Carmen McRae always had a nice voice (if not on the impossible level of an Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan) but it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretations of lyrics that made her most memorable.

Roger VANHAVERBEKE starts to play violin at age 7.
After few years at the Ostende musical academy, he moves to the Brussels Royal Conservatory where he obtained 1st prize for violin, as well as the silver medal (for excellence), awarded by the state for solfegio.
Albeit his classical music education, he already show passion for the great jazz violinists of his time, Eddie SOUTH, Joe VENUTI, Stéphane GRAPPELLI.

Stan Getz meets João & Astrud Gilberto: New York 1964 is a live recording of bossa nova in the making. In 1990, the Giants of Jazz label released a live recording of a 1964 New York City performance featuring Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto, (Joao’s then-wife). The album, entitled “Stan Getz meets João & Astrud Gilberto” is actually misleading, as the trio had met previously in 1963 for the wildly successful recording of “Getz/Gilberto”. The album was released in ‘64 and set off a bossa nova frenzy in the U.S. As a result of the album’s success, the Brazilian Gilbertos and the American Getz played a number of shows in the U.S., such as the one recorded here. Released as part of the “Immortal Concerts” series, this recording exhibits the chemistry the three obviously shared and captures bossa nova in its infancy, as it was still being created and defined.

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (b. 29 April 1922, Brussels, Belgium), known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his professional whistling.

Le baron Toots Thielemans (né Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidore Thielemans) est un musicien de jazz belge, né à Bruxelles le 29 avril 1922. Il est bien connu comme guitariste et comme harmoniciste mais aussi comme un siffleur professionnel.

At last, Sunny Murray got a well deserved crystal-clear production style for this live document. And he propels the band forward with a lot of conviction. But the band itself is more than extremely motivated to blow your brains out, since such great players like Moncur III and Odean Pope are featured. Special mention goes to the saxophone solo in the beginning of this concert, it seemed so familiar in style yet so original in execution. Yet there is little time spent with the solo until the rest of the orchestra engages in creating maelstroms together, combining catchy themes with free and loud flights. The wonderful work of George Antheil came to my mind sometimes, especially in the more ”cacophonously joyous”-sounding sections. This record is a bit schizophrenic, since the sonorities employed by the musicians bridge serialism, bop and Afrocentric stuff and free jazz and also dark moods with cool moods or inflamed, high-blowing moods in very liberal fashion. This is a keeper for its hyperkinetic performances, and whoever wants to actually hear Sunny in top shape would be well advised to get to listen to this.