Sacd Jazz

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one". His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and '80s.

Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn". While Hawkins is strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.

Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He is widely considered one of the most influential drummers of all time and was known for his virtuoso technique, power and speed. Rich performed with many bandleaders, most notably Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Count Basie, and later led his own big band.

Malene Mortensen is a Danish jazz singer. She is an unmistakable musical talent. One can only be fascinated by a vocalist who mixes the taste of her own generation with a choice of repertoire and musicians to produce an album of such persuasive and elegant pop- perfumed jazz. On her third album, Malene has combined a set of personal originals with songs that she just plain likes. Some jazz, some pop. However, there is no doubt that Malene Mortensen’s basic approach is that of a jazz vocalist. She dares give her material that essential personal twist - often with surprising results. Her phrasing is blessed with a natural swing, her lyrical interpretations have an easy flow, and her vocal control is supple and virtuosic.

Inger Marie waited for many years before she ventured upon a solo career, but she has ample experience from many years’ activities in the music field. For twenty years she has been active as vocalist in several bands, ranging from a youthful rock band to a six year period as lead singer of a jazz big band. She has also fronted her own jazz quintet ”My Favorite Strings”, as well as collaborating with several excellent jazz musicians, among them Tom Lund, one of Norway’s finest Latin jazz-guitarists, founder of the renowned group ”Trio de Janeiro”. ”Make This Moment” was released in Norway in October 2004. The album received rave reviews and instant recognition by jazz aficionados. After some months, Inger Marie's voice started touching hearts and impressing music lovers in places far from Norway. Now the album has been released in most of Asia, as well as in Europe, and has touched the hearts and souls of thousands of listeners.

Face The Music is the new album from Sinne Eeg. Sinne is one of the strongest new female vocalists from the Scandinavian jazz scene. With 5 albums Sinne Eeg has established herself as a Danish jazz singer with international potential. Sinne’s distinctive vocals have earned her a loyal and ever growing fan base around the world as well as in her native country. As a singer she is influenced by Nancy Wilson, Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, but with her personal touch of soft darkness, Sinne keeps the Scandinavian melancholy settled in her music.

MILEStones – Un Incontro in Jazz includes some American standards and some oldies from Gino Paoli all done in a jazz style. The album features Enrico Rava and some finest Italian musicians…

Ornette Coleman's Atlantic debut, The Shape of Jazz to Come, was a watershed event in the genesis of avant-garde jazz, profoundly steering its future course and throwing down a gauntlet that some still haven't come to grips with. The record shattered traditional concepts of harmony in jazz, getting rid of not only the piano player but the whole idea of concretely outlined chord changes.

On many levels, The Conga Kings’ Jazz Descargas is authentic Afro-Cuban jazz. For starters, Carlos “Patato” Valdes and Candido Camero have been Afro-Cuban music pioneers for decades. Patato is recognized as one of the first to tune his congas to a song’s dominant chord, which contributes harmony to the song’s melody as well as to the rhythm of a song (noteworthy because there is no piano, and therefore plenty of melodic space, on Jazz Descargas ), and has played with Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie. Camero has contributed Latin punctuation to groove sessions by Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, and even Tony Bennett (on the unique The Beat of My Heart, which featured the singer against a backdrop consisting of only percussion with the occasional wind instrument). Partnered with Giovanni Hidalgo, an alumnus of Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, the combined influence of these three congueros on Latin Jazz has been profound. These three really could be The Conga Kings.