Search Results for "Bill Evans"

Teddy Wilson Trio – Revisiting The Goodman Years (1982/2017) DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

SACD / DSD By admin · October 26, 2023 · Comments off

Teddy Wilson bears the proud title of jazz musician pure and simple and that is why the music in this record is of such high standard. By the time he joined Benny Goodman (at age 23 in 1935) Wilson had mastered aesthetic perfection and has allowed pure music to speak for him ever since.

“‘whatever elegance means, Teddy Wilson is it!” these words by Benny Goodman and the Jazz text books that have typecast his individuality with words like ‘urbane’ ‘polished’, ‘poised’ or ‘impeccable’ designate his royal place in the hierarchy of great jazz pianists. Teddy Wilson’s originality has surmounted every trend, both as soloist and as a catalyst for all the greatest musicians of this era. Wilson is elegant, he is never bland. His subtlety never neglects intensity. And his sense of poise never interferes with his sound of surprise. Teddy Wilson – like very few others in jazz – is most of all, a pure musician.

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Thomas Enhco & Vassilena Serafimova – Bach Mirror (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 22, 2023 · Comments off

On the album “Bach Mirror” the French pianist Thomas Enhco and marimba player Vassilena Serafimova give well-known and less well-known works by Johann Sebastian Bach an innovative sound. Pieces such as the Prelude No. 2 from the Well-Tempered Clavier or the Air from the orchestral suite No. 3 sound new and fresh in the unusual instrumentation of piano and marimba. With their sound painting arrangements, Thomas Enhco and Vassilena Serafimova expose Bach’s harmonic-melodic work structures and enable the audience to gain new perspectives on the architecture of his unique compositions.

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Thomas Clausen – Back2Basics (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 19, 2023 · Comments off

This recording was made during the pandemic period, when Copenhagen Radio Jazz and the Ben Webster Foundation opened MillFactory Studios for a series of small concerts – without a live audience, but with unbridled enthusiasm. “We recorded on the large Steinway D, which has enormously long bass strings and so much fullness in the high register that you don’t have to play many notes. You can feel every sound. The music was recorded as if it were a real concert, with the songs in the order I planned and the order in which they are presented on the album

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Tony Coe & John Horler – Dancing in the Dark (Live) (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 14, 2023 · Comments off

Piano and clarinet duo albums are few and far between within the jazz canon. In the case of Dancing in the Dark, versatile horn player Tony Coe chose to stick to the clarinet as his saxophone case was too heavy, or so that’s how pianist John Horler recounts it. Our performance in question takes place at St Michael’s Church, Appleby in 2007 as part of the annual Appleby Jazz Festival. The setting is warm and intimate as is the church acoustic, a perfect backdrop for the varied repertoire of standards and original compositions performed. Coe and Horler dance their way through Bill Evans’ ‘Person I Knew’ and Cole Porter’s ‘Night and Day’ as well as Horler’s own ‘Piece for Poppy’, dedicated to his partner Wendy, and Coe’s contrafact to “Autumn Leaves”, titled ‘Some Other Autumn’. Both players push and pull the well-known melodies to suit the moment yet maintain complete synergy with one another, with Horler’s Bill Tatum-esque chord voicings and meandering lyrical interludes giving platform to Coe’s resounding, cadenza-like improvisations.

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Tom van der Geld – Out Patients (1980/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 9, 2023 · Comments off

Vibraphonist-composer Tom van der Geld’s ECM initiation came by way of the JAPO sister label when, in 1976, the self-titled Children At Play introduced listeners to an album of uncompromising originality. Recorded in 1973, the same year of van der Geld’s permanent relocation to Germany (where the band’s reedman, Roger Jannotta, and drummer, Bill Elgart, would also find new homes), it’s a formative release not only for being Children At Play’s first, but also for sharing its uniquely sunlit sound with the world at large. Tropical and sweet, the album is a sparkling endeavor that favors the lived reality of jazz over its descriptive pitfalls. Patience (1978) was van der Geld’s first dip into ECM proper and stands out for its bright geography. This time, however, the tectonic plates shift more abstractly below with the heat of friction. The freedom of this sophomore effort offers plenty of room for the listener to find a story. On its heels came Path (1979), the phenomenal trio album with Jannotta and guitarist Bill Connors. Hewn in pastels rather than oils, it’s a decidedly softer and sometimes-haunting affair.

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Tom Harrell – Infinity (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 9, 2023 · Comments off

Tom Harrell is a master at making his trumpet sound pure, clear and graceful in a manner like no one else. When he plays, he projects an intense feeling of well-being and engages in inspired and lively improvisations. On his latest record, Harrell has invited Mark Turner on the saxophone (another incredible sound), Charles Altura on electric and acoustic guitar, Ben Street on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. Along with this wonderful band, the trumpet player reminds us that he is not only one of the most touching soloists of his generation, but also a famous composer and a precise band leader, collaborative and always listening to his companions. At 72 years old, Harrell teaches us a lesson in jazz perfection. The harmonic and melodic whole he creates on the record should not come as a surprise for anyone aware of Harrell’s background. Band member with Woody Herman, Horace Silver and Phil Woods, sidemen with George Russell, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Charlie Haden, Tom Harrell has recorded more than thirty albums since the end of the 1970’s. – Max Dembo

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Tobias Lindstad Collective – Kismet (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 6, 2023 · Comments off

Tobias Lindstad Collective - Kismet (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

There seem to be few subjects that do not interest my friend Tobias Lindstad. He is well-versed in literature, art, and philosophy, he throws himself into debates with an open mind and has kept his fascination for the mysteries of the universe. Above all, he displays a nearly all-encompassing appetite for good music in the most diverse genres. He never stops finding inspiration in classical and modern chamber music, in cool jazz and free-form improvisation, in avantgarde rock, in folk music, and in subtle pop melodies; really, he finds inspiration in all kinds of beautiful, strange, challenging and/or alluring music. However, his curious and open attitude as a listener does not lead to musical restlessness or lack of focus in his own compositional process, but rather to exploration and immersion. He holds on to his chosen musical ideas as if they were ships on a long sea voyage, always wondering where they will lead him next, and which new musical worlds he will discover along the way. And since patience is just as important a part of his personality as curiosity, Tobias Lindstad’s musical voyages of discovery usually continue for a very long time, nearly 30 years in some instances. This record is the culmination – so far – of this process of exploration.
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Triosence – Giulia (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 6, 2023 · Comments off

Triosence - Giulia (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

The new faces of German Jazz: This is how the German magazine stern referred to triosence, the trio formed in 1999 by Bernhard Schüler (piano), Omar Rodriguez Calvo (bass) and Tobias Schulte (drums).

Since their debut album, “First Enchantment”, released in 2002, triosence has been praised by the music press all around the world. The trio has been acclaimed as one of the most successful jazz imports and as “the piano trio that changed our impression of the ‘stiff German jazz’.” ¹

triosence has performed all over the world, with tours in Germany, the United States, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, France, Spain, Norway, The Netherlands, Turkey, Lebanon, Romania, Albania and many more.
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Sylvie Courvoisier – Searching for the Disappeared Hour (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · October 3, 2023 · Comments off

Even though they’re often neighbors in the rhythm section, piano and guitar are not typically a good fit for jazz duets. Some of that has to do with the difference between an electrically amplified instrument and a percussive acoustic one, and some with the fact that the close voicings pianists favor are difficult on guitar, while the open voicings guitarists love don’t easily translate to piano.

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Shirley Horn – Live at the 4 Queens (2016) DSF DSD128

SACD / DSD By admin · September 27, 2023 · Comments off

The first previously unreleased music by Shirley Horn in nearly a decade was recorded live at the 4 Queens Hotel in Las Vegas in May 1988 and feature Horn’s longtime trio, bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams. The set was recorded by KNPR radio for a syndicated jazz show and captures the angora-voiced jazz singer and pianist at the very beginning of her resurgence on the jazz scene. Renowned for her inimitable ability to negotiate melodies and lyrics at an exquisitely unhurried pace, Horn applies her unique alchemy to classic and contemporary songs: when she sings a song, she changes the way it’s heard forever.

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Thierry Lang – Walk With Me (Heritage Project Vol. 2) (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 25, 2023 · Comments off

The Swiss pianist and composer, Thierry Lang, was born on the 16th December 1956 in the small town of Romont in the canton of Fribourg. He started learning piano at the age of 5 and by 7 years old had decided to make piano his career. He excelled in classical piano studies until the age of 21 while at the same time developing a passion for jazz. As a fifteen year old, he first heard the pianist Bill Evans who would influence his thinking for many years to come. Inspired by this music, Thierry Lang found the perfect link between classical and piano jazz which rapidly became the characteristic of his own musical expression. As a talented composer with a great sense of melody, he rapidly established himself as a master in this domain. In 1986, he gave concerts with various jazz groups in Switzerland playing alongside numerous local and foreign musicians from different musical backgrounds. He gained further experience as a professional through accompanying musicians of diverse styles including Blues, BeBop and Mainstream. In 1987, he created his first trio through which he was able to share his brilliant technique and strong sense of melody with a wider public, who began to recognize the characteristic features of his musical signature. In 1988, his trio, already famous at a national level, was invited to accompany the world famous harmonica player Toots Thielemans.

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Scott LaFaro – Pieces Of Jade (2009/2017) DSF DSD128 + Hi-Res FLAC

SACD / DSD By admin · September 24, 2023 · Comments off

Scott LaFaro was one of the twentieth century’s most influential jazz musicians. During his tragically short life, Scott LaFaro quickly developed into one of the most advanced bassists around, competing with Charlie Haden and Charles Mingus. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed, and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. Best known for his landmark recordings with Bill Evans, LaFaro played bass a mere seven years before his life and career were cut short by an automobile accident when he was only 25 years old, his sudden death causing a major shock to the jazz world.

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Steve Coleman – Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets) (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 19, 2023 · Comments off

Alto saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. I (The Embedded Sets) is his first live release in over 15 years. It captures his band Five Elements in two joyous sets at the historic New York venue where some of the most famous jazz recording from the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Bill Evans have been made. Coleman’s personal history is tied deeply with the club: One of the main reasons he moved to New York City from Chicago was for the opportunity to play in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, of which he was a member from 1978 to 1980. After playing there with singer Abbey Lincoln in 1984, there followed a hiatus of over 30 years before he was invited to perform at the club as a leader in 2015. Since then, he has led his band Five Elements at the Vanguard every year, including these two sets recorded in May, 2017.

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AMC Trio – Following The Light (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 15, 2023 · Comments off

The Slovak trio AMC presents their new album “Following The Light” with Randy Brecker and creates an original, genre-spanning sound with their compositions beyond traditional jazz. Influenced by their roots, the album tells its own musical stories with soulful melodies and remains true to the unmistakable style of the trio.

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Stéphane Kerecki, John Taylor – Patience (2011) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 12, 2023 · Comments off

For jazz musicians, the duo of piano and double bass is a perilous exercise in tightrope-walking, reserved for enthusiasts of extreme refinement, those who like to dance on the edge of abysses. Its alchemy is mysterious. By releasing the account of his brief encounter with John Taylor, Stéphane Kerecki does more than merely delight music-lovers; he proves once again that jazz cannot exist without sometimes flirting with the void.

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