Michael Franks: Time Together (2011)

2011 album from the Jazz vocalist. Produced by the likes of Gil Goldstein and Chuck Loeb and featuring such legendary musicians as Jerry Marotta, and David Spinoza, Time Together delivers the sensual warmth for which Michael Franks is famous. ~ amazon.com

Tracklist:
01. Now That The Summer's Here (5:27)
02. One Day In St. Tropez (5:19)
03. Summer In New York (5:57)
04. Mice (5:26)
05. Charlie Chan In Egypt (5:29)
06. I'd Rather Be Happy Than Right (4:41)
07. Time Together (3:37)
08. Samba Blue (4:45)
09. My Heart Said Wow (2:47)
10. If I Could Make September Stay (5:23)
11. Feathers From An Angel's Wings (8:01)
Time Together
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Jim Hall: Downbeat Critics' Choice (2002)

One of the many great things about guitarist Jim Hall is his unparalleled ability to excel in both a straight-ahead jazz context and in a variety of more experimental modes, from harmonically challenging avant-garde jazz to playful adaptations of Caribbean themes and innovative instrumental settings (such as the trio improvisation with bassist Scott Colley and George Mraz featured on this album). Hall's guitar sound is famously round, soft, and gentle, and yet his note choices and compositional strategies can be highly difficult. Down Beat Critics' Choice collects 12 tracks from albums Hall recorded for the Telarc label between 1995 and 2001, and includes some of his most exciting and sophisticated work, as well as a clunker or two. Among the former are his exquisite collaboration with guitarist Mike Stern on "Stern Stuff," which Hall composed in Stern's honor and which is based on a Monk-ish, almost atonal theme and yet features some of Hall's most spirited and sweetly swinging solo playing. The calypso-flavored "Pan-O-Rama," which features pianist Geoff Keezer, is another solid winner, as is the melancholy "Snowbound," a duet with accordionist Gil Goldstein. "Circus Dance" is just a bit too literal in its development of the titular theme, and never really gets off the ground. But the high points outnumber the low ones by a huge margin on this very fine collection.

Tracklist:
01. Dream Steps (Hall)
02. Stern Stuff (Hall)
03. Snowbound (Hall)
04. Fanfare (Hall)
05. Quadrologue (Hall)
06. Circus Dance (Hall)
07. Pan-O-Rama (Hall)
08. Furnished Flats (Hall)
09. October Song (Hall)
10. The Wind (Freeman-Gladstone)
11. Abstract 3 (Colley-Hall-Mraz)
12. Tango Loco (Hall)
Downbeat Critics' Choice
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Eliane Elias: The Three Americas (1997)

Eliane Elias lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, until she was 20 and has lived in New York City ever since. The 37-year-old jazz pianist has often combined Brazilian bossa nova and North American swing with appealing results, but now she has added Cuban songo, Argentine tango, and Puerto Rican guaracha for a broader look at Western Hemisphere music on an album aptly titled "The Three Americas." The disc fails to capture Latin rhythms at their most fervid, or jazz improvisation at its most ambitious, but it does combine elements of both into a bouncy, melodic music that should be readily accessible to almost any listener.

Elias has a light but agile touch at the keyboard, and, if this undermines the percussive aspects of the instrument, it also assists the fluidity of her harmonic imagination. She accompanies her piano lines with scat vocals on several numbers, but when she attempts a lead vocal on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Brigas Nunca Mais," the results are underwhelming. She's much better off on original instrumentals such as "The Time Is Now" and "Caipora," where the Cuban and Brazilian rhythms percolated by percussionists Manolo Badrena and Cafe create a musical surf that she and flutist Dave Valentin can ride. Best of all is her stirring tribute to Astor Piazzolla on the tango "Chorango," which features Gil Goldstein on accordion. --Geoffrey Himes

Tracklist:
1. An Up Dawn
2. The Time Is Now
3. Caipora
4. Chorango
5. Chega de Saudade
6. Crystal and Lace
7. Brigas Nunca Mais
8. Introduction to Guarani
9. O Guarani
10. Jungle Journey
11. Missing You
12. Jumping Fox
Personnel: Eliane Elias (vocals, piano); Manolo Badrena (vocals, percussion); Amanda Elias Brecker (vocals); Dave Valentin (flute); Gil Goldstein (accordion); Mark Feldman (violin); Oscar Castro-Neves (guitar); Marc Johnson (bass, background vocals); Satoshi Takeishi (drums, background vocals); Cafe (percussion, background vocals).
The Three Americas
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Mike Stern: Standards (& Other Songs) (1992)

Guitarist Mike Stern, best-known for playing rock-oriented fusion and in more commercial settings, surprised many listeners by recording an album dominated by standards. Actually, there are three originals included among the 11 pieces, but Stern also digs into such songs as "Like Someone in Love," "Moment's Notice," Chick Corea's "Windows," and "Straight No Chaser." Among Stern's sidemen on this fairly straight-ahead but adventurous set are trumpeter Randy Brecker, Bob Berg on tenor, and keyboardist Gil Goldstein. This little-known release is well-worth acquiring.

Tracklist

1. Like someone in love (6:40)

2. Source (1:48)
3. There is no greater love (9:13)
4. L Bird (5:48)
5. Moment's notice (4:41)
6. Lost time (6:46)
7. Windows (6:28)
8. Straight to chaser (5:26)
9. Peace (5:17)
10. Jean Pierre (1:44)
11. Nardis (7:38)
Standards (& Other Songs)
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