What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

The Girl In The Other Room -- CD

Diana Krall

2004 Verve Records

Amazon.com

Singer/pianist Diana Krall breaks new ground interpreting modern standards by Tom Waits, Mose Allison, and Joni Mitchell, as well as compositions by herself and new husband, Elvis Costello. Krall's piano-jazz cred comes through loudly and clearly on her Count Basie-styled version of the Bonnie Raitt staple "Love Me Like a Man" (written by folk-bluesman Chris Smither). But it's the collaborations with her spouse that unearth untapped emotional nuances of her velvet voice; many are reminiscent of Bill Evans's moody, impressionistic pieces. The title track, "Narrow Daylight," "Abandoned Masquerade," and "I’m Coming Through" all deal with love and loss. "Departure Bay," a picturesque ode to her hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., proves that this is the start of something big, and that two heads--and hearts--are better than one. --Eugene Holley Jr.

1. "Stop This World" Mose Allison 3:59
2. "The Girl in the Other Room" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 4:05
3. "Temptation" Tom Waits 4:27
4. "Almost Blue" Elvis Costello 4:04
5. "I've Changed My Address" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 4:47
6. "Love Me Like a Man" Chris Smither 5:49
7. "I'm Pulling Through" Arthur Herzog / Irene Kitchings 4:02
8. "Black Crow" Joni Mitchell 4:49
9. "Narrow Daylight" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 3:32
10. "Abandoned Masquerade" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 5:11
11. "I'm Coming Through" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 5:07
12. "Departure Bay" Diana Krall / Elvis Costello 5:39

 

[Dennie]

Highwayman -- CD

Waylon Jennings - Willie Nelson - Johnny Cash - Kris Kristofferson

1985/1990 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

The myth of the American West--lawless lands, resolute heroes--takes on a grave, elegiac quality on this first, and best, collaboration from Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. There's little bravado here, just a sense of ticking time, of frontiers lost, cowboys singing their last songs. In the end, Highwayman works because it fuses mythic, serious material with the artists' own legendary personas and well-aged voices. Lesser lights would be lucky to muddle through Jimmy Webb's epic title track; these four cagey desperados make every fantastic image believable. If Chips Moman surrounds them with less than subtle layers of guitars, keyboards, and drums, he does update vintage progressive country in a suitably cosmic but rugged fashion. Romantic legends and production values notwithstanding, it's the tough, wise singing here that's the real draw. --Roy Kasten

"Highwayman" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:00
"The Last Cowboy Song" (Ed Bruce) – 3:08
"Jim, I Wore a Tie Today" (Cindy Walker) – 3:20
"Big River" (Johnny Cash) – 2:45
"Committed to Parkview" (Cash) – 3:18
"Desperados Waiting for a Train" (Guy Clark) – 4:34
"Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" (Woody Guthrie) – 3:45
"Welfare Line" (Paul Kennerley) – 2:34
"Against the Wind" (Bob Seger) – 3:46
"The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over" (Steve Goodman, John Prine) – 3:33

 

[Dennie]

"Newport Uproar!" - A Live Festival Recording

Lionel Hampton

RCA Masters - Made In France (it even says "Face 1 & 2" instead of "Side 1 & 2", interesting)

 

[Dennie]

A Night At Bird Land Volume 2 -- Direct Metal Mastering

Art Blakey

1954/1985 Blue Note/Manhattan Records -- (Import France)-- Promo Copy - Mono

Pressure Cooker January 21, 2005
By Pharoah S. Wail VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD

Be careful folks, this one can scorch your knickers! Everyone here is in tip-top shape and there are times when this one is a full-blown show of pure firepower.

It also slows down nicely though when it does pull back to the mid and slow tempos. Actually the mid-tempo stuff here is my favorite. Lou Donaldson purely shines here. He really should be more well-known. His playing is an absolute joy from beginning to end and, at least for me, he is the true star of this release. Of course there is also no lack of material here to please the Clifford Brown crowd, either. Sometimes upper-register pyrotechnics types of trumpet players seem to kill my ears. It's not my most favored style, but I still can't help but marvel at the lines Brownie blows here. When listening to him, I get the feeling that audience members probably broke out into a sweat just from hearing and seeing him play.

Even though Jazz at Massey Hall (whether partial or the complete one) is often viewed as a high-water mark in bebop, I'd tend to go with this disc as a better example of what it's all about. The sonic quality of this recording is fuller, richer, and I just think the performance is better, too. This disc has hard-bop-lengthed solos, but bebop style and freneticism... along with the killer slower stuff, as I mentioned earlier.

"Wee Dot" (Johnson, Parker) – 7:19
"If I Had You" (Campbell, Connelly, Shapiro) – 3:31
"Quicksilver [alternate master]" (Silver) – 8:46
"The Way You Look Tonight" (Fields, Kern) – 9:59
"Lou's Blues" (Donaldson) – 3:58
"Now's the Time" (2001 bonus track) (Parker) – 9:02
"Confirmation" (2001 bonus track) (Parker) – 9:12

 

[Dennie]

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk

1972 GNP Crescendo Records

 

[Dennie]

Togethering

Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington Jr.

1984 Blue Note/Manhattan Records

Mellow Magic... February 10, 2002
By yygsgsdrassil
Format:Audio CD

...a meeting of masters including bassist Ron Carter and rhythm man Ralph Mc Donald where the group goes for The Mellow rather than The Upbeat and Muscular. Which is ok by me. It has a rendition of the classic Burrell piece "Soulero" and a moody late night drive thru the naked city tune, "Asphalt Canyon Drive" that are simply stupendous. A GWjr penned "Sails of your Soul" flies. Overall, a great and pleasing find for smooth jazz aficionados who want a little traditional in their mix and vice-versa.

1. Soulero
2. Sails Of Your Soul
3. Day Dream
4. A Beautiful Friendship
5. Togethering
6. Romance Dance
7. Asphalt Canyon Blues
8. What Am I Here For?

 

[Dennie]

Sleeping Bee

Billy Taylor Trio

1969/1981 MPS/PA-USA Records

Review

by Scott Yanow

Billy Taylor and his 1969 trio (which includes bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Grady Tate) perform four of Taylor's originals, Errol Garner's "La Petite Mambo," Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Brother Where Are You" and two standards on this MPS set which was last available as a Pausa LP. The enjoyable music swings and fits perfectly into the jazz mainstream of the era.

1 La Petite Mambo Garner 4:47
2 Theodora Taylor 5:44
3 Paraphrase Taylor 4:21
4 Bye Y'all 5:14
5 Don't Go Down South Taylor 3:29
6 Brother, Where Are You 5:36
7 There Will Never Be Another You Gordon, Warren 8:24
8 A Sleepin' Bee Arlen, Capote 5:27

 

[Dennie]

The Genie - Themes & Variations From The TV Series TAXI

Bob James

1983 Tappan Zee/Columbia Records

Some New York City Cruisin' October 9, 2010
By Andre S. Grindle TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD

Because of his trademark cinematic flavor that maintains itself throughout most of his music in the 70's and beyond Bob James is naturally well suited to movie/television scoring. Very much in the spirit of Grover Washington's House Full of Love: Music from the Cosby Show this album feautres ten full lengh songs used or expanded upon themes and scoring elements from the TV show Taxi. Although released in 1983 a lot of this music is likely to have come from sessions over the past several years previous to it's release. Nontheless the sound is very unified and the result sounds like a regular Bob James album release. The album,as emmaculately arranged as any of his music features a variety of moods,tempos and melodic variations and closes with a reprise of the "Angela",the theme song from the show originally released on James' 1978 release Touchdown. There are some wonderful funk grooves here as well starting with the album opener "Brooklyn Heights Boogie",a very uptown sounding varient on uptempo sophistifunk that sounds more in keeping with the era in which this album was released. The bass keyboard fired proto breakbeat grooves of "Last Chance" and "Night Moods",the latter concluding with some clever use of vocorder all evoke a similar flavor and are strong extentions of the very urban and very New York feeling to this music overall. The title song,"Ballade","Groove For Julie","Hello Nardo" and "The Marilu" are all yet more fine examples of the sort of midtempo,electric piano oriented grooving pop jazz James always specialized in over the years. "New York Mellow" is a bit of a deviation from the remainder of the album as it presents a slower ballad type tune where James carries the song on acoustic piano. Now this album is by no mean James' most definitiv statements of the era it came out in but in terms of bridging two eras of his career and his work for scoring for cinema and television this album is an important and enjoyable part of his long career.

1. Brooklyn Heights Boogie
2. The Genie
3. Last Chance
4. Ballade
5. Groove For Julie
6. Hello Nardo
7. The Marilu
8. New York Mellow
9. Night Moods
10. Angela (Theme From 'Taxi')

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Solid Colors - Piano Solos

Liz Story

1982 Windham Hill Records

Whimsical reveries for solo piano December 31, 2003
By Brianna Neal
Format:Audio CD

Redolant with imagination, fancy and emotion, the piano stylings of Liz Story are always appealing and the gentle, modern keyboard fantasies on "Solid Colors" are no exception. I normally prefer hearing the sounds of multiple instruments playing together, but Story's gentle, accoustic improvisations are so rich and varied that I find I really don't miss the backup band. Though this Narada CD tends to be classified in the nebulous, ever-widening net of "New Age" music, I'd categorize instead as light jazz, of the sort you'd expect to enjoy hearing over brunch at a fine city restaurant. It makes a great backdrop for a brunch of your own too, served warm at home for a few good friends. For more of Liz Story's stylish compositions and superb musicianship, check out her many other releases. If you enjoy her work, you may also like the work of pianist Keiko Matsui as heard on her albums "White Owl" and "Doll"--more orchestrated but equally whimsical and passionate.

Track Listing
1. Wedding Rain
2. Pacheco Pass
3. Without You
4. Hymn
5. Things With Wings
6. Solid Colors
7. Bradley's Dream
8. White Heart
9. Water Caves
10. Peace Piece

 

[Dennie]

On The Night -- 2 CD Set

Dire Straits

1993 Warner Bros. Records

Live At Its Best, October 28, 2004
By John Lyons (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: On the Night (Audio CD)

If you find a better live CD than this, please let me know! The live recording brings Dire Straits' music to life. Calling Elvis and Heavy Fuel are OK on the On Every Street CD, but they are pure hard rockers here. Paul Franklin's pedal steel adds a lot to the album, particularly on Walk Of Life. Romeo And Juliet is back, a much better version than their first Live CD set. Even the songs that are played much like the originals have more immediacy. Oddly enough, the least satisfying cut is Money For Nothing, the "anthem". Perhaps they've simply played it too much. (I've certainly heard it too much!) When the album ends with Brothers In Arms, you'll simply let it start playing all over again. This is one of the very few CDs that I never get tired of. This is a masterful, powerful album, great musicianship, music that makes you listen. You may find the vocals muddy on occasion, and the crowd noise is prominent (which I happen to like), but the crowd noise is used to blend the entire CD into one seamless performance, with no fades. All live albums should do this. Enjoy!

1. "Calling Elvis"
2. "Walk of Life"
3. "Heavy Fuel"
4. "Romeo and Juliet"
5. "Private Investigations"
6. "Your Latest Trick"
7. "On Every Street"
8. "You and Your Friend"
9. "Money for Nothing" (Knopfler, Sting)
10. "Brothers in Arms"

 

[Dennie]

Spirit Of Music -- CD

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers

1999 Elektra Records

Essential For All Music Lovers, February 23, 2004
By Michael S. Scheibinger (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Spirit of Music (Audio CD)

I used to think that this was a great record. After a few years of listening to it, I'm now convinced that, in an all-around way, it's one of the best records ever recorded by anybody. 100% coherent, the lyrics, playing, singing, producing, sequencing - everything - is impeccable. The messages are inspired, uplifting, unpretentious, and fun, yet the meanings run as deep as the soul. The playing is precise yet relaxed, and absolutely phenomenal. This is a perfect record. I'm writing this review right after buying and listening to 'Dragonfly', which is a good record, but 'Spirit' hits peaks that few artists ever achieve in their lifetimes. I sometimes wonder why this record never completely blew up...maybe someday it still will.

1. Keep My Faith
2. We Are One
3. Beautiful Day
4. Gone Away
5. All Day, All Night
6. Higher Vibration
7. All I Need Is You
8. One Good Spliff
9. Let It Go
10. 13 Months of Sunshine
11. Many Waters
12. High Tide or Low Tide
13. Won't Let You Down
14. Jah Will Be Done

 

[Dennie]

Swingin' From The Hip -- CD

Isabel Rose

2010 The Jubilee Recording Company

Stunningly Retro! October 6, 2010
By MickR
Format:MP3 Download

I loved this CD. I found it totally by accident - when a friend sent me the link to her 'Aquarius' video on YouTube. I had never heard Aquarius sung in quite the same way. In fact, Ms. Rose turned the song on it's ear! Upon downloading the album, I found out that this is, in fact, her creative M.O.. Almost all of the songs are reinventions of standards - given her unique interpretation. She can turn a phrase with the best of them! I could envision her playing Vegas in the days of the 'Rat Pack' - trading zippy one-liners with Sammy, Dean, and Frank. Someday I hope to see her live. Until then, I'll enjoy "Swingin' from the Hip" when I'm in the mood for some breezy and sophisticated music. Congratulations, Ms. Rose!

 

[Dennie]

Keeping The Dream Alive -- CD

Wayne Johnson Trio

1993 MoJAZZ Records

Tasteful fusion May 16, 2002
By J. Levinson
Format:Audio CD

Stylistically similar to Metheny and diMeola, Wayne Johnson mixes elements of jazz, rock, and pop together tastefully with plenty of space for melodic improvisation. He's ably backed by Tribal Tech bassist Gary Willis and drummer Bill Berg, who also get in their share of licks. More aggressive than most smooth jazz, but still refined listening music. Guitar synth is used to good effect on "Portrait of a Yak". This is his best album as a leader, definitely worth having in your collection if you enjoy refined fusion music.

01. Bedrock
02. Kite Music
03. An Occasion For Jackson
04. Nu Blooz
05. Wonder Mountain
06. Keeping The Dream Alive
07. No Excuse
08. Tangletown
09. Rock Runner
10. Portrait Of A Yak
11. Blue Solanum

 

[Dennie]

Astoriano -- CD

Davy Mooney

2007 LateSet Records

Davy Mooney's debut CD for LateSet Records is a true mixture of New Orleans and New York. Mooney, a New Orleans native, has assembled a cast of musicians with ties to both cities and let them loose on a program of original tunes that attempt to harness the raw energy of the Big Easy and the sophisticated grooves of the Big Apple into a joyful set of music that swings, grooves, and challenges the listener come along for the journey.
Mooney's 7-String guitar stylings are wedded to the powerful drumming of New Orleans native Simon Lott and the brilliant melodicism of New Yorkers John Ellis and Matt Clohesy, along with the warm and adventurous Hammond B-3 organ sound of New Orleanian Brian Coogan. Together, they bring to "Astoriano" an emotional rawness and honesty that will make you feel like you were there in the studio with the musicians as they poured out their souls on that June afternoon in Brooklyn."
TRACKS

01 Wrinkles
02 Countdown
03 Astoriano
04 Prospectin’
05 Satan Doll
06 I Will Wait for You
07 Moon Song
08 The Simple Life
09 In This Balance of Time
10 A Girl For All Seasons
11 The Hills of Earth (Charybdis Slope)

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening.....

Joshua Judges Ruth -- CD

Lyle Lovette

1992 MCA/Curb Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Leave it to the poker-faced Lovett to use a biblical joke to underline the thread of tangled relationships that weave between the wisecracks on this, his fourth album. With his elegantly drawled tenor and modulated sense of country, gospel, and R&B inflections, the Texan songwriter extends the larger ensemble settings and contrasting moods achieved with his preceding album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, again mixing shaggy dog stories ("Church"), atmospheric portraits of places and people ("Baltimore"), and fatalistic love songs ("North Dakota") that underline his acknowledged debt to other Lone Star songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Nanci Griffith. Yet his ease with frank rock elements, and an often urbane outlook, point up a musical kinship with L.A.'s folk-rock wing, notably Jackson Browne. --Sam Sutherland

All songs by Lyle Lovett, except "North Dakota" by Lyle Lovett and Willis Alan Ramsey.

"I've Been To Memphis"
"Church"
"She's Already Made Up Her Mind"
"North Dakota"
"You've Been So Good Up To Now"
"All My Love Is Gone"
"Since The Last Time"
"Baltimore"
"Family Reserve"
"She's Leaving Me Because She Really Wants To"
"Flyswatter/Ice Water Blues (Monte Trenckmann's Blues)"
"She Makes Me Feel Good"

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music......

Greatest Hits -- Remastered CD

Earth Wind & Fire

1998 Columbia/Legacy
Amazon.com essential recording

It's the most complete single-disc collection of EWF chart rockers, and Greatest Hits' splendid remastering makes one of the major exponents of '70s funk positivity sound sparkling. From the driving "Shining Star" to the syncopated mastery of "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" to the slow-jam heaven of "After the Love Is Gone," this is a reminder of what made the group so special. --Rickey Wright

1. (00:02:51) Shining Star
2. (00:05:43) That's the Way of the World
3. (00:03:35) September
4. (00:04:07) Can't Hide Love
5. (00:04:10) Got To Get You Into My Life
6. (00:03:22) Sing a Song
7. (00:03:27) Gratitude
8. (00:03:50) Serpentine Fire
9. (00:04:37) Fantasy
10. (00:04:01) Kalimba Story
11. (00:03:03) Mighty Mighty
12. (00:04:59) Reasons
13. (00:04:02) Saturday Nite
14. (00:05:35) Let's Groove
15. (00:04:48) Boogie Wonderland (with The Emotions)
16. (00:04:25) After the Love Has Gone
17. (00:03:56) Getaway

 

[No-L]

 

[Zing]

^ Where oh where would you have gotten a tip on such a tight band as Mint Condition? :eusa-whistle:

 

[No-L]

Some bald guy I know!

 

[No-L]