What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

About the cover of "Alone in IZ World":

The cover photo was taken durning a very happy and productive time in IZ's life.

IZ was working hard to improve his physical and spritual health and his medical
team had him in the pool every day for hours on end where he was weightless and moved
so gracefully through the water. He was happy about his life, his music, his career;
that joy is clearly reflected.

Alone In IZ World -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :eusa-clap:

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

2001 Big Boy Record/The Mountain Apple Companies
Amazon.com
The artist behind Facing Future, the top-selling Hawaiian album of all time, the late Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole was possessed of a voice so sweet, so tender, and so lovely that it continues to deeply stir those who hear it long after he died. Lovingly assembled and notated by producer Jon de Mello, Alone in IZ World is comprised of both alternate versions of Kamakawio'ole's best-loved songs as well as tracks never before heard by the public. The latter category includes versions of "Hanohano No Na Cowboy," the playfully incomplete opening on "Mona Lisa," and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," on which IZ takes a rare turn at harmonizing with himself. In light of his premature passing, devastatingly beautiful alternate cuts of "Starting All Over Again" and "In This Life" are especially poignant. And "Over the Rainbow"--IZ's renditions were heard in Meet Joe Black and Finding Forrester--may never again sound so pure. --Paige La Grone
Product Description

new songs * enhanced arrangements * unplugged performances * on a cd-rom featuring photo gallery, bio, national and local press coverage, IZ sightings, screen saver and catalog.

1. "Mona Lisa"
2. "Kaleohano"
3. "'Ulili E"
4. "Hanohano Wale Nō Nā Cowboy and Ka Huila Wai"
5. "Hi'ilawe"
6. "Henehene Kou 'Aka"
7. "Ahi Wela / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
8. "'Opae Ē"
9. "Starting All Over Again"
10. "Over the Rainbow"
11. "Panini Puakea"
12. "Lā 'Elima"
13. "In This Life"
* Untitled [hidden track]



Alone in Iz World is an album by the Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole released in 2001, 4 years after his death in 1997. The album has charted on several of Billboard’s album charts.

 

[Dennie]

:text-threadjacked:

I hope they make another production run on the Alan Parsons - I Robot, DVD-A, just so those price goudging pricks gets what's coming to them. bscene-birdiedoublered:

Rope

Mine was just over $20, not too bad. I'd LOVE to see the next run include "Pyramid", which I really wanted the most.

Hey Botch, is "I Robot" in 5.1?

There seems to be conflicting reviews on amazon. A couple of reviews say it is just stereo and it is not a DVD-A, but a D.A.D., which I am not familiar with. :angry-tappingfoot:


Thanks,

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

In The Name of Love -- CD

Hapa

1997 Coconut Grove Records

Hapa, a duo consisting of Honolulu native Keli'i Kaneali'i and New Jersey's own Barry Flanagan, teamed up to release In the Name of Love in 1997, taking its title from the U2 song (which is also featured on the album as a cover). Also covered is Carlos Santana's "Europa," which works quite well for a basic acoustic guitar type of sound, when performed properly. On the album there are more or less two styles of music that emerge. The first is a basic U2 type of sound (not too surprising, given the title), but mixed with a small amount of Hawaiian paniolo-style guitar, which gives an almost throbbing beat behind a driven song or melodic line. The second form is the ballad, which Barry Flanagan (who also wrote most or all of the songs on the album) appears to favor quite a bit. The ballads appear throughout the album, sometimes in English, sometimes translated to Hawaiian. Overall, it's quite a good album, with its varied styles and a few surprises, such as a more traditional Hawaiian chant by friend Charles Ka'upu and a rendition of the classic "Sleepwalk." Also, for fans of Hawaiian music in general, Don Ho appears on the "Waikiki Beachboy Song." Pick it up. ~ Adam Greenberg

Track listing

1. E Hele Ana E
2. Pahinui Aloha
3. Nani Wale O Ka'iulani
4. Lelehuna
5. Europa
6. Manoa, in the Rain
7. Mele A Paku' I/Ho'okumu: Mele A Paku'i / Ho'okumu
8. Pride (In the Name of Love)
9. Kahea V'ilani
10. Waikki (At About 3 ...)
11. Waikiki Beachboy Song, The
12. Sleepwalk

 

[Dennie]

Generation Hawai`i -- CD :text-bravo:

Amy Hanaiali'i

2006 Hanaiali'i/Mountain Apple Records

Product Description
"Generation Hawai'i" is Grammy nominated Amy Hanaiali'i at her best, in true form, representing her islands, her culture and her family legacy wit the music she was destined to share. It was produced by award winning producer, songwriter and musician Michael Ruff, who has worked with legends like Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks and countless others. Amy Hanaiali'i is known worldwide for her unmatched vocal range, polished performances, classic charm and infectious smile. She's traveled the world and back performing with such greats as Carlos Santana and Willie Nelson, received formal training in European classical music, jazz, blues, American standards and pop, and established herself as Hawaii's most respected and loved female vocalist, songwriter and performer. "Generation Hawai'i" brings Amy full circle back to her extensive roots in Hawai'i, with a new focus on tradition, culture and family.

1. Napua
2. Hilo E
3. Rain Kilikilihune
4. Anahaki
5. No Na Hulu Kupuna
6. Kau`ionalani
7. Uluhua Wale Au
8. `O Waipa Ke Malama Mau Ai
9. Ho`oheno A`o Pi`ilani
10. Mauna`olu
11. Kalakaua
12. Tahiti Nui
13. In Hilo Town
14. Jewel

 

[Botch]

:text-threadjacked:

I hope they make another production run on the Alan Parsons - I Robot, DVD-A, just so those price goudging pricks gets what's coming to them. bscene-birdiedoublered:

Rope

Mine was just over $20, not too bad. I'd LOVE to see the next run include "Pyramid", which I really wanted the most.

Hey Botch, is "I Robot" in 5.1?

There seems to be conflicting reviews on amazon. A couple of reviews say it is just stereo and it is not a DVD-A, but a D.A.D., which I am not familiar with. :angry-tappingfoot:


Thanks,

Dennie

Yup, found this out the hard way last night. The disk I have is double-sided, one for DVD players and one for DVD-A players, but they're both stereo only. It's an HDAD disk, which is 24/192 technology, but since they're using that to make a copy of the original tape, it's probably overkill.
Sounds like we're talking about two different releases here, and the true 5.1 mix is the one being price-gouged. Live and learn... :|

 

[Zing]

With many thanks to Tee and Ray!
:text-thankyoublue:

 

[Dennie]

Dave Brubeck Plays & Plays & Plays... -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :eusa-clap:

Dave Brubeck

1957/1992 Fantasy Records

Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1992, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

Dave Brubeck's second solo piano album differs from the first in that only two of the nine songs he performs are his originals. However Brubeck's versions of such standards as "Imagination," "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" sound quite fresh and contain more than their share of surprises. Fortunately the formerly rare music is now available on this CD. ~ Scott Yanow

Recorded at the Brubeck home, Oakland, California on February 8, 1957. Includes liner notes by Russ Wilson.

Solo performer: Dave Brubeck (piano).

A1 Sweet Cleo Brown
A2 I'm Old Fashioned
A3 Love Is Here to Stay
A4 Indian Summer
A5 In Search of a Theme
B1 You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
B2 I See Your Face Before Me
B3 They Say It's Wonderful
B4 Imagination

 

[PaulyT]

Ok now that one, I have to get! I've been really digging Bill Evans Alone, it'll be interesting to compare.

 

[Zing]

Ok now that one, I have to get!

Which one: Brian Culbertson or Boz Scaggs? :teasing-tease:

 

[PaulyT]

Ha ha funny man! I meant Brubeck (yes he and Evans are white jazz players ), but I'm planning on getting that Boz album too.

 

[Zing]

You should be planning on getting Brian Culbertson XII. It'll help funk up your life. But the Boz album is a good start. And it'll expose anything loose in your room, walls or pretty much anywhere else in your house.

 

[PaulyT]

'k, I'll take a more serious look at that one.

 

[Dennie]

At the beginning of Track 1, Miles says:
I'll play it and tell you what it is later......

Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet -- 20 Bit K2 CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Miles Davis Quintet

1956/2001 Prestige/Fantasy Records

Perfect, September 7, 2006
By Michael Hardin (South Duxbury, Vermont United States)

Perfect is hard to define in jazz. In the traditional sense, "perfect" would mean without mistakes, but that denies the human element at the core of this music. What is perfect in jazz is when you sit and listen to Miles or Coltrane play something that is entirely them, and you could never think of any other way they should have played what they just did. "Kind of Blue" is one of those albums, when everything lines up and the creation is natural and beautiful. This album, recorded three years earlier, is another.

Miles hauled his band into the studio for Prestige records to fulfill the rest of his contract, and he cut four albums with two marathon recording sessions loosely constructed of standards. Miles didn't bother with many takes of the same tune and that is what makes his recordings almost as spontaneous as his live performances. This album is one result of those two sessions, and it's probably the strongest of the four albums. The tunes featured are very nice vehicles for incredibly melodic, tasteful playing by the entire group. That group, by the way, is known as the first great quintet, made up of Miles, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. While I'm not a big fan of Red Garland (I'm a piano player myself) I do appreciate his sense of swing and his taste and it's in evidence here. Trane was just getting his bearings and is still a little rough but he manages to put out some incredible ideas. The rhythm section holds down the groove really well. Then there's Miles, who is relaxed (mostly muted) and as melodic as any of his recordings. I listen to this album and, cliche as it may sound, all of my anxieties just melt away. My favorite tune on here is "If I Were A Bell," one Miles would continue to play brilliantly for years but he would never match the softly swinging vibe he created with it here. Tempos vary on this album but nothing is supercharged or blazingly fast, hence the title. The complete picture is one of spontaneous creation of beautiful music, the epitome of playing inside the form while still being creative and just swinging hard.

In terms of accessibility, the only sticky wicket is the playing of Coltrane. Non-jazz listeners looking for classy background music for a dinner party will find his tone abrasive and his budding "sheets of sound" to be quite odd. But serious listeners will be able to appreciate what he was reaching for (he hadn't yet found it all the way) and be fascinated by this stage of his development. The rest of the group is very in the pocket while still being interesting, so there's nothing too outlandish about this music. I can safely recommend it to anyone who appreciates the beauty of simplicity and space in music. Just be sure you really listen closely to pick up on the subtleties. Jazz like this will not demand your attention, but once you give it, it is some of the most rewarding music out there.

1. "If I Were a Bell" (Frank Loesser) – 8:15
2. "You're My Everything" (Harry Warren) – 5:18
3. "I Could Write a Book" (Richard Rodgers) – 5:09
4. "Oleo" (Sonny Rollins) – 6:18
5. "It Could Happen to You" (Jimmy van Heusen) – 6:37
6. "Woody 'n' You" (Dizzy Gillespie) – 5:02

 

[Dennie]

LOOK AWAY PAULY!! LOOK AWAY!

Liner note: Herbie's piano is on the left and Chick's is on the right throughout the recording.

An Evening With...... --2 CD Set :text-bravo:

Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea

1978/1998 Columbia Legacy

Amazon.com
It's unlikely that two major musicians could have more in common than Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Born a year apart, they both got their starts on Blue Note sessions in the early 1960s, worked extensively with Miles Davis (albeit in very different periods), and were among the architects and biggest successes of fusion in the 1970s. Equally distinguished as pianists and composers, they share many of the same influences, both in classical music (Ravel, Debussy, Bartók) and jazz (Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans), and in the late 1970s, both were dividing their time between electric and acoustic projects.

This 1978 duet concert testifies to a remarkable empathy, along with the polish that each brings to any venture. Their two grand pianos seldom collide as they dovetail and overlay runs, rhythms, and chords, clearly enjoying the challenge and creating tremendous energy in the process. "Someday" inevitably invokes Miles, while the chromatic fantasia on Gershwin's "Liza," complete with stride, suggests populist roots in Rhapsody in Blue. "Button Up," an extended improvisation, is a highlight, including rhythmic dialogue between hand-muted strings, while "February Moment" is a relatively rare Hancock foray into solo piano. The most remarkable playing, though, is saved for the end: segued performances of hits--Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" and Corea's "La Fiesta"--that run to 35 minutes of sustained keyboard invention. --Stuart Broomer

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Someday My Prince Will Come (12:39)
2. Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) (9:00)
3. Button Up (17:37)
4. Introduction of Herbie Hancock by Chick Corea (0:41)
5. February Moment (15:47)
6. Maiden Voyage (13:31)
7. La Fiesta (22:02)

Total Time 91:17

 

[PaulyT]

:angry-banghead:

I'm trying to control my music spending budget, and here you go with this stuff...

 

[Dennie]

:angry-banghead:

I'm trying to control my music spending budget, and here you go with this stuff...

:text-imsorry:



Dennie :teasing-tease:

 

[Dennie]

Complete Greatest Hits -- CD

Foreigner

2002 Atlantic Records

Amazon.com

On the cover of Foreigner's newest collection, the letters that spell out Complete Greatest Hits are cut out from world currency. For example, there's an A from Antarctica, a T from Trinidad, an M from Mongolia, and so on. At least the drive behind this third greatest-hits compilation (fourth, if you count The Best of Foreigner Live) is clearly admitted. Still, if anyone deserves your money, an argument can be made for guitarist Mick Jones and singer Lou Gramm. They've been through it all, and along the way, they've written a slew of songs you know well enough to perform at karaoke (but never as well, admittedly--Lou has a hell of a voice). Whether you liked them when they rocked ("Cold as Ice," "Hot Blooded," "Juke Box Hero") or preferred the power ballads they were credited with inventing ("Waiting for a Girl Like You," "I Want to Know What Love Is"), this album makes it feel like the very first time again. --Laura Etling

1. "Feels Like the First Time"
2. "Cold as Ice"
3. "Long, Long Way from Home"
4. "Headknocker"
5. "Hot Blooded"
6. "Double Vision"
7. "Blue Morning, Blue Day"
8. "Dirty White Boy"
9. "Head Games"
10. "Women"
11. "Girl on the Moon"
12. "Urgent"
13. "Waiting for a Girl Like You"
14. "Juke Box Hero"
15. "I Want to Know What Love Is"
16. "That Was Yesterday"
17. "Heart Turns to Stone"
18. "I Don't Want to Live Without You"
19. "Say You Will"
20. "Soul Doctor"

 

[Dennie]

The Best of 1968 - 1973 -- CD :handgestures-thumbup:

Steve Miller Band

1991 Capitol Records

Let's Get Serious. This are the ORIGINALS! Stevie Miller!, April 6, 1999
By Jim Traweek jjimt@wt.net (Texas)

Let get SERIOUS fans. I'd like for you to cherish Sailor, Brave New World, and the other great Stevie Guitar Miller albums from the times that were... but you can't even get Brave New World! (one of the 3 BEST!) This FAITHFUL collection of the creme will leave behind the tracks of your tears. 'STEVE MILLER BAND the BEST 0f 1968 - 1973' has 19 of the best cuts (O-riginal! One and All.) from records YOU can't find now. There's Living in the USA (somebody give me a CHEESEburger!) My Dark Hour, Song of our Ancestors, Space Cowboy, Kow Kow, Don't let Nobody Turn you 'Round (some of MY favorites)... + More. All Gold. Steve, (boz scaggs at bass in the early days) frequently decorated his songs with the gulls' calls and wind of the west coast and he was an innovator of the Coast Sound of SF. Those WERE the days that were! Young Steve went from a sometimes off-key but brilliant, inspired musician on Children of the Future (Get it too, on Amazon!) to a politically hip cornerstone for more than a decade of THE finest era of music. His strong guitar and AMERICAN voice are well chronicled in this prized collection. Get this one the go out and hunt the rest. ENJOY! (I said yessir brother sherrif, and that's your WIFE in the back of my car! I'm a gangster... A gangster of love!) Excellent job of studio transfer to CD!

 

[Dennie]

I still praise Ken Richardson (of S&V Mag.) for the Great Selection of songs on this one and Telarc/Heads up for the quality disc! :text-bravo:

Sound & Vision Sampler SACD

Various Artists

2006 Telarc/Heads Up

A good listen too!, January 4, 2009
By Keith944T (Harmony PA USA)

I bought this because of good reviews AND to catch a sample of artists I don't know. Even without the limitted amounts of well done multi-channel music out there, this would be a must have. My two favorites are the gospel sound of "Don't Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" and the acapella "Wenyukela". Both transcend the normal plane of musical recordings.

1. Icarus
2. Flesh on Flesh
3. Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down
4. Wenyukela (Raise Your Spirit Higher)
5. The Twelfth
6. Viven
7. The French Fiddler
8. Hallelujah I Love Her So
9. Why Are People Like That?
10. Let's Go Back
11. Teen Town
12. Funky Tina
13. I've Grown Accustomed to His Face
14. Village Gait
15. Cocowalk

 

[Dennie]

Falling Up -- CD

Geoffrey Keezer

2003 MaxJazz Records

Among the most beautiful jazz albums ever recorded, October 9, 2003
By Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA)
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

Jeff Keezer, the brilliant young jazz pianist, has a very personal, even idiosyncratic musical vision. Here, on what can only be described as a ravishingly gorgeous disc, it serves him unfailingly.

A number of things make this disc work, not least the artist's love of Hawaiian folk music, which is the (unlikely, for a jazz artist) starting point of this disc--and, hence, the understandable but misleading idea that it has a New Age vibe. Something much deeper is going on, something almost impossible to even talk about without sounding sentimental or weird: Hawaiian music has somehow become the most effective vehicle for Keezer to express his deepest feelings, the essence of which is a kind of glory tinged by sadness. The key is the song "Famous Are the Flowers." Originally a 19th century popular song protesting the annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaii to the United States, it is here rendered with such love, such poignancy, such glorious melancholy, that the listener encounters the kind of longing that C. S. Lewis called Sehnsuct, and which pervades, for example, The Lord of the Rings. Interesting, a tune from the film version of LOTR, "Gollum's Song," is included

The three Hawaiian tunes included are simply stunning, and definitely set the musical tone for the entire disc. One thing is glaringly apparent--Keezer's genuine appreciation for the music of Hawaii. Too often artists, in their effort to add color and exoticism to their work, do not pay sufficient attention to the subtleties of the alien musical sensibilities they desire to incorporate into their own aesthetic vision. The clincher is "Navigating by Starlight," an original Keezer composition and the longest and most evocative tune at over eight minutes. Keezer, in notes to the music, describes the piece thus: "I was thinking about ancient seafaring people, and how they could travel for thousands of miles reading tides originating from even other continents. In the mysterious darkness of night, they used a highly evolved understanding of the stars to guide them. Sounds of Java, Okinawa, and Japan." These are the racial and cultural antecedents for the people of Hawaii, and he has perfectly captured that sensibility in a profound way. Aided by Anthony Brown (who co-wrote the tune) and the Asian American Jazz Orchestra, the song perfectly evokes what Keezer describes in his notes.

The other tunes on the album, though arising out of different circumstances and having a slightly different feel, seem to have somehow been drawn into the orbit of the Hawaiian sun that pervades the disc. Personal favorites include "Falling Up," with its attractive melody, slightly exotic instrumentation, and feel-good vibe, the three piano trio numbers, "Palm Reader," "Gollum's Song," and "Prelude in E-Flat." The only song that doesn't work optimally for me is "Featherfall," featuring vocals by Claire Martin. It would've best been left off the disc, but since it has deep personal meaning for Keezer, I can see why he wanted to include it.

Highest recommendation.

1. Falling Up
2. Shiny Shell Lullaby
3. Horsewoman, The
4. Palm Reader
5. Featherfall
6. Gollum's Song
7. Navigating by Starlight
8. Famous Are the Flowers
9. T.G.T.T.
10. Mirrim
11. Prelude in E Flat