Gershwin Blue

This album would be worth buying for one track alone, a faultless version of "The Lies Of Handsome Men", Francesca Blumenthal's unsettling little song about self-deception. Not only does Cleo Laine have the musicality and dramatic skill to do justice to a delicate piece like this, she also has the best possible musical director in John Dankworth, who plays some very good alto saxophone here, too. The programme of 13 songs is impeccably chosen, as usual. Few singers, jazz or otherwise, have ever commanded a stylistic range anywhere near Cleo Laine's. For example, after opening with the Blumenthal song she goes on, via Gershwin and Irving Berlin, to Bessie Smith. The most remarkable thing of all about her is that she and Dankworth have been making intelligent, enterprising albums like this for more than 40 years and there is absolutely no sign of wear and tear. Quite the reverse, in fact. The work just goes on getting better.

While all the songs on “Borrowed and Blue” are of the past, the album is very much in step with the times. There is a very natural and nonchalant ignorance of musical categories about the selection and execution of these songs by Lisa Bassenge and her musical companions. It seems quite irrelevant, if one wants to perceive this album as jazz, pop, folk, chanson, country, as all or none of the above. The songs stem from quite different epochs, genres and artistic personalities, among them George Gershwin, The Beatles, Patsy Cline, Ann Peebles, Billie Holiday, Bill Withers, Paul Simon, Hank Williams, Warren Zevon or Townes Van Zandt. The originals may sport quite different or even opposing sentiments, but by the virtue of artistic integrity and with the help of her attentive musical partners, Lisa Bassenge manages to weave a common and fascinating thread out of an seemingly all too diverse jumble. At the end of the day the provenance of the songs don´t really matter anyway – on “Borrowed and Blue” they are utterly and completely Lisa Bassenge!

Elvin Jones - The Complete Blue Note Elvin Jones Sessions 1968-1973 {8CD Set Mosaic MD8-195 rel 2000}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 3.09 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.19 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 290 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968-73, 2000 Blue Note / Mosaic Records / EMI-Capitol | MD8-195
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Modal Music / Drums

This limited-edition eight-disc set combines all of Elvin Jones' Blue Note recordings from April 1968 through July 1973. This 65-track set contains the LPs Puttin It Together, Ultimate Elvin Jones, Poly-Currents, Coalition, Genesis, Merry Go Round, Live at the Lighthouse, Mr. Jones, and The Prime Element. Jones makes his presence as a band leader undeniable on these sessions allowing the musicians to stretch out while directing the evolution of the pieces.

Playful yet serious, imaginative yet true to the spirit of the originals: Alban Gerhardt and the inimitable Alliage Quintett offer a wholly new perspective on a variety of favourites drawn from the cello’s established repertoire and beyond.