Jeff Victor

Edouard Lalo - Tassis Christoyannis & Jeff Cohen - Complete Songs (2015) {Aparte-Harmonia Mundi AP110}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 594 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 336 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 226 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Aparté / Harmonia Mundi | AP110
Classical / Vocal Music / Romantic / French Classical / Chamber Music

Composer Edouard Lalo's work encompassed the period of Romanticism that witnessed the evolution of the romance de salon genre into the melodie francaise or French art song. It is an injustice of posterity that only Faure, Duparc and Debussy acquired true fame in this genre. This collection from baritone Tassis Christoyannis and pianist Jeff Cohen featuring the two scenes de salon for voice and piano, the seven romances and the 23 melodies, shows that Lalo easily stands alongside his more well-known countrymen.

The legendary keyboardist started making his unique brand of old-school soul meets modern funk back when old-school was still in session, and the title of his third Narada Jazz disc is a throwback to that era, when the 45 RPM was king. Rather than overwhelm this time with hardcore commercial funk grooves and calculated radio hooks, Jeff Lorber is more into cool vibes and soulful atmospheres. Melodies have always been his gift, so those just come naturally, as on the laid-back, chillout opening track, which features a lush, loose acoustic piano lead. There are less horns than usual, but Ron King (trumpet) and Gary Meek (sax) are given free reign to create snazzy textures on "Everybody Knows That" and the nifty, acoustic soul-jazz flavored title track.

A superb, varied, playfully crafted disc, and an absolutely stunning effort that surpasses expectations. The music varies from funk and rap to a fantastic version of John Coltrane's "Naima," to a beautiful, very different – yet quite recognizable without being boring – version of the Lennon/McCartney standard "Norwegian Wood." The shifts of stance, posture, and presentation are at times abrupt but never disconcerting; rather, they provoke thought and reflection. These shifts appear at times between the tracks and at times in the midst of the pieces themselves. The disc is never inaccessible; the combination of jazz and Irish music brings to mind the seemingly ridiculous combinations of Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains.

Keri Noble - Let Go
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 311 MB | Full Artwork: 103 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Victor Ent. # VICP-63922 | Country/Year: Japan 2007
Genre: Acoustic | Style: Folk, Singer/Songriter

“…her intensity, along with her vocal hoarseness, evokes the personable style of Melissa Etheridge… Even at quiet volumes, Noble still sings from her gut…” ~Washington Post

Victor is a cook who works in a greasy bar/restaurant owned by his mother, Dolly. It's just the two of them, a waitress named Delores, and a heavy drinking regular, Leo. But things change when Callie, a beautiful college drop-out, shows up as a new waitress and steals Victor's heart. But Victor is too shy to do anything about it, and too self-consciously overweight to dream of winning Callie away from her demanding boyfriend, Jeff. Victor's terrible loneliness overwhelms him when he has to face losing what he loves the most.

The plan was for the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to join with guitar god Jeff Beck and his singer Rod Stewart in a supergroup of sorts. The plan was derailed when Beck had a motorcycle accident that incapacitated him for 18 months. Stewart then joined pal Ron Wood in the revamped Faces (and pursued a somewhat lucrative solo career), leaving Bogert and Appice to find alternates for their dream band. They recruited guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's disassembling Detroit Wheels, and singer Rusty Day from Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes…