter, but nevertheless, a picture emerges of a fascinatingly complex figure, whose role in the black music scene in the mid-20th century cannot be discounted. As venerable East Bay bandleader Johnny Talbot puts it, “to me, Ray Dobard was the foundation of Bay Area music. There was hardly anyone who did anything later who didn’t bump into Ray, so he had to be a foundation.”

Track list

CD 1

01 W-P-L-J The 4 Deuces - 02 YOUR MONEY AIN'T LONG ENOUGH Del Graham with Que Martyn's Orchestra - 03 KEEP ME SATISFIED, BABY Golden Boy with Chick Morris & His Band - 04 A PRAYER Al Joseph Harris with Chick Morris & His Band - 05 GUITAR BLUES Sidney Grande - 06 ON MY WAY Alvin Smith - 07 HERE LIES MY LOVE Mr Undertaker - 08 ANNIE PULLED A HUM-BUG The Midnights - 09 LATE LAST NIGHT The Twilighters - 10 ICHI-BON TAMI DACHI The Rovers - 11 JOHNNY'S STOMP Johnny Heartsman - 12 TELL ME, DARLING The Gaylarks - 13 I'M A WORKIN' MAN - The 5 Lyrics - 14 MORRINE - The 5 Campbells - 15 I DON'T STAND NO QUITTIN' - Gloria Jean - 16 CROSSING THE RIVER - The Dreamers - 17 THIS WICKED RACE - The Golden West Singers - 18 JERRY - The 3 Dons & Donna - 19 LIL TIPA-TINA The 5 Swans - 20 THE WHEEL Jimmy Nelson - 21 WRONG DOING WOMAN Jasper Evans - 22 DING DONG The Gayteens - 23 FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART Leon Pryor - 24 BURY ME IN THE SOUTH Al Bennett with The Country Travellers - 25 THE WALLFLOWER Unknown Duo - 26 BIG SIX RADIO AD

CD 2

01 JOHNNY'S HOUSE PARTY PARTS 1 & 2 Johnny Heartsman with The Rhythm Rockers & The Gaylarks - 02 ROCKIN' SATELLITE The 3 Honeydrops - 03 JUST ONE MORE CHANC Lord Luther - 04 LOVE ME TENDER The Fidels - 05 GONNA BLOW OUT THE LAMP Gene Lee & The Blues Rockers - 06 ARE YOU MY BOYFRIEND Wally & Theresa - 07 INDIAN JANE The Marcels - 08 I NEED YOU BABY Robbie Meldano - 09 FLIPPIN' & A-FLOPPIN' Pee Wee & Sugar Pie - 10 STATION L-O-V-E The Holidays - 11 BLUES ALL AROUND MY BED Jimmy Raney - 12 ELAINE The Klixs - 13 MUSIC CITY HOP Johnny George - 14 HEAVEN'S OWN CHOIR The Five Crystels - 15 DYNAMITE Kary Lynn - 16 LOVER'S PLEA The Pagans - 17 THE SLOPP Willie Moore - 18 BEVERLY MY DARLING Joe Blackwell & The Individuals - 19 PARTY AT VERN'S The Satellite Band - 20 MY HEART'S DESIRE The Crescendos - 21 YOU GAVE ME LOVE Lee Durrell & The Tamaras - 22 I WALK IN CIRCLES Little Lynn - 23 CHURCH ON THE HILL Bob & Jessie - 24 LOVE YOU ALL NIGHT LONG Little Willie Littlefield - 25 MIRAGE The Night Caps - 26 MAGNIFICENT MONTAGUE RADIO SPOT
Magnificent Montague

CD 3

01 SCHEMING Wanda Burt & The Crescendos - 02 ALL AROUND THE WORLD Vermettya Royster with James Brown's Band - 03 OCEAN OF LOVE The Franciscans - 04 THE KASAVUBU WALTZ D'Vonya White - 05 NATURE BOY The 4 Rivers - 06 LONELY ONE The Derbys - 07DON'T FENCE ME IN Jackie Day 08 I FEEL SO BLUE The Italics - 09 I'M WAITING The Fantastics - 10 WHAT TO DO The Swingin' Brothers - 11 YOU ARE MY LOVER GIRL The Powell Brothers - 12 I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE Johnnie Marie Thorne - 13 SOMETHING IN MY EYE The Music City Soul Brothers - 14 PASSING THRU MUSIC CITY Music City Swingers - 15 DO THE PHILLY The Music City All Stars - 16 TOO LATE TO CRY Lou Rawls - 17 FEELING FINE, FEELING GOOD Wanda Burt - 18 SHE'S COMING BACK The Soul Brothers - 19 HE'S ALL RIGHT The Heavenly Tones - 20 STOP TELLING ME The Two Things In One - 21 A MAN THAT IS NOT FREE The Soul Sensations - 22 DIDN'T I
Darondo - 23 LOVING YOU ISN'T ENOUGH The Ballads - 24 WHEN WE GET MARRIED PART 2
Tear Drop Tears - 25 FAREWELL GOODBYE MY LOVE The Performers - 26 KYA NEWSBEAT SPOT

Eva Cassidy - Simply Eva

La storia di questa fantastica vocalist la conoscete bene o male tutti ma è sempre bello ricordarla. Eva durante la sua corta vita ( è morta poco piu' che trentenne ) non ha mai conosciuto la fama e la sua attivita' di artista è rimasta per anni circostritta a club poco piu' che amatoriali dell'area di Washington. Sino a quando qualche anno fa un dj della Bbc2 viene per caso in possesso di un suo cd e lo propone in radio. In una settimana Eva scala tutte le classifiche arrivando al numero 1 tra i cds piu' venduti in Uk. Ben presto la sua fama diventa tale che anche hollywood se ne accorge e usa sempre piu' spesso la sua voce come soundtracks di film soprattutto a carattere sentimentale. E' dunque con piacere che vi presentiamo questo nuovo cd postumo della grande Eva con i suoi brani piu' famosi interpretati superbamente accompagnata dalla sola chitarra acustica che amplifica ancor di piu' ( qualora ve ne fosse bisogno ) le sue qualita' vocali. Altro non ci resta che aggiungere che l'emozione continua.....




Tracklist

01. Songbird
02. Wayfaring Stranger
03. People Get Ready
04. True Colours
05. Who Knows Where the Time Goes
06. Over the Rainbow
07. Kathy’s Song
08. San Francisco Bay Blues
09. Wade in the Water
10. Time After Time
11. Autumn Leaves
12. I Know You by Heart

Ten years after she first topped the British charts you may think you’ve heard all there is to hear from Eva Cassidy. Think again. You may have heard most of these classic Eva songs before but, as sure as less is more, you have not experienced anything like this collection of previously unreleased Eva-only, guitar/vocal performances. It’s like hearing Eva Cassidy for the first time, again.

In addition to including Eva’s previously unreleased, redefining version of San Francisco Bay Blues, Simply Eva is the first album to include the ‘Blues Alley’ guitar/vocal performance of Over the Rainbow, the video of which triggered Eva Cassidy’s rise to the top of the British pop charts in March 2001. Recorded five years after the 1991 version heard on ‘Songbird’, Eva’s fully evolved Rainbow literally redefined this all-time number one popular song (according to a BBC radio poll).

The differences in the performances of the other songs range from folk versions of Wayfaring Stranger and Wade in the Water, to three extra verses in the included version of Paul Simon’s Kathy’s Song, to the more subtle nuances that grace every individual performance.

On a higher level, the overall experience of the first top to bottom Eva-only album transcends specific differences. My personal opinion that less is more in this instance is not meant as criticism of the supporting musical performances contained on previously released Eva Cassidy recordings. It was simply time to focus on the core of Eva Cassidy recordings, namely, the voice of ‘one of the greatest interpreters of popular song of the last 30 years’ (Mojo magazine) and Eva’s superb guitar work which had been a bit lost in the shuffle of other instruments. In doing so, I literally heard Eva for the first time, again. That I was hearing mostly the same songs in a different way actually added to my sense of rediscovery.

The extent to which less is more is obviously an ‘ear of the beholder’ question with answers as varied as listeners and listening circumstances. All musical background components, including Eva’s own sparkling background vocals, serve to draw in listeners while to some degree splitting listener attention.

Presenting music is similar to the framing of paintings, or the setting of precious stones. The goal is to strike the proper balance. Eva Cassidy’s music attained broad international acceptance at the dawn of an age of unprecedented competition for the attention of a growing interactive audience. While the goal posts of perception are moving in time, the goal of finding the proper balance remains the same.

Eva Cassidy’s small, but magically productive body of work now serves as a beacon to a new generation of singers exploring the musical giants who have gone before, starting in many instances with Eva herself. For those who would study the music of Eva Cassidy, less is definitely more. For everyone else, whether less is more or not, Simply Eva provides an opportunity to experience the unadorned music of Eva Cassidy and decide for yourself.

– Bill Straw, Blix Street Records



Tracks11 of the Simply Eva tracks are songs you might have heard Eva perform before. These newly released acoustic versions differ in the following ways:

Songbird – This solo, acoustic guitar/vocal performance was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, as opposed to the ‘produced’ studio ‘band’ version that appears on the Songbird album.

Wayfaring Stranger, People Get Ready and Wade in the Water feature acoustic guitar/vocal ‘folk’ arrangements, as opposed to the ‘band’ arrangements included on the Songbird album. Stranger and People are ‘live’ studio cuts and Wade was recorded ‘live’ at Pearl’s, a now defunct club in Annapolis, Maryland.

True Colours – This solo, acoustic guitar/vocal performance was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, as opposed to the ‘produced’ studio ‘band’ version that appears on the American Tune album.

Who Knows Where the Time Goes – This solo, acoustic guitar/vocal performance was recorded ‘live’ at Pearl’s, as opposed to the ‘band’ version (recorded ‘live’ at the Maryland Inn) included on the Imagine album.

Over the Rainbow – Simply Eva is the first album to include the Live at Blues Alley acoustic guitar/vocal performance, the video of which triggered Eva’s rise to the top of the British charts in March 2001. This mature version was recorded five years after the ‘produced’ studio version that appears on the Songbird album.

Kathy’s Song, also recorded ‘live’ at Pearl’s, is an acoustic guitar/vocal performance which contains three verses that were not included in the studio version which appears on the Time After Time album.

San Francisco Bay Blues, the only new song on Simply Eva, is an acoustic guitar/vocal performance which was recorded ‘live’ at Pearl’s.

Time After Time – This solo, acoustic guitar/vocal performance was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, as opposed to the ‘live at the Maryland Inn’ version (which also features Chris Biondo on bass) included on the Time After Time album.

Autumn Leaves – This solo, acoustic guitar/vocal performance was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, as opposed to the Live at Blues Alley version (which also featured Lenny Williams on piano) that appears on the Songbird album.

I Know You by Heart – the only a capella Eva Cassidy vocal released to date.