JEROME RICHARDSON - Going to the Movies (1962-2011) RM / Jazz 999 Best & More / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Movie themes, along with songs from Broadway, have long been fodder for jazz musicians. This United Artists LP features Jerome Richardson leading his working quintet during a live engagement, though the venue is unidentified. The extended workout of Duke Jordan's "No Problem" (from the film Les Liaisons Dangereuses) showcases Richardson's robust baritone sax and Les Spann on flute, with the leader adding a tag at the end on piccolo. Richardson switches to tenor sax and Spann to guitar for a rather brisk arrangement of "Moon River." "Tonight" (from West Side Story) is a bit unusual in that it features both musicians on flute. The potent rhythm section includes pianist Richard Wyands, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Grady Tate. Richardson's recordings as a leader after the early '60s were rather sporadic, but this early effort gives a strong indication of his potential. Long out of print, this LP will be difficult to acquire. by Ken Dryden

Tracklist:

1 No Problem 8:45

Composed By – D. Jordan

2 Moon River 4:34

Composed By – Mancini, Mercer

3 Never On Sunday 4:32

Composed By – M. Hadjadakis

4 Tonight 3:46

Composed By – Bernstein, Sondheim

5 Delilah 7:34

Composed By – N. Nicholas

Credits:
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Jerome Richardson
Bass – Henry Grimes
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar, Flute – Les Spaan
Performer – Jerome Richardson Quintet
Piano – Richard Wyands

TERI THORNTON - I'll Be Easy To FInd (1999) WV (image+.cue), lossless

After a nearly 40-year hiatus, Teri Thornton is back to swing and sing her way into your heart. In comparison to her old Riverside recordings, it seems she's lost nothing vocally, her angelic clarity and soulful vibrato are intact, and her enthusiasm is still spiking depth charts. She's backed by her own piano on four cuts, and the able Ray Chew on the others, save Norman Simmons for the sole live-in-concert finale (she and Simmons are credited) with bassist Lonnie Plaxico, alto sax and flute master Jerome Richardson, trombonist Dave Bargeron, multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson, and drummer J.T. Lewis. At her best on ballads, blues, and upbeat swingers, Thornton proves she really can do it all. Her rippling Ella-cum-Sarah chords are unfettered on a rousing live "Salty Mama" with Grady Tate (drums) and Michael Bowie (bass). The funky blues is all right with Thornton on "Feels Good." A showstopper, "Knee Deep in the Blues," and the faded in and out bossa "Wishing Well" are from her pen. The most unusual arrangement by producer Suzi Reynolds of "Nature Boy" has no discernible time signature. It's kinetic but seems to float, Plaxico punctuating but never seeming to ever hit one. Richardson's great flute work and Bargeron and Johnson's background horns play inquisitive mind games, quite a challenging listen. She sings the ballads "Somewhere in the Night," "Where Are You Running?," and the title cut immaculately -- not kitten soft but forcefully pronounced. She's boppin' on "It Ain't Necessarily So" and adapts "The Lord's Prayer" in a modal vein, Chew's piano chordally searching for deliverance, and she really shines instrumentally on "I'll Be Seeing You" in a fashion that rivals Shirley Horn. There is a definitive song, "I Believe in You," with a great lyric that seems to sum up the influence of a certain someone who has helped Thornton through her battles with cancer and the constant yin-yang of raising a family for these past four decades. Teri Thornton is emphatically back with this complete view of an artist, finally giving us a taste of what we've suspected lo these many years. by Michael G. Nastos 
Tracklist

1      Somewhere in the Night  3:48 

May, Raskin 

2 I Believe in You 2:48 

Loesser 

3 It Ain't Necessarily So  3:17 

Gershwin, Gershwin 

4 The Lord's Prayer  5:00 

Thornton 

5 Knee Deep in the Blues  7:11 

Thornton 

6 I'll Be Easy to Find 4:35 

Howard 

7 Nature Boy 4:51 

Ahbez 

8 Wishing Well  5:14 

Thornton 

9 Where Are You Running?  2:50 

Harris 

10 Feels Good  3:19 

Thornton 

11 I'll Be Seeing You  5:35 

Fain, Kahal 

12 Salty Mama  3:34

Thornton 

Credits 

Bass – Lonnie Plaxico (tracks: 1-11), Michael Bowie (tracks: 12) 

Cornet, Tuba, Contrabass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7-9) 

Drum – Grady Tate (tracks: 12), J.T. Lewis (tracks: 1-11) 

Flute, Bass Flute, Alto Saxophone – Jerome Richardson (tracks: 1, 4, 7-9) 

Piano – Norman Simmons (tracks: 12), Ray Chew (tracks: 1-6, 8, 9), Teri Thornton (tracks: 7, 10, 11) 

Trombone – Dave Bargeron (tracks: 1, 7-9) 

Vocals – Teri Thornton 

JESSYE NORMAN - I Was Born in Love with You : Jessye Norman Sings Michel Legrand (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Five-time Grammy and three-time Academy Award winner Michel Legrand is one of the greatest songwriters active today. His "Windmills of Your Mind" and "You Must Believe In Spring," among others, are classics of the popular song repertoire. Soprano Jessye Norman is one of the most beloved singers in all of music. She has dazzled audiences throughout the world with her mastery of the operatic and song literature. This recording offers a rare opportunity for two superstar performers from different musical worlds to collaborate in a program.
Norman's dark, rich soprano is ideal in fifteen Legrand classics sung in both French and English. Her shading and flawless breath control makes each song a mini-masterpiece. Legrand's delicate piano playing provides lyrical, blues-inflected accompaniment and he is supported by a veteran rhythm section of Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums. AllMusic
Tracklist:
1 The Summer Knwos 4:46
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
2 Dans Ses Yeux 4:03
Lyrics By – Jean Dréjac
Music By – Michel Legrand
3 Je Vivrai Sans Toi 4:45
Lyrics By – Eddy Marnay
Music By – Michel Legrand
4 What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life 6:45
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
5 I Was Born In Love With You 3:27
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
6 Dis-Moi 3:07
Lyrics By – Françoise Sagan
Music By – Michel Legrand
7 Les Enfants Qui Pleurent 3:53
Lyrics By – Eddy Marnay
Music By – Michel Legrand
8 The Moon And I 3:39
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
9 Celui-Là 2:32
Lyrics By – Eddy Marnay
Music By – Michel Legrand
10 Les Moulins De Mon Cœur (The Windmills Of Your Mind) 4:49
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Lyrics By [French Version] – Eddy Marnay
Music By – Michel Legrand
11 You Must Believe In Spring 4:56
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
12 La Valse Des Lilas 3:57
Lyrics By – Eddy Marnay
Music By – Michel Legrand
13 Afterthoughts 3:47
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
14 Les Parapluies De Cherbourg 3:47
Lyrics By – Jacques Demy
Music By – Michel Legrand
15 Between Yesterday And Tomorrow 6:11
Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman
Music By – Michel Legrand
Credits:

Bass – Ron Carter

Drums – Grady Tate
Piano – Michel Legrand
Vocals – Jessye Norman

SYLVIA SYMS - ... Then Along Came Bill : A Tribute to Bill Evans (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sylvia Syms sang everything from cabaret to pop and jazz during her long career, and this tribute to the pianist Bill Evans, recorded nearly a decade after his death and just a few years prior to her passing at the age of 79, is a fine effort. Accompanied by Evans' longtime bassist Eddie Gomez, Evans' final drummer Joe LaBarbera, pianist Mike Renzi, and several guests who recorded with the late pianist on occasion, Syms brings out the essence of each of the 14 songs, though only one is an Evans' composition. Syms, who often described herself as a saloon singer and counted Frank Sinatra among her admirers, has a slightly smoky voice with a touch of vibrato due to being in her late seventies, but she knows how to make the most of her pipes. Renzi wisely doesn't attempt to mimic Evans' style at the keyboard, while the guests include flugelhornist Art Farmer, harmonica player Toots Thielemans, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and drummer Grady Tate (who spells LaBarbera on four tracks). Among the highlights are the soft bossa nova treatment of "The Touch of Your Lips," the playful rendition of "A Sleepin' Bee," and the touching finale of "Waltz for Debby." by Ken Dryden  

Tracklist:

1 Like Someone in Love 3:23

Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen

2 My Romance 4:34

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

3 A Sleepin' Bee 5:01

Harold Arlen / Truman Capote

4 I Believe in You 5:13

Frank Loesser

5 Polka Dots and Moonbeams 5:40

Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen

6 Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo 5:18

Helen Deutsch / Bronislaw Kaper

7 How About You? 3:34

Ralph Freed / James Van Heusen / Burton Lane

8 The Touch of Your Lips 3:56

Ray Noble

9 My Foolish Heart 5:08

Ned Washington / Victor Young

10 But Beautiful 4:48

Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen

11 Nobody Else But Me 5:16

Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern

12 After You, Who? 3:25

Cole Porter

13 Lucky to Be Me 3:15

Leonard Bernstein / Betty Comden / Adolph Green

14 Waltz for Debby 2:04

Bill Evans / Gene Lees

Credits:

Kenny Burrell - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)

Art Farmer - Flugelhorn

Eddie Gomez - Bass (Acoustic)

Mike Renzi - Arranger, Conductor, Fender Rhodes, Piano

Sylvia Syms - Vocals

Grady Tate - Drums

Toots Thielemans - Harmonica