What Are You Listening To?

[Botch]

Good stuff, this! Thanks. :music-listening:

If I was a betting man.................I would say that you would like this one also!

Don't know if they're planning to release this one now in 5.1 too... :handgestures-fingerscrossed: :handgestures-fingerscrossed: :handgestures-fingerscrossed:

 

[Dennie]

Crazy Vibes and Things -- CD

Down To The Bone

2002 GRP Records

From the Marvin Gay-esqe CD cover....(I want you), May 25, 2002
By gq_online@yahoo.com (T dot-O dot, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Crazy Vibes & Things (Audio CD)

You can tell that DTTB means business.Echoes of Brother Jack McDuff, Brecker Bros, Players Assn, Roy Ayres, even Cannonball Adderley and Brian Auger ring true from each one of the ten splendidly crafted tracks. Don't listen to the samples to get a flavor, that would be like listening to one instrument and believing you have an orchestra. Electra Glide opens up with a slow groovin'double sax attack reminicent of Adderley's Work Song. The next track, On a Roll is DTTB doin their thang jammin tighter than a bra on Pamela Anderson. The title track...well is classic, right up there with "Always There-Ronnie Laws", "Mr. Magic-Grover" and "Birdland-Weather Report". DTTB's first vocal track My One and All sounds admittedly like Incognito at it's best-but with definitely better musicianship and arrangement. Special recognition has to go to Neil Angilley the hardest working keyboardist in show business and producer Stuart Wade. DTTB is by far is the best live jazz show on the road and guaranteed to have you bumpin' in the isles.....

Track Listing
1. Electra Glide
2. On a Roll
3. I Softly Surrender (To You)
4. Music Is My Drug
5. Crazy Vibes and Things
6. My One and All
7. Glow
8. Stargazer
9. Searching for a Simple Groove
10. Cooking with Gas

 

[Dennie]

Cheers Everyone and Happy Holidays! ccasion-xmas:

Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits -- CD

Vince Guaraldi Trio

1998 Fantasy Records

Good Grief!, December 25, 1999
By Mark Savary "moon_city" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits (Audio CD)

For years Charlie Brown was a holiday staple for our family. Between Snoopy soundtracks and Mister Rogers' walking-through-the-neighborhood music, I grew up with a real fondness for jazz.

Almost all of these cuts will be instantly recognizable, and those that aren't right off will eventually come to mind. The music will conjure up fond rememberances of childhood and holidays, which is a powerful combination. And besides, it's just plain fun to listen to.

Besides the classic "Linus & Lucy", the Christmas theme "Christmas Time is Here" followed by it's intrumental counterpart, and the hard to find "Thanksgiving Theme" make this CD a bargain.

For a fan of the Peanuts gang, this CD is anything but wishy-washy.

Track Listing
1. Joe Cool - (previously unreleased)
2. Surfin' Snoopy - (previously unreleased)
3. Heartburn Waltz - (previously unreleased)
4. Track Meet - (previously unreleased)
5. Camptown Races - (previously unreleased)
6. Oh, Good Grief! - (previously unreleased, vocal)
7. Charlie Brown Theme
8. Schroeder
9. Charlie's Blues - (previously unreleased)
10. Great Pumpkin Waltz - (previously unreleased)
11. Thanksgiving Theme - (previously unreleased)
12. Linus and Lucy
13. Christmas Time Is Here - (previously unreleased, vocal)
14. Christmas Time Is Here - (previously unreleased, TRUE instrumental)

 

[Botch]

Cheers Everyone and Happy Holidays! ccasion-xmas:

Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits -- CD

Vince Guaraldi Trio

I'll be digging this one out in about three weeks, but not yet. Not yet.

 

[Dennie]

Cheers Everyone and Happy Holidays! ccasion-xmas:

Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits -- CD

Vince Guaraldi Trio

I'll be digging this one out in about three weeks, but not yet. Not yet.

I completely agree.

It is WAY to early for "Christmas" music, way to early!

But this is "Holiday" Music and I felt it proper to play for Thanksgiving. :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Rope]

Rope

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Accentuate The Positive -- CD

Al Jarreau

2004 Verve Records

Amazon.com

Al Jarreau's style bridges Jon Hendricks's vocalese and Bobby McFerrin's incredible flights of fancy. This CD, with Diana Krall's rhythm section--guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Peter Erskine, and bassist Christian McBride--should please fans of albums like Jarreau's phenomenal 1977 live LP, Look to the Rainbow. Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is illuminated by Larry Goldings's down-home Hammond organ, while Lionel Hampton's "Midnight Sun" bops with hip-hop-friendly rim shots. Jarreau's tenor tones curve with saxophonic dexterity and pulse with percussive precision, especially on Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High," where he slyly drops in a few words from the old show tune, "Whispering." --Eugene Holley, Jr.

"Cold Duck" (Harris, Jarreau)
"The Nearness of You" (Carmichael, Washington)
"I'm Beginning to See the Light" (Ellington, George, Hodges, James)
"My Foolish Heart" (Washington, Young)
"Midnight Sun" (Hampton, Burke & Mercer)
"Accentuate the Positive" (Arlen, Mercer)
"Betty Bebop's Song" (Jarreau, Ravel)
"Waltz for Debby" (Evans, Lees)
"Groovin' High" (Gillespie, Jarreau)
"Lotus" (Grolnick, Jarreau)
"Scootcha Booty" (Ferrante, Jarreau)

 

[Dennie]

The Chicago Transit Authority -- CD

The Chicago Transit Authority

1969/1990 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

Formed in 1967, the Chicago Transit Authority echoed the concepts of Blood, Sweat & Tears by adding a jazzy horn section to their rock sound. Before shortening their name due to pressure in their hometown, the CTA released this impressive debut album. Featuring the vocals of keyboard player Robert Lamm, guitarist Terry Kath, and bassist Peter Cetera, Chicago's sound was smoothly orchestrated one minute and overtly raucous the next. The late Terry Kath indulged himself in "Free Form Guitar" and wailed aggressively in the cover of the Spencer Davis Group's hit, "I'm a Man." Robert Lamm wrote most of the original material, including the successful "Beginnings" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is." This record shows Chicago fully formed and sounding great. --Mitch Myers

1. "Introduction" Kath Kath 6:35
2. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" Lamm Lamm 4:35
3. "Beginnings" Lamm Lamm 7:54
4. "Questions 67 and 68" Lamm Cetera/Lamm 5:03
5. "Listen" Lamm Lamm 3:22
6. "Poem 58" Lamm Lamm 8:35
7. "Free Form Guitar" Kath 6:47
8. "South California Purples" Lamm Lamm 6:11
9. "I'm a Man" Winwood/Miller Kath/Cetera/Lamm 7:43
10. "Prologue (August 29, 1968)" Guercio 0:58
11. "Someday (August 29, 1968)" Pankow/Lamm Lamm/Cetera 4:11
12. "Liberation" Pankow Kath 14:38

 

[Botch]

The Chicago Transit Authority -- CD

The Chicago Transit Authority

1969/1990 Columbia Records

This makes me think about Jeff's blind compression listening test at Tom's GTG. The last time I listened to my copy of this, on vinyl, I was struck at how uncompressed and natural this record sounded; the bass guitar in particular sounded like a real bass guitar. Would like to hear the CD version, apparently remastered in 1990.

 

[topper]

 

[Dennie]

The Chicago Transit Authority -- CD

The Chicago Transit Authority

1969/1990 Columbia Records

This makes me think about Jeff's blind compression listening test at Tom's GTG. The last time I listened to my copy of this, on vinyl, I was struck at how uncompressed and natural this record sounded; the bass guitar in particular sounded like a real bass guitar. Would like to hear the CD version, apparently remastered in 1990.

I think it was originally mastered in 1990 for the first CD "pressing". I would think you would want to look into the 2008 "remaster" for superior sound quality. :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Fire Wire -- CD

Larry Carlton

2006 BlueBird/RCA Records

Although guitarist Larry Carlton is known primarily as a smooth-jazz performer, both solo and with Fourplay, his roots are in session work with pop/rock artists, most notably Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. On 2006's FIREWIRE, Carlton gets back to his rock beginnings, offering up a set of tunes that focus on the energetic side of his playing. Aiding Carlton in this musical about-face is producer Csaba Petocz, who has been in the studio with acts such as Elvis Costello and Metallica, and here leads the six-stringer in a bold, assertive direction. Also joined by prolific drummer Matt Chamberlain and other top-tier musicians, Carlton leans into the shuffling "Inkblot 11," indulges in Jimi Hendrix-like riffing on "Naked Truth," and sinks into a deep blues groove with "Surrender." More in line with albums by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai than anything in the easy-listening vein, FIRE WIRE highlights the adventurous aspects of this expert guitarist.

Track Listing
1. Inkblott 11
2. Double Cross
3. Naked Truth
4. Surrender
5. Big Trouble
6. Goodbye
7. Dirty Donna's House Party
8. Prince, The
9. Sunrise
10. Mean Street

 

[Dennie]

I Can See Your House From Here -- CD

John Scofield & Pat Metheny

1994 Blue Note Records

An outstanding meeting of brilliant minds!, November 7, 2002
By NDBx "NDBx" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I Can See Your House From Here (Audio CD)

Pat and Sco! 'Nuff said. I have to admit that this one threw me off balance initially. They don't play necessarily in the matter that you might expect them to. They cover a wide range of material that incorporates the best of their capabilities. Steve Swallow and the venerable Bill Stewart round out this quartet. Mr. Stewart is essential to the drive factor in this recording. This quartet SWINGS! They groove. The ballads are also good. When you have to such good guitarists you don't much more than a quartet. They fill up the spaces nicely. They play off each other wonderfully. The chops are impressive but this isn't a chops-fest. There is substance as well as virtuosity here. I was thrilled with this recording when I bought and it has grown on me over the years. A sequel recording would be nice.

"I Can See Your House From Here" (Scofield) – 7:43
"The Red One" (Metheny) – 4:17
"No Matter What" (Scofield) – 7:14
"Everybody's Party" (Scofield) – 6:15
"Message To My Friend" (Metheny) – 6:09
"No Way Jose" (Scofield) – 7:18
"Say The Brother's Name" (Metheny) – 7:18
"S.C.O." (Metheny) – 4:41
"Quiet Rising" (Metheny) – 5:26
"One Way To Be" (Scofield) – 5:45
"You Speak My Language" (Scofield) – 6:57

I Can See Your House From Here is a 1994 jazz album by John Scofield & Pat Metheny. John Scofield is on the left channel and Pat Metheny is on the right channel of this stereo recording.

 

[Dennie]

This Meets That -- CD

John Scofield

2007 Emarcy Records

Top of the ladder, June 5, 2008
By W. Noshie (Beirut, Lebanon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: This Meets That (Audio CD)

John Scofield has gone up the ladder 1 step at a time to reach this new album. "This meets that" marks Scofield finally reaching the top of the Ladder. Yes after all these years JS is releasing a superb album. Creative, tight and extremely satisfying; choose the right moment to hear this album; probably after a long day of work; pour yourself a Glass of Whisky, sit back, listen and enjoy. Highly recommended.

The Low Road
Down D
Strangeness in the Night
Heck of a Job
Behind Closed Doors
House of the Rising Sun
Shoe Dog
Memorette
Trio Blues
Pretty Out
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards)

 

[Dennie]

What We Do -- CD

John Scofield Quartet

1993 Blue Note Records

One Great Album, October 20, 2001
By Benjamin P. Patterson "jazzbonecat" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: What We Do (Audio CD)

Sco couldn't have put together a better combination of musicians for this date. If you like Meant To Be, you must have this album. The musical exchange between Lovano and Stewart is magical throughout, but particularly on the tounge-in-cheek Camp-out. Sco's ballad Easy For You is one of the prettiest things I've ever heard. This album has everything a Scofield fan or a Lovano fan could want.

All tracks written by John Scofield.

"Little Walk" – 6:34
"Camp Out" – 8:01
"Big Sky" – 6:05
"Easy For You" – 6:41
"Call 911" – 7:27
"Imaginary Time" – 6:08
"Say The Word" – 6:26
"Why Nogales?" – 8:15
"What They Did" – 7:09

 

[Dennie]

Well, I've had the song "Black Friday" going through my head all day, so it is time to play it....

Katy Lied -- CD

Steely Dan

1975/1999 MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The last of the truly classic first four Steely Dan albums, the 1975 Katy Lied also sounds like the best. While retaining a solid rock foundation, the music finds Walter Becker and Donald Fagen engaging their jazz influences more successfully than ever; Fagen's piano fills alone are some of the most impressive music laid to tape in the '70s. The songs, too, rate with the team's very best, whether coolly anticipating global financial collapse ("Black Friday"), celebrating the legacy of a mob-hit victim ("Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More"), or letting the Dan's guard down with a pained three-minute survey of life on Earth ("Any World [That I'm Welcome To]"). --Rickey Wright

Side one

"Black Friday" – 3:33
Guitar solo by Walter Becker
"Bad Sneakers" – 3:16
Guitar solo by Walter Becker
"Rose Darling" – 2:59
Guitar solo by Dean Parks
"Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" – 3:12
Guitar by Larry Carlton
"Doctor Wu" – 3:59
Alto saxophone solo by Phil Woods

Side two

"Everyone's Gone to the Movies" – 3:41
"Your Gold Teeth II" – 4:12
Guitar solo by Denny Dias
"Chain Lightning" – 2:57
Guitar solo by Rick Derringer
"Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" – 3:56
"Throw Back the Little Ones" – 3:11
Guitar solo by Elliot Randall

 

[Dennie]

Blue To The Bone -- CD

Jimmy McGriff

1988 Milestone Records

Funky later jazz-organ masterpiece, January 14, 2006
By Mark R. Van Wagenen "viagracat" (Elgin, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Blue to the Bone (Audio CD)

You can't go wrong with anything from Jimmy McGriff, and this is one of McGriff's best. Recorded in 1988 at Blue Note legend Rudy Van Gelder's studio, some time after other jazz-organ giants like Groove Holmes, Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff peaked, this one still features McGriff's organ front and center, but there is also plenty of room on this CD for the other talented musicians; especially Al Grey's trombone and Bill Easley's sax (veteran sessionman Melvin Sparks plays guitar pretty well too). "Ain't that Funk for You", a classic leadoff track, best exemplifies that synergy--and energy. It's also a very funky number (if you ain't tapping your foot to it, you're dead) that like the other reviewer said, will play in your head long after you hear it. "For All We Know", the second track, is a cool slow number, but the CD picks up again with #3; his version of Duke Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", which features a long solo by McGriff that shows off the richness of his playing (and at 10 plus minutes, the other musicians get their chance too). Perhaps the funkiest tune is "Secret Love", the fourth track, followed by "Hangin'In", a slow, bluesy tune that departs the most from the overall theme of the album, which as some have pointed out, is tight and without major mood swings. The last track, "After the Dark" ends the CD well and is almost as good as the killer leadoff track. If you're into jazz organ and are looking for a slightly more contemporary and inclusive sound without departing from the old school, you'll want this CD. Highly recommended.

Track Listing
1. Ain't That Funk for You
2. For All We Know
3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
4. Secret Love
5. Hangin' In
6. After the Dark



Personnel: Jimmy McGriff (organ), Al Grey (trombone), Bill Easley (Alto Sax, Tenor Sax), Melvin Sparks (guitar), Bernard Purdie (drums).

 

[Dennie]

The Worm -- CD

Jimmy McGriff - Organ and Blues Band

1968/2002 Blue Note Records

Jimmy McGriff's B-3 sound was always rooted in blues and gospel, and his soloing could be very smooth and polished. But every once in a while, he had to break out of his own soul box and tear it up on a session. The Worm, issued on Solid State Records in 1968, is the very first place he did. This is the first true, all-out funky burner from McGriff, and it sounds very different from most of the other titles on his shelf. Having a band like this helps: trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Fats Theus (with Bob Ashton on baritone and Danny Turner on alto), alternating drummers Mel Lewis and Grady Tate, bassist Bob Bushnell, and guitarist Thornel Schwartz were all in their prime in 1968. The title track, written by McGriff, Theus, and producer Sonny Lester, sets the tone for the whole platter. The saxophone section lays in the cut and is prodded on in a driving, funked-up, hard soul groove by the expanded rhythm section (a B-3 album with a bassist wasn't unheard of, but it wasn't standard procedure either). Solos by both McGriff and Mitchell are choppy and punchy in the extreme. The trumpeter is amazing here, offering a small taste of the sound he displayed on 1969's Collision in Black. But check out the next two tunes, both McGriff originals that push the LP into the red zone and keep it there. "Keep Loose" takes the organist head-to-head against Schwartz's electric six-string, and forces a showdown. McGriff is like an out-of-control soul singer (James Brown in a concert setting comes to mind), incessantly forcing his band to play faster, greasier, and choppier on chorus after chorus. He ups the intensity level until there is nowhere to go but over the ledge. He takes them there on "Heavyweight," the very next number, a swinging boppish blues. The horns actually keep the track grounded as McGriff gets terse, dense, and finally unhinged: he's more adventurous in this solo than he had been before, then he double- and even triple-times the entire band! He brings Bushnell's bass up the ever-narrowing stairs of the riff until they become a single player, all groove, grit, and grease. McGriff's cover of Aretha Franklin's "Think" keeps the exuberance level high. As the horns move right into the Memphis soul vamp, McGriff again plays the part of a vocalist: charging up and down the melody on his keyboards, popping in slippery side chords and harmonic flourishes. Tate's drums swing freely yet forcefully, and bass and guitar lines are simply nasty. The readings of Kenny Burrell's "Lock It Up" and Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train" are the closest things to "straight" jazz here, though they're full of razored edges and hard angles. The reading of Neal Hefti's "Girl Talk" features the horns strolling leisurely on the melody and vamp, but McGriff goes into overdrive again and his solo hits the stratosphere. The Worm is a monster album through and through. Not only is it a revelatory example of McGriff on the wild, it marks one of the first places where the new funky urban soul met jazz and blues and evolved into jazz-funk. ~ Thom Jurek

Track Listing
1. Worm, The
2. Keep Loose
3. Heavyweight
4. Think
5. Lock It Up
6. Girl Talk
7. Blue Juice
8. Take the "A" Train

 

[Dennie]

Along Came John -- Remastered CD

John Patton

1963/2000 Blue Note Records

Near definitive soul-jazz session, July 4, 2000
By Thomas Aikin (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Along Came John (Audio CD)

I would rate this album 4 1/2 stars, but thats not an option. While not quite an all-time classic its certainly first rate and a necessary buy for soul-jazz enthusiasts. Its probably the best available introduction to John Patton's talents on the Hammond B3 as well.

This session marks Patton's first as a leader for Blue Note. Rounding out the group are Grant Green {guitar), Ben Dixon (drums), and Fred Jackson and Harold Vicks (both on tenor sax). The strength of this release lies in the rhythm section of Patton, Green, and Dixon. As a trio they backed numerous classic Blue Note groove sessions and have a competely organic interplay and sound. Their experience playing together really is evident on this session. The sound is effortless and easy. Jackson and Vick are two obscure but excellent soul-jazz saxophonists who are are in good form here with a bluesy, gritty sound.

For those not familiar with Patton, he is perhaps the best of the legions of Jimmy Smith followers on the Hammond organ. Patton may actually be a better groove player than Smith as his playing is more blues and less bop. He's certainly in top form here. Most of the tempos are moderate to brisk and induce foot-tapping.

All in all a most welcome reissue. If you like soul jazz and haven't been exposed to John Patton you simply must purchase this title. Excellent sound quality as well.
All compositions by John Patton except as indicated

"The Sliver Meter" (Ben Dixon) - 5:41
"I'll Never Be Free" (Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss) - 5:03
"Spiffy Diffy" (Dixon) - 6:02
"Along Came John" - 6:03
"Gee Gee" - 6:01
"Pig Foots" (Dixon) - 5:44

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 5, 1963.

John Patton - organ
Fred Jackson, Harold Vick - tenor saxophone
Grant Green - guitar
Ben Dixon - drums

 

[Botch]

Katy Lied -- CD

Steely Dan

"Doctor Wu" – 3:59
Alto saxophone solo by Phil Woods

Dr. Wu was the only SD tune I learned to play on the piano completely (got pretty close on "Josie") and Wood's solo is damn near Perfection. :text-bravo: :text-bravo: :text-bravo: