History Jazz Vocals

More than 300 tracks, digitally remastered and compiled over 15 discs. Includes all of Louis Armstrong's hits, hundreds of rarities and the complete discography. 2005.

Francesco Bearzatti’s latest album, “This Machine Kills Fascists”, is a tribute to Woody Guthrie (the words this machine kills fascists were a message he wrote on his guitar in 1941). Due for release on CAM JAZZ on 16 October, Bearzatti is with his Tinissima 4et (including Giovanni Falzone on trumpet, Danilo Gallo on bass and Zeno De Rossi on drums). After “Tina Modotti” (2008), “Malcom X” (released in 2010 and having won a number of awards, such as the Top Jazz award and others) and the successful interlude of Monk’N’Roll (an album released on CAM Jazz in 2013, that reinterpreted Monk’s themes by interlacing them with some of the most popular songs in the history of rock music), the saxophonist is back to musically depicting the life, art and times of another rebellious, unruly artist who has sung about the United States of the Great Depression, union struggles and hopes in the New Deal.

Teresa Bright is a Hawaiian singer who regularly records traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. She studied jazz vocals when she was younger, and occasionally used it on a few of her recordings. This CD, on her own label, allowed her to sing in a manner that is different from her more well known work. The closest person I could compare her to would be Lani Hall (Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66, and wife of Herb Alpert).

Sarah McKenzie - Paris In The Rain (2017) {Impulse! 0602557282436}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 312 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 124 Mb
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© 2017 Impulse! / Universal Music France | 0602557282436
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz Vocals / Piano

When Sarah McKenzie released her debut album Don’t Tempt Me in 2011, she showed talent and promise. Five years later, she has delivered on that promise and excelled in her musical craft. Paris in the Rain, her second outing on the Impulse Jazz Label sees her embarking on adventurous new harmonic territory and expanding her skills as a pianist, singer and songwriter.

Jimmy Rushing - Cat Meets Chick & The Jazz Odyssey of Jimmy Rushing Esq. (1956) {Columbia–Collectables COL-CD-7496 rel 2002}
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© 1955-56, 2002 Columbia / Collectables Records / Sony Music | COL-CD-7496
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Jazz Blues

Jimmy Rushing's first two Columbia Records albums, recorded in 1955 and 1956 and originally released in 1956 and 1957, both have concepts behind them. Cat Meets Chick is actually co-billed to Ada Moore (who had just made her Broadway debut in House of Flowers) and trumpeter Buck Clayton, and it is "a story in jazz," the story being Rushing and Clayton's attempts to woo Moore in song. The plot is silly, but it's just an excuse to have Rushing, sometimes joined by the pleasant alto of Moore, fronting Clayton's Count Basie-style orchestra on some old favorites.

Resonance Records goes out of its way again to unearth yet another significant chapter in jazz history, and once again, it's one that relatively few fans have ever heard. This performance of Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth Big Band was captured during George Wein's Kool Jazz Festival at Avery Fisher Hall. It was broadcast on NPR's Jazz Alive program, but this double disc contains the entire performance, with more than 40 minutes of additional music.

Cecile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers (2017) {2CD Set Mack Avenue MAC1120} (Complete Artwork)
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© 2017 Mack Avenue Records | MAC1120
Jazz / Vocal Jazz

That's quite an unusual cover for a jazz vocal album – but then again, Cecile McLorin Salvant is quite an unusual singer – and one who may well be out to change the future of her genre with records like this! The songs are this fantastic blend of original compositions, jazz standards, and other classics – but woven together in this tapestry by Cecile and the group, almost as if they're part of this larger patchwork commentary on the history of vocal jazz – all updated and taken to very personal territory.

Dizzy Gillespie - Dee Gee Days: The Savoy Sessions (1951-52) {Savoy Jazz ZDS 4426 rel 1985}
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© 1951-52, 1985 Savoy Jazz | ZDS 4426
Jazz / Bop / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Trumpet

When Detroiter David Usher and Dizzy Gillespie founded the Dee Gee record label, they might have had an inkling that their project could, and would, fail financially due to poor distribution, the conversion from 78s to LPs, and the heavy hammer of the taxman. They might have felt, but could not have imagined, that they would create some of the most essential and pivotal jazz recordings for all time, not to mention some of the last great sides of the pioneering bebop era. Gillespie's large ensembles brought to public attention the fledgling young alto and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, such Detroiters as guitarist Kenny Burrell or pianist/vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and vocalists Joe Carroll, Freddy Strong and Melvin Moore. Considering the years – 1951 and 1952 – this was revolutionary breakthrough music from a technical and entertainment aspect, delightful music that has stood the test of time and displays the trumpeter in his prime as a bandleader.