Michel Legrand at Shelly's Manne Hole

Michel Legrand, Jessye Norman - I Was Born In Love With You (2000)
Classical/Piano/Vocal/Soprano | Label: Philips | MP3 CBR 320kbps | 64:22 | 147 MB

The material on this disc ranges from the smoky melancholy of "Je vivrai sans toi" ("I Will Live Without You") to the hyperbolic camp of "Celui-là" ("The One") but mainly hovers in the realm of anguished longing. Jessye Norman uses the material to show off the extraordinary range and flexibility of her voice, and slips between a pure, almost boyish sound, and a full-throated luxurious warble with ease. But idiomatically she may not be to everyone's taste: for the most part this is the musical territory inhabited by the Billie Holidays of this world, and Norman's technique puts her at a disadvantage. Michel Legrand in his role as pianist is another matter, however. His carefully nuanced accompaniments flow with improvisatory ease, and inspire some great moments from the bass and drums.

Phil Woods & Michel Legrand and Orchestra - Images (1975) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 4280}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 251 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 302 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2014 RCA / Sony Music Japan | SICP 4280
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone / Modern Big Band

Reissue with the latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. A wonderful record – one in which Phil Woods blows alto solos over the arrangements of Michel Legrand – handled in the masterful style of Legrand's best jazzy soundtrack work, and in a way that lets Woods hit some of his best solos of the 70s! Legrand's always been great at this sort of album for any jazzman – and here, he unlocks a romantic tone in Woods' style that is a nice counterpart to some of the hippy-dippiness that he'd been showing in other sides from the 70s.

Two icons of French song – Natalie Dessay and Michel Legrand – follow the huge worldwide success of their album Entre Elle et Lui with a DVD of the very special concert on the 11th June 2014 at the Orangerie of the Château de Versailles. This is a unique collaboration from two giants of French music. The CD release in 2013 was hotly anticipated and received great critical acclaim upon its release. Natalie Dessay brings her lyrical voice and fresh interpretations to a selection of some of Michel Legrand’s best-loved songs including La Valse des Lilas, Les moulins de mon cœur (Windmills of Your Mind), Duo de Guy et Geneviève, Papa Can You Hear Me and many more.