What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Heard the tune "Gary's Notebook" and I was hooked. Starting a second listen now.






I need to set aside some space in my CD cabinet and designate that as the "Dennie Collection". Bobby Bland, Duke, Wes, Basie, Emmylou, ELO,....some great names on this page. I feel an itch in my wallet.

A great album!! :handgestures-thumbup:

The itch MUST be scratched!!!! bscene-drinkingcheers:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Sketches Of Spain -- Remastered CD

Miles Davis arranged and conducted by Gil Evans

1960/1997 Columbia/Legacy Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Miles Davis's impact on jazz is almost incalculable. From his early days as a sideman for Charlie Parker, through his groundbreaking Birth of the Cool sessions, to his stunning small groups of the '50s and '60s, through to his electric renaissance, the trumpeter, bandleader, and composer has left a deep mark on all who came after. He is one of jazz's true giants. Sketches of Spain, though one of Davis's most commercially successful sessions, is also one of his most controversial. Re-teaming with arranger and composer Gil Evans, who played such a pivotal role in Davis's 1949 Birth of the Cool recordings, Davis recorded a series of large group albums beginning in the late '50s, including Porgy and Bess, Miles Ahead, and Quiet Nights. Sketches of Spain, with its emphasis on flamenco, rich orchestrations, and relaxed tempos, is certainly one of Davis's most mellow recordings (he even works out on fluegelhorn), and proved to have broad appeal. To some critics, however, the project was "elevated elevator music." An expanded version of the album, featuring alternative tracks and unreleased material, was issued in 1997 by Columbia Legacy. --Fred Goodman
Side one

"Concierto de Aranjuez" (Adagio) (Joaquín Rodrigo) – 16:19
"Will o' the Wisp" (Manuel de Falla) – 3:47

Side two

"The Pan Piper" (Gil Evans) – 3:52
"Saeta" (Evans) – 5:06
"Solea" (Evans) – 12:15

 

[Dennie]

Relentless -- CD

Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco

1994 Big Mo Records

5.0 out of 5 stars Just pure energy,style and licks to spare!, July 4, 2006
By Steve Grey "Steve Grey" (Bahamas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Relentless (Audio CD)

This is the second version of this CD I have owned I like it that much that I gave one away reluctantly to a pal in England. From the moment this album starts you know you are in for a ride, and what a ride it is. From the beauty of 'The Chess Players' to the sheer intensity of 'Gearheads' , this album just overwhelms the listener with an ever-changing palette of different sounds. Is it country? Is it Jazz, Is it Rockabilly?. This is the kind of music you can't put into a category....simple as that.

One reviewer likes Hank Garland...sure, but that is comparing apples to oranges..for a start, there is NO-ONE like Joey DeFrancesco around...and the sound that these two guys produce is totally unique....it's a pity Danny is no longer with us, another one of these collaborations would have surely been a milestone, if this isn't already.

Track Listing
1. Fine
2. Broadway
3. Kindred Spirits
4. Chess Players, The
5. Gearheads
6. Blues on the Half Shell
7. Pits, The
8. Big Mo
9. Well, You Needn't

Listening to this one again, at a fairly high volume!!! :text-bravo:




Dennie

 

[mazersteven]

1. "Pie Jesu" From Requiem
2. My Lagan Love
3. No. 21 - In trutina from Carmina Burana
4. Panis Angelicus
5. Amazing Grace
6. Just Wave Hello
7. La Pastorella (The Little Shepherdess) from "Soirées Musicales"
8. She moved through the fair
9. Ave Maria
10. Dream A Dream
11. The Flower Duet
12. Habañera
13. The Prayer Charlotte Church & Josh Groban
14. All Love Can Be
15. It's The Heart That Matters Most
16. Tantum Ergo
17. Bridge Over Troubled Water
18. Sancta Maria

Need more evidence of the record industry's obsession with youth? Consider that budding Welsh diva Charlotte Church was a ripe, old 16 when this, her first greatest-hits anthology was released. Spanning her first four releases, as well as some outside collaborations and unreleased material, this 18-track collection underscores the soprano's seemingly boundless potential--as well as some potential career obstacles ahead. Her crystalline, still-maturing voice is best showcased on classically oriented works like Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu," Franck's "Panis Angelicus," and her now-ubiquitous rendering of Delibes' "Flower Duet." She also excels on folk traditionals such as "She Moved Through the Fair" and "My Langan Love." But overwrought productions like the already-dated "Dream a Dream" and "Habanera," a faux-flamenco take on Bizet, nearly get the best of her. Still, her promising duet with fellow young phenom Josh Groban on "The Prayer" and her mature, dreamy reading of A Beautiful Mind's "All Love Can Be," as well as strong performances on the previously unreleased "It's the Heart That Matters Most" and "Bridge over Troubled Waters," are ample evidence of her potential for rewarding pop crossover--if she doesn't retire by 21.

 

[Dennie]

Nicky Holland -- CD

Nick Holland

1992 Epic Associated

Jazz Pop Perfection, July 3, 2002
By Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Nicky Holland (Audio CD)

Nicky Holland's first CD is a beautiful jazz pop perfection. Born in Hertfordshire, I read she studied at the Royal Academy of Music, loved Carole King's music, and formed a group called Ravishing Beauties with Kate St. John and Virginia Astley, both of whom I've heard. This CD is one of those sweet mellow ones that is always a pleasure to return to in the changer. After the soft instrumental "Prelude," the CD gets rolling with the Sade-like soft jazz of "Ladykiller" where horns give a modern big band feel. Nicky's piano is heavenly on "Tongue Tied & Twisted," "Maybe it's more than madness," she sings on the sunny midtempo melody. Synthesizers bounce happily on "Coloring Blue." "There's a world to awaken; nothing stands in your way; there's a door that is open," Nicky's breezy vocals sing on "Independence Days" with angelic background vocals creating atmosphere. "This Town" with its reverberating piano line and addictive chorus is a pop gem. "Box of Rain" sounds like she tried a bit too hard to go for the hit. "Face of the Moon" is a dramatic jazz pop piece with strings and sax. The soft sway of "Running Around Again" counterpoints the lyric, "Put on my bravest face, everything looks out of place" when her lover is running around again. "The Night We Never Met" is a soft ethereal samba. The CD concludes with a gorgeous piece based on urban themes. The strings give a Beatlesque feel on this most melodically complex track, "Block after block, street after street, building to building, their eyes never meet, each life repeated, layer upon layer, all comings and goings, all changes will pass on the stairs." I've not heard the follow-up "Sense & Sensuality" which is even more highly rated than this CD, but this self-titled work is a treasure that stands up well more than a decade after its original release. SEARCH it out & enjoy!

1. Prelude
2. Ladykiller
3. Tongue-Tied And Twisted
4. Colouring Blue
5. Independence Days
6. This Town
7. Box Of Rain
8. Face Of The Moon
9. Running Around Again
10. The Night We Never Met
11. On The Stairs

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening......

Urban Gypsy -- CD

Marc Antoine

1998 GRP Records

Rarely has an album title so perfectly encapsulated the essence of a hybrid project as Marc Antoine's smartly realized Urban Gypsy. Usually in rhythm and jazz, soul-based loop electronics back up horns like trumpet or sax, and flamenco guitar ... Full Descriptionstrains are left to those who can provide more Latin-styled backbeats. But Antoine creates hypnotic soundscapes both by machine, doing all the programming himself, and organically, with the help of Steve Reid and Luis Conte. On up-tempo swings, he gets the hip-hop grooving before texturing his bold acoustic precision. And his ballads allow for some clever improvisation between streams of cool strumming. A flair for Brazilian zing explodes on an all-too-short interlude before Antoine returns to his homeland for a street carnival shuffle appropriately titled "Paris Jam." All-star assistance is provided by Rachel Z (a bluesy Fender Rhodes jaunt) and Jimmy Haslip. This spectacular fusion of styles and melodic flair can take its rightful place at the top of either genre it touches upon. ~ Jonathan Widran

Track listing

1. Latin Quarter
2. Quand Le Jazz Hip-Hop
3. Sand Castle
4. Steppin'
5. Matador, El
6. First Rain
7. Urban Gypsy
8. Forget-Me-Not
9. Brazil '96
10. Paris Jam
11. Hollywood Viscount
12. Storytime

 

[mazersteven]

1. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
2. Per Te / For You
3. I Know It's Real
4. Dust In The Wind
5. Stabat Mater Ixxi
6. Sleepsong
7. Una Furtiva Lagrima
8. Time ("Air on the G String")
9. Fields Of Gold
10. O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
11. One Simple Wish
12. Close Your Eyes

Sasha Lazard teamed up with soprano Shawna Stone and Grammy award-winning producer Peter Asher and producer Frank Fitzpatrick to put their distinctive stamp on original songs, opera favorites (Una furtiva lagrima), classical favorites Panis Angelicus and Stabat Mater (from "The Myth of Red") and contemporary covers from Radiohead ("Street Spirit (Fade Out)") to James Taylor ("Close Your Eyes") to Kansas ("Dust in the Wind") to Sting ("Fields of Gold"). The album, titled Siren, was released on March 6, 2007 on Manhattan Records/EMI.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

Phantom Blues -- CD

Taj Mahal

1996 RCA Victor

PHANTOM BLUES was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

An eclectic bluesman would seem to be a contradiction in terms, but Taj Mahal, who has moved through the worlds of folk, rock, and pop to reach his present categorization, fits the description, and here he takes several pop and R&B oldies that came from blues roots -- "Ooh Poo Pah Doo," "Lonely Avenue," "What Am I Living For?," "Let the Four Winds Blow" -- and returns them to those roots. He also calls in such guest stars as Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt, who have more than a nodding acquaintance with the blues, to assist him. The result is progressive blues hybrid that treats the music not as a source, but as a destination. ~ William Ruhlmann

Track listing

1. Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes
2. Cheatin' on You
3. Hustle Is Om, The
4. Here in the Dark
5. Fanning the Flames
6. I Need Your Loving
7. Ooh Poo Pah Doo
8. Lonely Avenue
9. Don't Tell Me
10. What Am I Living For?
11. We're Gonna Make It
12. Let the Four Winds Blow
13. (You've Got to) Love Her With a Feeling
14. Car of Your Dreams, The

 

[mazersteven]

1. Water Diamonds
2. Looking Back
3. Dawn On Red Mountain
4. Autumn's Last Caress
5. Grey Sky and Bittersweet
6. Adrift
7. Forgotten Summer
8. A Winter's Reverie
9. Eclipse
10. Rainbow Moon
11. November Firelight
12. Falling, Still

Produced by Grammy winner Will Ackerman. Four-time award nominee and contemporary classical pianist/composer Ann Sweeten releases her new album with an outstanding cast of performers on this purely acoustic offering. An established, recognized artist over the past ten years, here Sweeten attains a new level of performance and composition. Truly a rich and rewarding listening experience full of fire, passion, and incredible depth.

"Ann Sweeten possesses a remarkable talent. A musician whose extensive classical training is immediately apparent, she is also someone who writes from a great emotional depth. As her producer it is a joy to hear someone who exploits the entire potential of the piano, finding both dynamics and beauty in all eight-eight keys. Her pieces have a broad stylistic range and yet create a cohesive program of music very distinctively hers. This is a brilliant recording from start to finish." -- Will Ackerman

 

[Dennie]

The Wall -- 2 CD Set

Pink Floyd

1979 Pink Floyd Music/Columbia

Amazon.com essential recording

The Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work, which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However, there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what arguably ranks as Pink Floyd's most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs, which have become classics in their own right; "Hey You," "Mother," and especially "Comfortably Numb" are subtly incredible pieces of music. Though complex, they move at a relaxed pace, allowing the listener to absorb them slowly; this kind of pacing was something Pink Floyd excelled at. Also worth noting is the "Another Brick in the Wall/The Happiest Days of Our Lives" medley, which has become a staple of rock radio. --Genevieve Williams

All songs written and composed by Roger Waters, except where noted.

Side one
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "In the Flesh?" Waters 3:19
2. "The Thin Ice" Gilmour, Waters 2:27
3. "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1" Waters 3:21
4. "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" Waters 1:46
5. "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" Gilmour, Waters 4:00
6. "Mother" Waters, Gilmour 5:36
Side two
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "Goodbye Blue Sky" Gilmour 2:45
2. "Empty Spaces" Waters 2:10
3. "Young Lust" Waters, Gilmour Gilmour 3:25
4. "One of My Turns" Waters 3:35
5. "Don't Leave Me Now" Waters 4:16
6. "Another Brick in the Wall Part 3" Waters 1:14
7. "Goodbye Cruel World" Waters 1:13
Side three
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "Hey You" Gilmour, Waters 4:40
2. "Is There Anybody Out There?" Waters 2:44
3. "Nobody Home" Waters 3:26
4. "Vera" Waters 1:35
5. "Bring the Boys Back Home" Waters 1:21
6. "Comfortably Numb" Gilmour, Waters Waters, Gilmour 6:24
Side four
No. Title Music Lead vocals Length
1. "The Show Must Go On" Gilmour 1:36
2. "In the Flesh" Waters 4:13
3. "Run Like Hell" Gilmour, Waters Gilmour, Waters 4:19
4. "Waiting for the Worms" Waters, Gilmour 4:04
5. "Stop" Waters 0:30
6. "The Trial" Waters, Ezrin Waters 5:13
7. "Outside the Wall" Waters 1:41

 

[mazersteven]

1. Adrenaline
2. Bully
3. Amaryllis
4. Unity
5. Enemies
6. I'm Not Alright
7. Nowhere Kids
8. Miracle
9. I'll Follow You
10. For My Sake
11. My Name (Wearing Me Out)
12. Through The Ghost

Re-teaming with The Sound of Madness producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Kid Rock) Shinedown presents its fourth full-length album - the bruising, unapologetic, and totally kinetic Amaryllis.

Amaryllis, with unflinchingly honest, unrepentant songs like first single "Bully" and "I'm Not All Right, " as well as the deeply moving "Miracle" and the soulful love song "I'll Follow You, " delivers on its mission statement throughout its 12 tracks. From a thematic standpoint, Amaryllis is a record about vulnerability. It reveals the bruises and scars, but also their healing. "It's not a record for the faint of heart, " Smith admits. "Every single song makes a statement. I was looking for the kind of emotion that made every hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Because of that, I feel in my heart and soul that this album is a game changer for our band."

Six songs on Amaryllis feature a 30-piece orchestra, including "I'm Not All Right" - Shinedown's first-ever song to incorporate horns, which drive home the manic intensity of its subject matter. Another highlight is "Bully, " which finds Smith addressing the tormentor in question in the strongest possible terms. "Amaryllis is probably the most rock and roll album we've ever made, " Smith says. "We've always been a rock band, and I didn't want to lose sight of that. I told everyone the album had to do three things: It had to show sophistication in the songwriting, it had to show musical growth within the band, and I had to push myself to go places lyrically that I had never gone before. " :music-rockout:

 

[heeman]

:banana-dance: :banana-rock: :banana-rock: :banana-dance:

 

[Dennie]

Full Moon Fever -- CD

Tom Petty

1989 MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Ten years had passed since Petty's last solid outing (*** the Torpedoes in 1979), and Full Moon Fever fully resuscitated the artist's career, which--some would say "arguably"--had been losing steam. With the album's four major hits and rave reviews from the critics (these things do not always go hand-in-hand), Petty must have breathed a sigh of relief. He left the Heartbreakers behind, hooked up with musician, writer, and producer Jeff Lynne, and rocked out with "Runnin' Down a Dream," got mellow and introspective on "Free Fallin'" and "A Face in the Crowd," and paid tribute (finally) to the Byrds with a cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better." He perfected the sing-along guitar-pop song on "Yer So Bad" and had a wild time on "Zombie Zoo." Pure Petty perfection! --Lorry Fleming

All songs written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, except as indicated.[2]

"Free Fallin'" – 4:14
"I Won't Back Down" – 2:56
"Love Is a Long Road" (Mike Campbell, Petty) – 4:06
"A Face in the Crowd" – 3:58
"Runnin' Down a Dream" (Campbell, Lynne, Petty) – 4:23
"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (Gene Clark) – 2:47
"Yer So Bad" – 3:05
"Depending on You" (Petty) – 2:47
"The Apartment Song" (Petty) – 2:31
"Alright for Now" (Petty) – 2:00
"A Mind with a Heart of Its Own" – 3:29
"Zombie Zoo" – 2:56

"Hello, CD listeners…"

Early pressings of the album on compact disc contain a hidden track at the beginning of track 6. The interlude, which is referred to in the album credits as "Attention CD Listeners", features a brief tongue-in-cheek monologue by Petty, over a background of barnyard noises:

Hello, CD listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette, or records, will have to stand up, or sit down, and turn over the record. Or tape. In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two. [pause] Thank you. Here's side two.

 

[Botch]

Wasn't gonna get this, until I saw she teamed up with William Orbit again. Not quite the crackling stunner Ray of Light was, but I'm still digging it so far. :music-rockout:

 

[mazersteven]

Disc: 1
1. Polyamorous
2. Skin
3. Medicate
4. So Cold
5. Sooner or Later
6. Rain
7. The Diary of Jane
8. Breath
9. Until the End
10. I Will Not Bow
11. Lights Out
12. Give Me a Sign
13. Blow Me Away (Featuring Valora

Disc: 2
1. Ordinary Man (Japanese B-Side)
2. Water (Self-Titled Independent EP)
3. Who Wants To Live Forever (Queen Cover, New Mix)
4. I Will Not Bow (Acoustic + Strings Mix)
5. Better Days (Previously Unreleased)
6. Polyamorous (Acoustic, Previously Unreleased)
7. Lie To Me (Previously Unreleased)
8. Lady Bug (Japanese B-Side)
9. Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode Cover, Previously Unreleased)
10. Until the End (Live Acoustic)
11. Breath (Live Acoustic)

Twice-Platinum artists Breaking Benjamin return this summer with a long-awaited collection of their biggest songs to date. Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin compiles 15 hit songs that have taken Breaking Benjamin to the upper echelon of today's modern rock bands. Including the breakthrough smash "So Cold" and continuing up to the band's latest success with "Give Me A Sign", the record represents songs from every facet of the band's career as well as including the most recent hit song, a remix of the live favorite, "Blow Me Away".
Two-disc version includes an 11-song bonus disc of rarities, demos and live songs hand-picked for this release as well as special artwork.

 

[Botch]

:text-goodpost: That, is a cool album photo! :eusa-clap:

 

[Dennie]

Kind of Blue -- Remastered CD

Miles Davis

1959/1997 Columbia Legacy Edition

Amazon.com essential recording

This is the one jazz record owned by people who don't listen to jazz, and with good reason. The band itself is extraordinary (proof of Miles Davis's masterful casting skills, if not of God's existence), listing John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on saxophones, Bill Evans (or, on "Freddie Freeloader," Wynton Kelly) on piano, and the crack rhythm unit of Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Coltrane's astringency on tenor is counterpoised to Adderley's funky self on alto, with Davis moderating between them as Bill Evans conjures up a still lake of sound on which they walk. Meanwhile, the rhythm partnership of Cobb and Chambers is prepared to click off time until eternity. It was the key recording of what became modal jazz, a music free of the fixed harmonies and forms of pop songs. In Davis's men's hands it was a weightless music, but one that refused to fade into the background. In retrospect every note seems perfect, and each piece moves inexorably towards its destiny. --John Szwed

All songs composed by Miles Davis (see content section for more information). Only six complete takes of the five tunes on the album exist, indicated by the song numbers.

"So What" – 9:22
"Freddie Freeloader" – 9:46
"Blue in Green" – 5:37
"All Blues" – 11:33
"Flamenco Sketches" – 9:26

Reissue bonus track

"Flamenco Sketches" (Alternate take) – 9:32

Tracks 1, 2 and 3 (side one on the original vinyl release) recorded March 2, 1959; tracks 4 and 5 (side two) recorded April 22, 1959. All tracks recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City.

 

[mazersteven]

One of my favorite albums of all time. :banana-rock:

1 Time Is On My Side
2 Heart Of Stone
3 Play With Fire
4 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
5 As Tears Go By
6 Get Off of My Cloud
7 Mother's Little Helper
8 19th Nervous Breakdown
9 Paint It, Black
10 Under My Thumb
11 Ruby Tuesday
12 Let's Spend The Night Together

Disc 2
1 Jumpin' Jack Flash
2 Street Fighting Man
3 Sympathy For the Devil
4 Honky Tonk Women
5 Gimme Shelter
6 Midnight Rambler
7 You Can't Always Get What You Want
8 Brown Sugar
9 Wild Horses

When The Rolling Stones moved on from Allen Klein's ABKCO Records to form their own label, the catalogue to date stayed with ABCKO, who promptly put out Hot Rocks as a record of the achievement the Stones left behind. This was obviously an astute commercial move, as Hot Rocks has become the best-selling Stones album of all time; but to see Hot Rocks purely as a cynical exercise in rights exploitation is to miss the point entirely.

As is known, despite the fantastic array of extra-curricular fables associated with the band, the music is what it is, and what it always has been all about with The Rolling Stones. And Hot Rocks is a remarkable monument to the magnificence of the band in its first incarnations.

From Time Is On My Side - and who can fail to wonder at the awesome prescience of that title, given what has followed? - to Wild Horses, every song on this album is a certified classic. It's not even debatable.

 

[Dennie]

The Essential -- The Swinger -- CD

Oscar Peterson

1992 Verve Records

The Greatest Jazz Pianist that Ever Lived, August 31, 2009
By Carl Armstrong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Essential Oscar Peterson: The Swinger (Audio CD)

Oscar Peterson is the Vladimir Horowitz of the jazz world.When he was young, his father wanted him to finish school, but Oscar insisted that he wanted to be a professional jazz pianist. His father said the only way he would allow Oscar to quite school would be if he became the very best.He then took his son to hear Art Tatum.Oscar was discovered by Norman Granz who was in a cab in Canada heading for the airport. The cab driver had the radio on and Granz said "Who is that pianist?" The cab driver said it was Oscar Peterson live at a nightclub. Granz said "forget the airport. I have to meet him,"On this CD is the immortal rendition of "Tenderly" that Oscar first played when he made his American debut in Carnegie Hall on September 16, 1950 in Norman Granz immortal series entitled "Jazz at the Philharmonic". It is the very greatest jazz piano arrangement of all time as well as many other tracks which are in a class all by themselves on the superb CD. A true collectors item.

1 Something's Coming - Bernstein, Sondheim 3:51
2 Blues for Big Scotia - Peterson 5:55
3 People - Dunbar, Merrill, Rolie, Schon, Styne 3:32
4 Tour's End - Getz, Getz 4:54
5 Con Alma - Gillespie 6:55
6 Tangerine - Mercer, Schertzinger 4:30
7 March Past - Peterson 3:21
8 Tenderly - Gross, Lawrence 5:37
9 On Green Dolphin Street - Kaper, Washington 7:25
10 Gravy Waltz - Allen, Brown 4:24
11 Seven Come Eleven - Christian, Goodman 3:46
12 Waltz for Debby - Evans, Lees 5:52
13 Brotherhood of Man - Loesser 3:30

 

[Dennie]

85 Candles - Live in New York -- 2 CD Set

Marian McPartland & Friends

2008 Concord Jazz

On the day after Marian McPartland turned 85, this large group of her jazz friends got together at Birdland in New York to celebrate with her. She played piano with them in an endearing program of love songs that belie their affection for each other. Everybody loves Marian McPartland and respects her for her many accomplishments.

Concord's 2-CD set captures this event in detail. It has aired on NPR several times. McPartland enjoyed the get-together. Of the evening's effect on her, she remarked, "It was wonderful having all these people at a party and then getting to play with so many of my friends."

On 85 Candles she performs piano duets with Dr. Billy Taylor, Jason Moran and George Wein. Norah Jones sings "The Nearness of You" with McPartland's trio. Karrin Allyson sings the pianist's "Twilight World." Nnenna Freelon sings "What Am I Here For?" and Jackie Cain sings "While We're Young" with McPartland's piano accompaniment. Clark Terry and Phil Woods are on hand to participate. Roy Hargrove performs "My Foolish Heart" with McPartland at the piano, and Barbara Carroll sings "Old Friend" from the heart.

Regina Carter interprets "I Can't Believe that You're in Love With Me" with reflections of Swing. Jim Hall and McPartland create a "Free Piece" that plunges into the inner depths of musical partnership. They communicate openly and freely.

"But Not For Me" features Curtis Stigers with McPartland, Gary Mazzaroppi, and Glenn Davis. His enthusiastic swing and lively scat chorus represent a whole generation of great straight-ahead jazz. "I've Told Every Little Star" features Jackie King with the same trio. As with everyone else on the program, the guitarist tugs at our heartstrings in the spirit of the evening. His warm, fluid delivery proves memorable.

McPartland's trio interpretation of "Yesterdays" brings Bill Crow on board with drummer Davis. Together, they sashay gracefully through reflections of more than a half century in jazz. She's been performing like this since 1938, and plans to continue forever. We're fortunate to have her in our corner of the planet. By
JIM SANTELLA, Published: April 4, 2005

DISC ONE

1. I Love You 9:01
2. The Nearness Of You 5:17
3. Tangerine 8:04
4. Last Night When We Were Young 6:02
5. Twilight World 5:01
6. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me 7:13
7. Free Piece 2:36
8. Old Friend 3:00
9. Have You Met Miss Jones 2:28
10. Take The 'A' Train 4:48
11. Summertime 4:16

DISC TWO

1. All Blues 9:15
2. My Foolish Heart 5:02
3. But Not For Me 3:25
4. Memories Of You 6:56
5. Yesterdays 6:04
6. While We're Young 3:52
7. I've Told Every Little Star 5:44
8. Capricious 3:45
9. What Am I Here For 4:59
10. Onyx Mood / Soft Lights & Sweet Music / Kaleidoscope 1:00
11. Lester Leaps In 7:44