Chet Baker London

Already a well-established name on the European jazz scene, at the end of 1979 came the decisive meeting in Rome with the trumpet player Chet Baker. Riccardo Del Fra played alongside Chet for about nine years both in Europe and Japan on tours, for the radio and for the television; a collaboration which led to the recording of twelve albums, videos (Live in London at the Ronnie Scott) and the movie Chet s Romance directed by Bertrand Fevre. Chet's death in 1988 curtailed their partnership, but 25 years later the Marciac festival commissioned Del Fra to lead an ambitious project uniting a jazz quintet with a classical orchestra to play tunes associated with the doomed trumpeter.

Julie London - Sophisticated Lady & For The Night People
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC (tracks): 335 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI # 7243 4 94992 2 5 | Country/Year: UK 1997, 1962/1966
Genre: Jazz | Style: Vocal

"…This album is a must-have for Julie London fans and thankfully she worked with Bagley again on the more upbeat but no-less-languid Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast, which keeps the guitar heard here, but after the title track replaces the strings with a jazz organ and horn."

Sophisticated Lady (1962). "Sophisticated" is the right word to describe Julie London's cool vocal approach; it can be shoved into the background, but if you listen closely there's a lot of turmoil going on under its seemingly calm surface. Similar to Chet Baker's unruffled way with a lyric, London's self-described "thimble full of a voice" ends up describing how pain hasn't quite iced over all her emotions rather than proving how unfeeling she is. Also like Baker, so many of her best recordings are steeped in the style and mood of laid-back West Coast jazz. Sophisticated Lady is one of a string of records London cut in the early '60s with less of a jazz feel than most of her sessions from the '50s, but it's still a worthy album. If it's not exactly an essential session, it is a good one, and the backing orchestra is to blame for the album's shortcomings - not the vocalist…

Julie London - Julie Is Her Name & Julie Is Her Name Vol. 2
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 201 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI # 0777-7-99804-2 0 | Country/Year: US 1992, 1955/1958
Genre: Jazz | Style: Vocal

"For a time, Julie London was as famous for her sexy album covers as for her singing. Her debut is her best, a set of fairly basic interpretations of standards in which she is accompanied tastefully by guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Ray Leatherwood. "Cry Me a River" from this album, was her biggest hit, and her breathy versions of such numbers as "I Should Care," "Say It Isn't So," "Easy Street," and "Gone with the Wind" are quite haunting." ~allmusicguide

Julie London - Lonely Girl & Make Love To Me
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 139 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI # 7243 5 41668 2 2 | Country/Year: UK 2002
Genre: Jazz | Style: Vocal

"Liberty Records was pleasantly surprised when Julie London's debut album was such a big hit. Julie Is Her Name did contain the hit single "Cry Me a River," but each featured mellow jazz guitar and bass backing – which was considered commercial suicide in 1955. So, instead of changing direction and recording the follow-up Lonely Girl with a full orchestra, Liberty wisely allowed London to strip the accompaniment down even more on the album by dropping the backing down to one instrument. Lone guitarist Al Viola plays gentle Spanish-tinged acoustic behind the hushed vocalist, and it suits London perfectly…"

Jazz critic Will Friedwald has stated that Julie London's records were so popular in the 1950s mainly because she looked so drop-dead gorgeous on the album covers. The marketing hook behind Calendar Girl may just be the main example for those critical of London's musical career, since its sleeve has made it a prized collector's item. The famous wraparound cover depicts cheesecake shots of London posed for every month of the year, while original issues of the album included a more-than-suggestive insert photo of the singer stretched out in bed. While Friedwald's correct about London's physical beauty, he's wrong in suggesting that the vocalist didn't have the talent to go along with her looks. Like Chet Baker, Julie London had an extremely limited vocal range but she did the most with what she had, possessing a special knack for torch songs that cast her in the role of a woman constantly being destroyed by love in general and by men in particular…

Lonely Girl (1956). Liberty Records was pleasantly surprised when Julie London's debut album was such a big hit. Julie Is Her Name did contain the hit single "Cry Me a River," but each featured mellow jazz guitar and bass backing - which was considered commercial suicide in 1955. So, instead of changing direction and recording the follow-up Lonely Girl with a full orchestra, Liberty wisely allowed London to strip the accompaniment down even more on the album by dropping the backing down to one instrument. Lone guitarist Al Viola plays gentle Spanish-tinged acoustic behind the hushed vocalist, and it suits London perfectly. While the singer was often chided for her beauty and lack of range, she deftly navigates these ballads without any rhythmic underpinnings to fall back on. London's intense focus on phrasing and lyrics recalls Chet Baker's equally telescopic approach…

Various Artists - Jazz From America On Disques Vogue (2015) {20CD Sony Music Box Set}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.48 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 3.12 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 553 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Sony Music / Legacy / Disques Vogue | 88875140962
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Swing / Mainstream Jazz

42 original albums (+4 EPs and 27 Singles) gathered on 20CDs ‘Jazz From America On Disques Vogue’ reviews the revolutionary passage from the 78 rpm to the Long-Play era. A totally cool little package – one that features 20 different CDs, each done as a different tiny replica of a 10" LP that originally appeared on the Vogue Records label overseas! Vogue was well-known for recording important sessions by American jazzmen in Paris in the early 50s – but this package brings together work that was recorded in America by many of the same artists, and issued by Vogue in unique packages overseas – many of which are replicated here, along with bonus material too! The set features 20 CDs, but includes 40 different albums – as each CD features tracks from original 10" album releases – with full details on tracks, personnel, and other information in the large booklet provided – a great complement to the records by artists who include Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Red Norvo, Lester Young, Mahalia Jackson, Spirit Of Memphis Quartet, Wynonie Harris, Earl Bostic, Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian, Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Sidney Bechet, Miles Davis, and others!