What Are You Listening To?

[Srvy]

Excellent :text-bravo:

 

[topper]

Srvy, Mr Lucky won best blues album of the year
the year it was released. ~~ (1990 or 1991)

I haven't listened to any John Lee for a long, long time.
Enjoyed hearing that old one-of-a-kind sound/style of his.

 

[Dennie]

Time to get a little Funky..........

She -- CD

Harry Connick, Jr.

1994 Columbia Records

5.0 out of 5 stars A must!, September 1, 2005
By
Melissa C. Jurgensen (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: She (Audio CD)

I recently rediscovered this CD in my collection and I've played it to death ever since! This is my FAVORITE Connick CD. I love his mix of Dixieland/New Orleans Jazz and funk. This is a must have for any Connick fan and I don't know why it wasn't more popular than it was when it came out. This is classic Harry and I do find myself wishing he'd release another album such as this.
All songs by Harry Connick, Jr. and Ramsey McLean unless otherwise noted.

"She" – 5:36
"Between Us" – 5:57
"Here Comes the Big Parade" – 4:11 - an ode to Mardi Gras
"Trouble" – 2:40
"(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" – 4:50
"Follow the Music" – 1:00
"Joe Slam and the Spaceship" (Connick, Jonathan DuBose, Tony Hall) – 7:12
"To Love the Language" – 5:01
"Honestly Now (Safety's Just Danger...Out of Place)" – 5:31
"She...Blessed be the One" – 1:35
"Funky Dunky" (Connick) – 6:22
"Follow the Music Further" – 1:19
"That Party" – 5:12
"Booker" – 6:26

 

[PaulyT]

I have this album and I like it a lot, but personally I prefer

 

[PaulyT]

Just noticed... the dude likes socks.

 

[Dennie]

Fruitcakes -- CD

Jimmy Buffett

1994 MCA Nashville

Packaged Sunshine, March 28, 2001
By Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)

I know CDs aren't supposed to wear out when you play them, but I play this one enough that I worry about it. Daily. The alarm goes off. I hit snooze. I hit play. The lively beat of "Everybody's Got a Cousin in Miami" usually brings me most of the way into consciousness. "Fruitcakes" leaves me awake & chuckling. The rest is shower/dressing/breakfast/email music.

I'm not a Buffett Fan. Y'all can take Margarittaville & go Get Drunk & Screw for all I care. Most of his other stuff holds no appeal to me. But this CD is different (fans beware) & I like it. It's laid back, with just enough of a Carribean feel to be "exotic." Buffett's sense of humor shines through brightly.

Some tracks, like "Six String Music" & "Love in the Library" are unremarkable, but I find them staying with me in a lilting & upbeat way. The ode to his daughter "Delaney Talks to Statues" gets me every time, but I'm sentimental & my own daughter is growing up way too fast. I own a lot of Grateful Dead CDs (several changer cartridges full). I find his interpretation of "Uncle John's Band" enjoyable & refreshing rather than inept and blasphemous. He gets the spirit of that song & manifests it with good humor. He cracks "Apocalypso," as the ultimate existentialist joke.

Five stars for a playful, sunny masterpiece. I love it. I have it on good authority that Joe Merchant does, too.

"Everybody's Got a Cousin in Miami" (Jimmy Buffett, Michael Tschudin) – 7:19
"Fruitcakes" (Jimmy Buffett, Amy Lee) – 7:40
"Lone Palm" (Jimmy Buffett) – 4:28
"Six String Music" (Jimmy Buffett, G.E. Smith) – 3:25
"Uncle John's Band" (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 4:30
"Love in the Library" (Jimmy Buffett, Mac McAnally) – 4:40
"Quietly Making Noise" (Jimmy Buffett, Michael Tschudin) – 5:51
"Frenchman for the Night" (Jimmy Buffett, Roger Guth) – 4:30
"Sunny Afternoon" (Ray Davies) – 4:12
"Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost" (Jimmy Buffett, Roger Guth, Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer) – 4:53
"She's Got You" (Hank Cochran) – 2:46
"Delaney Talks to Statues" (Jimmy Buffett, Mac McAnally, Amy Lee) – 3:41
"Apocalypso" (Matt Betton) – 3:56

 

[Dennie]

Rock N Roll Jesus -- CD

Kid Rock

2007 Atlantic Records

Rock 'n Roll White Trash, but in a good way, August 26, 2008
By Dawn M. Raymond "Movie Maven" (Delaware County, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)


This review is from: Rock n Roll Jesus (Audio CD)

This is the best of any Kid Rock cd I've bought. Ok, it's a little bit more on the "religious" side - if you can use the words "religion" and "Kid Rock" in the same sentence and not have a lightning bolt strike you dead. There are about 3 songs that are the reason the "Explicit Lyrics" sticker is on it. Only 1 almost made my ears bleed, but this ain't Helen Reddy. Another plus (or minus depending on how much you like Kid Rock) you can make out almost 100% of the words.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

1. "Rock N Roll Jesus" R.J. Ritchie, K. Tudrick, M. Young 4:29
2. "Amen" Ritchie 4:40
3. "All Summer Long" E. King, L. Marinell,R. Ritchie, G. Rossington, M. Shaffer, R. VanZant, R. Watchel, W. Zevon 4:56
4. "Roll On" Ritchie 6:11
5. "So Hott" Ritchie 4:07
6. "Sugar" B. Ervine, J. Krause, Ritchie, Shaffer, D. Simon, J. Smith, Young 3:44
7. "When You Love Someone" Ritchie, Shaffer, Young 5:40
8. "New Orleans" D.A. Coe, Ritchie 6:36
9. "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" Ritchie, Shaffer, Young 4:20
10. "Blue Jeans And a Rosary" Ritchie, Young 4:35
11. "Half Your Age" Ritchie 3:45
12. "Lowlife (Living the Highlife)" J. Eddie, Ritchie 4:04

 

[Dennie]

Slowhand -- CD

Eric Clapton

1977/1996 Polydor Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Clapton had already established himself as a guitar legend by the time he released Slowhand. His heroin habit long behind him, Clapton's songwriting mastery was fully evident on the album, particularly in the stunning ballad "Wonderful Tonight." It fully actualized all of the potential hinted at in his earlier "Promises," and Clapton trusted himself enough to slow things down. Some of his most expressive guitar work can be found throughout this album, not just within "Wonderful." Ironically enough, Slowhand is probably best known for the hit "Cocaine." Built upon a simple repeated riff, the song had Clapton's trademark smooth voice with its wear around the edges, and yet another stellar guitar solo. Flashy runs and licks were never the most integral part of Clapton's catalog, his blues background being the primary source for his sound. Slowhand, with its phrasings, both guitar and vocal, established Clapton as the possessor of one of the most extensive vocabularies in rock. --Steve Gdula


Side one

"Cocaine" (J.J. Cale) – 3:41
"Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 3:44
"Lay Down Sally" (Clapton, Marcy Levy, George Terry) – 3:56
"Next Time You See Her" (Clapton) – 4:01
"We're All The Way" (Don Williams) – 2:32

Side two

"The Core" (Clapton/Levy) – 8:45
"May You Never" (John Martyn) – 3:01
"Mean Old Frisco" (Arthur Crudup) – 4:42
"Peaches and Diesel" (Clapton, Albhy Galuten) – 4:46

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening.....

Love Deluxe -- CD

Sade

1992 Epic Records

Love Deluxe, October 4, 2000
By WILLIE A YOUNG II "willow" (Houston, TX.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Deluxe (Audio CD)

Never has repetition worked so well! From the hypnotic bass groove of the opening "No Ordinary Love" this remarkable band uses space, and the lightest embellishments to wondrous effect. Paul S. Denman anchors every song with some of the most understated yet innovative bass playing ever recorded. His deep, sliding, funky bass playing makes "Feel No Pain" a virtual masterpiece of minimalism, and he gets downright buttery as he hangs in the background on "I Couldn't Love You More" and "Cherish The Day". Stuart Matthewman (guitar & sax) Andrew Hale (keyboards) and the underappreciated Leroy Osborne (backing vocals) help round out this solid, transistional effort. The spare, stripped down funky soundscapes painted here chart the the direction these men would follow 4 years later in Sweetback. Ms. Adu as always is in wonderful voice. Her achingly lovely contralto is front and center on every cut, (the instrumental piece that closes the album being the only exception) and you can actually hear tears in her delivery on tracks like "Cherish The Day", "Kiss Of Life" and the acoustic gem "Like A Tattoo". Not a bad song to be found here, and none of it ever sounds dated or pretentious. A Modern Classic.

"No Ordinary Love" (Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman) – 7:20
"Feel No Pain" (Adu, Andrew Hale, Matthewman) – 5:08
"I Couldn't Love You More" (Adu, Hale, Matthewman, Paul S. Denman) – 3:49
"Like a Tattoo" (Adu, Hale, Matthewman) – 3:38
"Kiss of Life" (Adu, Hale, Matthewman, Denman) – 5:50
"Cherish the Day" (Adu, Hale, Matthewman) – 5:34
"Pearls" (Adu, Hale) – 4:34
"Bullet Proof Soul" (Adu, Hale, Matthewman) – 5:26
"Mermaid" (Hale, Matthewman, Denman) – 4:23

 

[Dennie]

ZZ Top Greatest Hits -- CD

ZZ Top

1992 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

One of ZZ Top's great gifts is its concision; even in the side-long-jam era of the '70s, the Texans almost always fit 10 cuts on their albums. Surveying two decades of their output, Greatest Hits isn't the perfect overview you might expect, but it's still a pretty darn good driving album. The disc goes easy on the pre-Deguello stuff surveyed on their earlier best-of, and seems to digitally boost the drums on tracks like the 1975 "Tush." Still, later cuts like "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" and "My Head's in Mississippi" are full-on triumphs of this trio's very weird, very blues-drenched sensibility. --Rickey Wright

All songs by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.

"Gimme All Your Lovin'" – 3:59
Originally from Eliminator (1983)
"Sharp Dressed Man" – 4:14
Originally from Eliminator (1983)
"Rough Boy" – 4:50
Originally from Afterburner (1985)
"Tush" (Six Pack Remixed Version) – 2:15
Originally from The ZZ Top Six Pack (1987)
"My Head's in Mississippi" – 4:21
Originally from Recycler (1990)
"Pearl Necklace" – 4:01
Originally from El Loco (1981)
"I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" – 4:46
Originally from Degüello (1979)
"Viva Las Vegas" (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman) – 4:47
"Doubleback" – 3:53
Originally from Recycler (1990)
"Gun Love" – 3:43
"Got Me Under Pressure" – 4:00
Originally from Eliminator (1983)
"Give It Up" – 3:32
Originally from Recycler (1990)
"Cheap Sunglasses" – 4:47
Originally from Degüello (1979)
"Sleeping Bag" – 4:02
Originally from Afterburner (1985)
"Planet of Women" – 4:04
Originally from Afterburner (1985)
"La Grange" (Six Pack Remixed Version) – 3:52
Originally from The ZZ Top Six Pack (1987)
"Tube Snake Boogie" – 3:02
Originally from El Loco (1981)
"Legs" (Remix Version) – 4:31
Originally from Eliminator (1983)





7669

 

[Botch]

:music-rockout:

Man is this bringing back the memories! In high school I listened to a college station that played a lot of Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds/Rockpile, but I haven't really heard any of it since. Hearing songs I haven't heard in 33 years, wow! :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[topper]

Some good stuff . . .

~ :handgestures-thumbup: ~ ~ :happy-smileygiantred:

 

[Botch]

More memories from 33 years ago! :music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

Time Out -- CD

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

1959/1997 Columbia Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Boasting the first jazz instrumental to sell a million copies, the Paul Desmond-penned "Take Five," Time Out captures the celebrated jazz quartet at the height of both its popularity and its powers. Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with "Take Five," the album features another one of the group's signature compositions, "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Though influenced by the West Coast-cool school, Brubeck's greatest interest and contribution to jazz was the use of irregular meters in composition, which he did with great flair. Much of the band's appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band's already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era. --Fred Goodman

All pieces composed by Dave Brubeck, except "Take Five" by Paul Desmond.
Side one

"Blue Rondo à la Turk" – 6:44
"Strange Meadow Lark" – 7:22
"Take Five" – 5:24

Side two

"Three to Get Ready" – 5:24
"Kathy's Waltz" – 4:48
"Everybody's Jumpin'" – 4:23
"Pick Up Sticks" – 4:16


Dave Brubeck – piano
Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
Eugene Wright – double bass
Joe Morello – drums

 

[Dennie]

The Essential Charlie Parker -- CD

Charlie Parker

1992 Verve Records

This is truly the one to Have..., June 6, 2001
By L. Jackson "Veracity" (Oak Park,MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Essential (Audio CD)

I'm surprised that not many people have reviewed this cd, it is wonderful. It has an excellent variety of songs so you hear Bird playing w/strings, big band, quintet and solo. I just love Mango Mangue the song performed with the Cuban bongo and congo players. Plus it has the classics (Now's the Time, Confirmation, etc). A great collection of songs and the SOUND QUALITY is great.

Track listing

1. Now's the Time
2. If I Should Lose You
3. Mango Mangue
4. Bloomdido
5. Star Eyes
6. Confirmation - (Master Take)
7. My Little Suede Shoes
8. Just Friends
9. Lover Man
10. I Got Rhythm
11. Repetition
12. K.C. Blues
13. Relaxin' With Lee - (Master Take)
14. April in Paris
15. Okiedoke
16. Song Is You, The

Buddy Rich, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Ray Brown, Roy Haynes, Thelonious Monk

 

[Dennie]

The Sidewinder -- CD

Lee Morgan

1964/1989 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com

The Philadelphia-born trumpeter and superb bop stylist Lee Morgan apprenticed with Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey before emerging as a leader in his own right in the early '60s for Blue Note Records. Although Morgan owed a stylistic debt to both Gillespie and Clifford Brown, he quickly developed a voice of his own that combined half-valve effects, Latin inflections, and full, fluid melodies.

While many of Morgan's later sessions for Blue Note would find him paired with saxophonist Hank Mobley, The Sidewinder features the then up-and-coming tenor player Joe Henderson, along with Detroit pianist Barry Harris, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins. Along with the title track, an unconventional 24-bar blues, the album's compositional standout is "Totem Pole," a minor Latin groove featuring an outstanding solo by Henderson. This is the kind of relaxed blowing date, invigorated by thoughtful performances, that forms the backbone of the Blue Note catalog. --Fred Goodman

"The Sidewinder" – 10:25
"Totem Pole" – 10:11
"Gary's Notebook" – 6:03
"Boy, What a Night" – 7:30
"Hocus Pocus" – 6:21
"Totem Pole" (Alternate Take)¹ - 9:57

¹ Only available on CD.

Lee Morgan - trumpet
Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone
Billy Higgins - drums
Barry Harris - piano
Bob Cranshaw - bass

 

[Dennie]

Drums Around The Corner -- CD

Art Blakey

1958-59/1999 Blue Note Records

Couldn't get any better for drum enthusiasts, November 6, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Drums Around the Corner (Audio CD)

This previously unreleased session from November 2, 1958 recorded at Manhattan Towers is a real joy. The legendary Art Blakey is joined by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jymie Merritt on bass, and Bobby Timmons on piano from his Messengers of the period, and drummers Roy Haynes, and Joseph Rudolph Jones aka "Philly" Joe Jones and conga master Ray Barretto.

Things get to a fast start with Charlie Parker's "Moose The Mooche" which has all the percussionists playing the melody! Lee Morgan, and Bobby Timmons have brief solos,and then the fireworks start. Ray Barretto solos briefly, and for the trap drummers Roy Haynes comes in first(on the left speaker) with crisp, crackling snare and rim shots, complimented by short, repetative phrases. Philly Joe(on the right speaker) is next with some of his trademark fire, followed by Art's(also on the right) bombshells. "Blakey's Blues" is more conventional in a sense as Morgan and Timmons really stretch out.

The ensemble charges through "Let's Take 16 Bars" which starts with the drummers playing a common phrase, "Drums In The Rain" which brings memories of Art's predecessor drum ensemble record "Orgy In Rhythm" the previous year, and a very fast "Lover". Unlike "Orgy In Rhythm", "Drums Around the Corner" deserves merit because it is a more fully conceived date, as well as a more enjoyable one for hard bop enthusiasts.

The recording quality is excellent, because of Rudy Van Gelder's familiarity w/ the Manhattan Towers studio(as Kenny Burrell's "Blue Lights", and Jimmy Smith's "The Sermon" were recorded there earlier that year) and Ron McMaster's 24 bit mastering job really brings the tonal qualities through, although RVG's original engineering has Morgan and Timmons farther back, and the drummers up front in the mix.

Also included from another session in 1959 are 2 duets w/ Blakey and bassist Paul Chambers that are very interesting. Overall, drumming fans, as well as Blakey fans should enjoy this limited edition commodity. 3 of the 6 tunes from the 11/2/58 date run over 10 mins. resulting in over an hour of music If you want something similar in concept to "Orgy In Rhythm" but with a more straight ahead flavor, you will definitely want to obtain this. With "The African Beat" being released early next year, we get a view of Art Blakey as a creative master of the groove. And the dream pairing of Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Roy Haynes makes this too good to pass up.

All songs by Art Blakey except where indicated.

"Moose the Mooche'" (Charlie Parker) – 15:16
"Blakey's Blues" – 11:04
"Lee's Tune" (Lee Morgan) – 8:23
"Let's Take 16 Bars" – 6:11
"Drums in the Rain" – 11:11
"Lover" (Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart) – 7:21
"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (Irving Berlin) – 7:09
"What Is This Thing Called Love?" (Cole Porter) – 5:43


Tracks 1-6, the Manhattan Towers, 2 November 1958

Lee Morgan – trumpet
Bobby Timmons – piano
Jymie Merritt – bass
Art Blakey – drums, timpani
Roy Haynes – drums
Philly Joe Jones – drums, timpani
Ray Barretto – congas

Tracks 7-8, the Rudy Van Gelden Studio, 29 March 1959

Paul Chambers — bass
Art Blakey — drums

 

[Dennie]

Orgy In Rhythm - Volumes 1 & 2 -- CD

Art Blakey

1957/1997 Capitol Records

THUNDEROUS, November 12, 2002
By Christopher Sears "Chris Sears" (SoCal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)


This review is from: Orgy in Rhythm 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Thunderous. I listen to a lot of electronic music besides jazz, and am relatively accustomed to hearing new sounds. But this album blew me away. Orgy in Rhythm opens up the possibilities of the acoustic drumset in a way no other album has (at least to my limited knowledge). Three drumsets and three of the greatest drummers. And Timpanis and Latin percussion. GOOD GOD. I wish more artists would show this sincerity in their playing and this willingness to experiment. If you play drums, BUY THIS ALBUM. If you listen to a lot of the more "out there" sampled music (Amon Tobin, etc.) BUY THIS ALBUM. If you ever wondered what three drumsets would sound like together in a dark reverbed room, BUY THIS ALBUM.

"Buhaina Chant" – 10:30
"Ya Ya" – 7:06
"Toffi" – 12:20
"Split Skins" – 8:58
"Amuck" – 6:49
"Elephant Walk" – 6:56
"Come Out and Meet Me Tonight" – 5:43
"Abdallah's Delight" – 9:46

All compositions by Art Blakey

Recorded at Manhattan Towers, NYC, March 7, 1957

Art Blakey – drums
Ray Bryant – piano
Jo Jones – drums, tympani
Herbie Mann – flute
Wendell Marshall – bass
Sabu Martinez – percussion
Ubaldo Nieto – percussion, timbales
Evilio Quintero – percussion, maracas, cencerro
Arthur Taylor – drums
Carlos "Patato" Valdes – percussion
Specs Wright – drums, tympani






7704

 

[Dennie]

Axis: Bold As Love -- CD

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

1968/1997 MCA Records

Amazon.com

Jimi Hendrix's second album doesn't resonate through rock history the way its gatecrashing predecessor, Are You Experienced?, does. In places, it almost seems as if Hendrix is cruising, albeit sublimely. Yet it's a vital album, containing some of rock's molten milestones. There's the fluid psychedelia of "Castles Made of Sand," the viciously funky "Little Miss Lover," and the so-beautiful-it-hurts "Little Wing." Hendrix really hits altitude with "If 6 Was 9," where he waves his "freak flag high" over a tidal wave of guitar and a cacophonous army of Moroccan flutes, and he ends with "Bold As Love," based around Hendrix's typically far-fetched hankering for the axis of the planet to be tilted, thereby transforming life on earth. It works up into a head-melting frenzy of distorted guitar, a precursor to the staggeringly expansive leap forward he would take with 1968's Electric Ladyland. Hendrix dreamed the impossible and achieved it on his guitar. --David Stubbs

Side one

No. Title Length
1. "EXP" 1:55
2. "Up from the Skies" 2:55
3. "Spanish Castle Magic" 3:00
4. "Wait Until Tomorrow" 3:00
5. "Ain't No Telling" 1:46
6. "Little Wing" 2:24
7. "If 6 Was 9" 5:32

Side two

No. Title Length
8. "You Got Me Floatin'" 2:45
9. "Castles Made of Sand" 2:46
10. "She's So Fine" (Noel Redding) 2:37
11. "One Rainy Wish" 3:40
12. "Little Miss Lover" 2:20
13. "Bold as Love" 4:11

 

[heeman]

Pandora Jeff Beck Radio and Pat Travers Radio will doing outdoor chores and grillin' that great chicken!!!