What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Surprise -- CD

Paul Simon

2006 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

Since severing his epochal partnership with Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon's solo career been characterized by restless reinvention. But while it's easy to see such disparate, cross-cultural collaborations as Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints as Simon's quest for new creative partnerships, beneath them lies a more crucial willingness to continually challenge the very assumptions and craft of his own songwriting. Six years after his sublime, underappreciated You're the One Simon has pushed that sensibility into a rewarding, if equally unlikely, partnership with Brian Eno. Yet the former Roxy Music texturalist cum contemporary producer/sound conjurer supreme (aided by such stellar sidemen as Bill Frisell, Herbie Hancock and Steve Gadd) offers barely half the "surprises" here.

The playful "Sure Don't Feel Like Love" argues Simon can still beckon his more traditional pop muse at will. Yet some of his best work here turns as much on hypnotic, if no less politically pointed, quasi-spoken word pieces (like "Wartime Prayers" and the gripping, post 9/11 rumination "How Can You Live in the Northeast?") as traditional songcraft. Eno is credited with providing "Sonic Landscape" to Simon's production, but also co-wrote three tracks, infusing "Another Galaxy" with contrasting doses of bracing energy and ethereal elegance, while seasoning the more traditional folk musings of "Once Upon a Time There Was An Ocean" with infectious electro-funk rhythms. "Outrageous," their best full collaboration, suggests that while Eno and Simon may approach world music - and indeed most pop forms - from polar extremes, the common ground they find is truly elevated. In an era when many of his peers are content to craft mere artistic comebacks, Simon's re-emergence here is a bold, compelling step forward. --Jerry McCulley

1. "How Can You Live in the Northeast" Paul Simon 3:42
2. "Everything About It Is a Love Song" Simon 3:57
3. "Outrageous" Simon, Brian Eno 3:24
4. "Sure Don't Feel like Love" Simon 3:57
5. "Wartime Prayers" Simon 4:49
6. "Beautiful" Simon 3:07
7. "I Don't Believe" Simon 4:09
8. "Another Galaxy" Simon, Eno 5:22
9. "Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean" Simon, Eno 3:55
10. "That's Me" Simon 4:43
11. "Father and Daughter" Simon 4:11

 

[Dennie]

For God And Country -- CD

Dolly Parton

2003 Blue Eye/Welk Records

Red White and Bluegrass All The Way!! January 17, 2004
By C.E. VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This CD is great. I love the songs on it and am amazed at the range of emotions that they could stir up.
Regardless of your stance on war or anything like that, this CD is a great collection of patriotic songs that remind us all of the freedoms that we enjoy and have access to.
The record is done in a funny and personal way (USO Style some will say) with canned laughter and corny jokes...but for some reason it works!
I was truly moved by "The Star Spangled Banner" and "The Ballad of the Green Berets" while on the other hand, some songs made me laugh out loud. I especially loved the song "Gee Ma I Wanna Come Home" in which Dolly pokes fun a Saddam , Osama and her "weapons of mass destruction." This song is an old camp song from which a million verses can be added or made up.
One of my favorite tracks is "Red White and Bluegrass" it is infused with a sense of foot-stompin' good fun and old fashioned patriotism. Nicely Done.
All in all, this album is great, and it comes to us from one of the premier singer/song-writers in any generation. It is an excellent addition to ANY library of music and a must have for those serving in the military and their families. Good work. Red White and Blue...these are my true colors...

1. The Lord Is My Shepherd
2. The Star Spangled Banner
3. God Bless the USA
4. Light of a Clear Blue Morning
5. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
6. Welcome Home
7. Gee, Ma, I Wanna Go Home
8. Whispering Hope 2:30
9. There Will Be Peace in the Valley for Me
10. Red, White and Bluegrass
11. My Country 'Tis
12. I'm Gonna Miss You
13. Go to Hell
14. Ballad of the Green Beret
15. Brave Little Soldier
16. Tie a Yellow Ribbon
17. Color Me America
18. The Glory Forever

 

[Dennie]

Blue Kentucky Girl -- CD

Emmylou Harris

1979/1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

Emmylou Harris focuses more intently on her country ancestry with this 1979 record, tackling songs made famous by Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, and the Louvin Brothers. However, the most rewarding cuts are the lesser-known gems: Willie Nelson's rollicking "Sister's Coming Home" (with Tanya Tucker), Dallas Frazier's aching ballad "Beneath Still Waters" (which hit No. 1 for Harris), and Jean Ritchie's moving folk song "Sorrow in the Wind." Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt help out on "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," while Lincoln Davis's accordion beefs up the Flatt & Scruggs classic "Rough and Rocky." This record, Harris's fifth for Reprise, signals the end of her classic country-rock period. She would unplug completely for 1980's superb Roses in the Snow before breaking up with producer-husband Brian Ahern and pointing herself in new directions. --Marc Greilsamer

Side one

"Sister's Coming Home" [with Tanya Tucker] (Willie Nelson) – 2:52
"Beneath Still Waters" (Dallas Frazier) – 3:41
"Rough and Rocky" (Charles Justice/Shoji Tabuchi) – 3:50
"Hickory Wind" (Gram Parsons/Bob Buchanan) – 4:01
"Save the Last Dance for Me" (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman) – 3:30

Side two

"Sorrow in the Wind" [with Sharon & Cheryl White] (Jean Ritchie) – 3:28
"They'll Never Take His Love From Me" (Leon Payne) – 2:34
"Everytime You Leave" [with Don Everly] (Charlie Louvin/Ira Louvin) – 2:58
"Blue Kentucky Girl" (Johnny Mullins) – 3:17
"Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" [harmony by Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton] (Rodney Crowell) – 3:56

 

[Dennie]

It's A Mystery -- CD

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

1995 Capitol Records

Great Music March 27, 2008
By Mary Ann Ward
Format:Audio Cassette

I do not understand the negative reviews. Personally, I have never really liked typical 80's music, but I never really thought that Bob Seeger fit into that stereotype--the make-up, the tight plastic pants, the weird "do." His music reminded me of many different things I listened to when I was young in the 60's, and I like this CD. And I do not regret owning it.

Some of the reviews speak about earlier CD's like they represent Bob's "Golden Age," but I do not see it. A few of the older CD's--in my opinion--do not hold up as well as this one, although I enjoy listening to them as well.

Again, in my opinion it is sad that the recording is no longer available.
It is well worth a listen if you can find it.

Track Listings
1. Rite Of Passage
2. Lock and Load
3. By The River
4. Manhattan
5. I Wonder
6. It's A Mystery
7. Revisionism Street
8. Golden Boy
9. I Can't Save You Angelene
10. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
11. West Of The Moon
12. Hands In The Air

 

[Dennie]

The End Of The Innocence -- CD

Don Henley

1989 Geffen Records

Released in 1989 (see 1989 in music), The End of the Innocence is the third album by Don Henley. It is his best selling album, selling over 6 million copies in the United States, peaking at #8. In 2003, the album was ranked number 389 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

1. "The End of the Innocence" (Henley, Bruce Hornsby) – 5:16
2. "How Bad Do You Want It?" (Henley, Danny Kortchmar, Stan Lynch) – 3:47
3. "I Will Not Go Quietly" featuring Axl Rose (Henley, Kortchmar) – 5:43
4. "The Last Worthless Evening" (John Corey, Henley, Lynch) – 6:03
5. "New York Minute" (Henley, Kortchmar, Jai Winding) – 6:37
6. "Shangri-La" (Henley, Steve Jordan, Kortchmar) – 4:55
7. "Little Tin God" (Henley, Kortchmar, J.D. Souther) – 4:42
8. "Gimme What You Got" (Corey, Henley, Lynch) – 6:10
9. "If Dirt Were Dollars" (Henley, Kortchmar, Souther) – 4:34
10. "The Heart of the Matter" (Mike Campbell, Henley, Souther) – 5:24

 

[Dennie]

A Momentary Lapse of Reason -- CD

Pink Floyd

1987/1997 Columbia

Amazon.com

Though many predicted that Roger Waters's acrimonious split with the band after 1983's aptly named Final Cut would ultimately spell the end of Pink Floyd, the remaining band members confounded pundits by extending their status as classic rock's most ponderous dinosaurs into the 1990s and beyond. And if the title was a gentle jab at Waters after a years-long legal struggle over the Floyd moniker, the music was all too familiar; some would say even formulaic. And lest anyone doubted that the absence of Waters's dour soul would lighten things up a bit, guitarist and post facto leader Dave Gilmour gamely took on the Mantle of Conscience for topics ranging from the cold war ("The Dogs of War") to yuppie self-indulgence ("On the Turning Away"). And if this album sometimes evokes an uncomfortable feeling of a band on autopilot, it's one that can still turn out the likes of the anthemic "Learning to Fly" on cruise control. --Jerry McCulley

1. Signs of Life [Instrumental]
2. Learning to Fly
3. Dogs of War
4. One Slip
5. On the Turning Away
6. Yet Another Movie/Round and Around
7. New Machine, Pt. 1
8. Terminal Frost
9. New Machine, Pt. 2
10. Sorrow

 

[Dennie]

Abandoned Luncheonette -- CD

Daryl Hall & John Oates

1973 Atlantic Records

Best early Hall & Oates, September 11, 2000
By David Hugaert (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Abandoned Luncheonette (Audio CD)

"Abandoned Luncheonette" features the kind of music at which Daryl & John are most adept-Philly Soul. All the songs here are excellent, with the cream of the crop being "When The Morning Comes", "Las Vegas Turnaround", "I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man)", the title track, "Lady Rain" and "Laughing Boy". "Everytime I Look At You" is the most soulful track on this CD, which has a "hillbilly" banjo and violin-laden instrumental at the end. This is probably as close to country that H & O ever got! This has to be the best CD in their entire catalog. Oh, and "Abandoned Luncheonette" also contains their first hit single, "She's Gone", which appeared on the Billboard charts on two separate occasions. If you are a fan of soul and/or pop music, you can't go wrong here. Please buy this CD!

"When The Morning Comes" (Daryl Hall) – 3:12
"Had I Known You Better Then" (John Oates) – 3:22
"Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)" (Oates) – 2:57
"She's Gone" (Hall, Oates) – 5:15
"I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man)" (Oates) – 3:20
"Abandoned Luncheonette" (Hall) – 3:55
"Lady Rain" (Hall, Oates) – 4:26
"Laughing Boy" (Hall) – 3:20
"Everytime I Look At You" (Hall) – 7:04

 

[Dennie]

Rock 'n' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul -- CD

Jeff Beck

2011 ATCO Records

Rock And Roll Party To Honor Les Paul, Jeff Beck's Concert Tribute To The Iconic Guitarist Recorded This Summer At The Iridium Jazz Club In New York City.

Jeff Beck paid fitting tribute to Les Paul last summer, celebrating what would have been the pioneering guitarist's 95th birthday by playing his friend and mentor's music, along with classic tunes from the era, in the same Times Square nightclub that Les Paul played every Monday for 14 years, before his death in August 2009.

Sponsored by Gibson Guitar and billed as 'A Celebration of Les Paul,' Jeff Beck was joined by The Imelda May Band at the Iridium Jazz Club on June 9th, 2010. The two-time Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee mesmerized the star-studded audience with a tour de force performance of classics that Paul recorded with Mary Ford, 'How High The Moon,' 'Vaya Con Dios' and 'Mockin' Bird Hill,' along with such rock and roll standards as 'Twenty Flight Rock' and 'Walking In The Sand.'

Following this release, Beck will take the 'Rock And Roll Party' on the road for a short U.S. tour. Beck will once again be backed by The Imelda May Band and its enchanting singer, Imelda May, who joined Beck on stage at the 2010 Grammy® Awards for a spot-on rendition of Paul's 'How High The Moon.'

PBS will give fans a first look at a unique edition of this performance with the premiere of 'Jeff Beck Honors Les Paul,' a concert special that captures the first night of 'The Celebration to Honor Les Paul,' which was recorded on June 9, 2010, what would have been Les Paul's 95th birthday. Special guest performers included Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews, Gary U.S. Bonds and Brian Setzer, who traded riffs with Beck on Eddie Cochran's rockabilly classic 'Twenty Flight Rock.'

1. Double Talking Baby
2. Crusin'
3. Train It Kept a Rollin', The
4. Cry Me a River
5. How High the Moon
6. Sitting On Top of the World
7. Bye Bye Blues
8. World is Waiting For the Sunrise, The
9. Vaya Con Dios
10. Mocking Bird Hill
11. I'm a Fool To Care
12. Tiger Rag
13. Peter Gunn
14. Rockin' is Our Business
15. Apache
16. Sleep Walk
17. New Orleans
18. Walking In the Sand
19. Please Mr Jailor
20. Twenty Flight Rock

 

[Dennie]

VH1 Storytellers -- CD

Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson

2002 American Recordings

2 legends doing what they do best, February 26, 2005
By DanD - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)

This is one of those intimate, legendary concerts that people dream of attending. And while you probably weren't there, you will at least FEEL like you were there, as you listen to this CD--all the songs, all the anecdotes, all the banter...it's captured on VH1 STORYTELLERS, one of the best CDs you could ever hope to purchase.

How good is this album? Well, if the 5-star rating wasn't evidence enough, and if the presence of two of the best singer/songwriters ever isn't enough, the how about a recap of the album's highlights: namely, all fifteen tracks. Two voices, two guitars...songs such as "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" are given new life, with other classics (such as "Crazy," "Always on My Mind," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Don't Take Your Guns to Town," and "Me and Paul") revitalized and sounding as sweet as ever. Cash's haunting Vietnam-era track "Drive On" blends in perfectly with Willie's autobiographical "Me and Paul"--two songs of different subjects, with different atmospheres, blending together because they are performed by two friends.

Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson are the best music can get, and they're on one album. Can you resist? Probably. But why the heck would you want to?

1. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky
2. Worried Man
3. Family Bible
4. Don't Take Your Guns To Town
5. Funny How Time Slips Away
6. Flesh And Blood
7. Crazy
8. Unchained
9. Night Life
10. Drive On
11. Me And Paul
12. I Still Miss Someone
13. Always On My Mind
14. Folsom Prison Blues
15. On The Road Again

 

[Dennie]

Miles Davis At Carnegie Hall -- 20 bit Remastered 2 CD Set

Miles Davis

1961/1998 Columbia Legacy Records

Simply Beautiful,
September 24, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Miles Davis At Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

This is a very good mono soundboard recording of (indeed) a legendary concert. Miles is at the peak of his acoustic form, the rhythm section really cooks, Gil Evans and friends add some tasteful backing, and saxophonist Hank Mobley steps out of the Coltranian shadows for his moment in the sun.

And if you're wondering why "Someday My Prince Will Come" is so short, it's because Miles walked off during a protest against the concert's organisers by Max Roach at the foot of the stage. The otherwise excellent liner notes make no mention of the incident.

A double CD of the complete concert was released by Sony/Columbia in 1998. This album has the first half of the concert on CD 1 and the second half on CD 2.

Track listing: CD 1

"So What" (Miles Davis) – 12:01
"Spring Is Here" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 4:03
"Teo" (Davis) – 9:10
"Walkin'" (Richard Carpenter) – 9:32
"The Meaning of the Blues" / "Lament" (Troup, Worth / J.J. Johnson) – 4:34
"New Rhumba" (Ahmad Jamal) – 4:07

Track listing: CD 2

"Someday My Prince Will Come" (Frank Churchill, Larry Morey) – 2:55
"Oleo" (Sonny Rollins) – 7:19
"No Blues" (Davis) – 10:38
"I Thought About You" (J. Van Heusen / J. Mercer) – 5:00
"En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor" (adagio from "Concierto de Aranjuez") (J. Rodrigo) – 17:05

Personnel

The Miles Davis Quintet:

Miles Davis - Trumpet
Hank Mobley - Tenor saxophone
Wynton Kelly - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums

The Gil Evans Orchestra:

Gil Evans - Arranger and Conductor
Miles Davis - Trumpet soloist
Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow, Johnny Coles, Louis Mucci - Trumpets
Jimmy Knepper, Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak - Trombones
Julius Watkins, Paul Ingrahan, Bob Swisshelm - French Horns
Bill Barber - Tuba
Romeo Penque, Jerome Richardson, Eddie caine, Bob Tricarico, Danny Bank - Reeds and Woodwinds
Janet Putnam - Harp
Wynton Kelly - Piano (on "Spring is Here" only)
Paul Chambers - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums
Bobby Rosengarden - Percussion

Teo Macero - Producer

 

[Dennie]

How Long Has This Been Going On? -- Remastered CD

Between... Sarah Vaughan - Oscar Peterson - Joe Pass - Louie Bellson - Ray Brown

1978/1987 Pablo/Fantasy Records

You Can't Get Better Than This, September 29, 2007
By Juliet A. Wright "(Artist) Beloved/Director H... (Pownal, VT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How Long Has This Been Going On? (Audio CD)

This fantastic cd combines some of the best players and music in all of jazz and delivers some really high quality music. Sarah Vaughan, Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Louie Bellson and Ray Brown congregate to create some of the most memorable performances ever recorded. This cd has wonderful variety, as Vaughan varies the instrumentation of the set list, playing with just Pass on one cut, then the whole band, then just with Peterson and so on. Many of the standards have been reharmonized in the most interesting and intriguing ways, leading your ears down a path that is fresh and new. Favorite cuts of mine include "Midnight Sun," a tune with really interesting harmonization, "You're Blase," "My Old Flame," and, topping the list, "More Than You Know." My only criticism is that Peterson quite often plays too many notes too fast for my taste. Vaughan, however, tastefully demonstrates the command she has over the instrument that is her voice. She is truly one of the best vocalists of all time.

"I've Got the World on a String" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 5:38
"Midnight Sun" (Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Mercer) – 4:40
"How Long Has This Been Going On?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 6:03
"You're Blasé" (Ord Hamilton, Bruce Siever) – 5:10
"Easy Living" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) – 4:40
"More Than You Know" (Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose, Vincent Youmans) – 6:46
"My Old Flame" (Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston) – 6:14
"Teach Me Tonight" (Sammy Cahn, Gene de Paul) – 3:06
"Body and Soul" (Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green) – 3:43
"When Your Lover Has Gone" (Einar Aaron Swan) – 2:54

 

[Dennie]

Mingus explained the birth of this record in the album's liner notes:
This record is unusual—it presents only one part of my musical world, the blues. A year ago, Nesuhi Ertegün suggested that I record an entire blues album in the style of Haitian Fight Song (in Atlantic LP 1260), because some people, particularly critics, were saying I didn't swing enough. He wanted to give them a barrage of soul music: churchy, blues, swinging, earthy. I thought it over. I was born swinging and clapped my hands in church as a little boy, but I've grown up and I like to do things other than just swing. But blues can do more than just swing. So I agreed.

Blues & Roots -- CD

Charles Mingus

1960/1990 Atlantic Jazz

Amazon.com essential recording

Bassist Charles Mingus was always ready for a good fight. In the liner notes to this disc, Mingus says he wanted to respond to critics who said he didn't swing enough. And reply he did. Mingus gave whoever these absurd quibblers were some of the most ecstatic blues ("Moanin'" and "Cryin Blues"), gospel ("Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting"), and Dixieland ("My Jelly Roll Soul") the jazz world has ever heard. Along with his striking original compositions, the instrumental combination in Mingus's nonet remains unconventional: the frontline included four saxophonists and two trombonists without the counterweight of a trumpeter. The leader's sliding-octave bass lines and percussive slaps are totally rollicking, and the wild abandon in the group's playing is irrepressible. --Aaron Cohen

"Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" – 5:39
"Cryin' Blues" – 4:58
"Moanin'" – 8:01
"Tensions" – 6:27
"My Jelly Roll Soul" – 6:47
"E's Flat Ah's Flat Too" – 6:37


Charles Mingus – bass
John Handy – alto sax
Jackie McLean – alto sax
Booker Ervin – tenor sax
Pepper Adams – baritone sax
Jimmy Knepper – trombone
Willie Dennis – trombone
Dannie Richmond – drums
Horace Parlan – piano, except for "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too"
Mal Waldron – piano on "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too"
Nesuhi Ertegün – producer
Tom Dowd – recording engineer

 

[Dennie]

Return of The Brecker Brothers -- CD

Michael & Randy Brecker

1992 GRP Records

When it comes to the origins of fusion (jazz with rock, funk, etc.), the Brecker Brothers--Randy and Michael--were right there in the very beginning, playing (separately and together) with Larry Coryell, Billy Cobham, and other early practioners of the burgeoning new genre. They also played together in their own funk-oriented fusion combo during the 1970s before going their separate ways. In 1992, the brothers reunited, and RETURN OF THE BRECKER BROTHERS is a neat summation of where they'd been in the past and where they'd soon be going in a new musical landscape. RETURN encompasses funky grooves, hard bop, cool jazz, and world music, and features sterling, sizzling solos from the Brothers and guests such as guitarist Mike Stern and saxophonist David Sanborn.

Track Listing

1. Song For Barry
2. King of the Lobby
3. Big Idea
4. Above & Below
5. That's All There is To It
6. Wakaria (What's Up?)
7. On the Backside
8. Sozinho (Alone)
9. Spherical
10. Good Gracious
11. Roppongi

 

[Dennie]

The Best of the Capitol Years -- Remastered CD

Keely Smith

1958/1990 Capitol Records

Keely KILLS Once Again! November 7, 1999
By F. Barton
Format:Audio CD

This CD consists of two Capitol albums, one with arrangements by Billy May, the other Nelson Riddle. You have NOT heard, "When Your Lover Has Gone" until you've heard Keely sing it with Riddle's arrangement! I have many of Keely's CDs, and this is the one I listen to the most. Her KILLER versions of ALL the songs, leaves you breathless. The incredible control and beauty of her voice is captured on this CD to perfection. Incidentally, she is still singing this well. Sam Butera and the Witnesses, and her are still knocking them dead. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

1. Sweet And Lovely
2. Cocktails For Two
3. The Song Is You
4. I'll Get By
5. Lullaby Of The Leaves
6. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
7. I Can't Get Started
8. I'll Never Smile Again
9. S'Posin'
10. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
11. All The Way
12. I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving
13. I Wish You Love
14. You Go To My Head
15. When Your Lover Has Gone
16. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)
17. Don't Take Your Love From Me
18. Imagination
19. Mr Wonderful
20. When Day Is Done

 

[Dennie]

Infinity -- CD

McCoy Tyner Trio featuring Michael Brecker

1995 Impulse/GRP Records

A Worthy Successor to the Classic Coltrane Quartet,
November 14, 2001
By "greensauce75"
This review is from: Infinity (Audio CD)

This is one of the best matchups of two of the most seminal figures in jazz today. There is no saxophonist alive more worthy of playing alongside the legendary pianist from the John Coltrane Quartet of the 1960s than Michael Brecker. His style is very much influenced by Coltrane's ideas and harmonic innovations but he still manages to have a completely original voice. His playing on this date is up to his usual standard of excellence and truly seems to inspire and push the trio forward. One of the reasons that Tyner and Brecker play extremely well together is that both heavily employ the use of pentatonics. Their styles mesh amazingly well.

The music itself is mostly written by Tyner with a few exceptions including their take on Coltrane's classic Impressions. Brecker truly extends himself on this modal standard but the highlight of the album is the first track, Flying High. Both Brecker and Tyner are in top form and play beautifully with extreme intensity.

This is one of my favorite jazz albums in my collection of over 200. You will not be dissapointed if you buy it.

Also, Avery Sharpe takes one the most amazing bass solos I have ever heard on Thelonious Monk's I Mean You and is truly up to the challenge of playing with such top-notch players.

"Flying High" - 10:14
"I Mean You" (Hawkins, Monk) - 7:19
"Where Is Love" - 5:31
"Changes" - 9:46
"Blues Stride" - 3:38
"Happy Days" - 9:42
"Impressions" (Coltrane) - 11:13
"Mellow Minor" - 5:26
"Good Morning Heartache" (Drake, Fisher, Higgenbotham) - 9:21

All compositions by McCoy Tyner except as indicated

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 12 (track 1 & 6), 13 (tracks 4, 7 & 8) and 14 (tracks 2, 3, 5 & 9), 1995

 

[Dennie]

God & The FBI -- CD

Janis Ian

2000 Windham Hill Records

Janis Ian: Touching, lyrical and upbeat in God and the FBI March 27, 2000
By Anna McCabe
Format:Audio CD

This new release from Janis Ian is a terrific album which is definitely worth a listen for anyone who has ever liked Ian's music, as well as newcomers to her work. The lyrical touching element of Ian's work is well represented in a wonderful song about death: On the Other Side (which includes some beautiful harmonies on the "requiem" at the end of the track). Also in the typical Janis Ian tradition are: She Must be Beautiful (a live version that benefits from the simplicity of the piano accompaniment) and Days Like These. The upbeat numbers include the title track, Murdering Stravinsky and The Last Comeback. However, the best upbeat tracks have a slightly country feel that suits the singer, and include Jolene, Play like a Girl and Boots like Emmy Lou's. One of the finest jewels of the album, in my opinion, is the ballad Memphis which is a duet with Willie Nelson. This is a truly thought provoking and different album from an artist who never ceases to develop her talent and songwriting craft. An inspiration to us all!


Track Listing
1. God & The FBI
2. On the Other Side
3. Memphis
4. Jolene
5. When You Love Someone
6. Play Like a Girl
7. Days Like These
8. Boots Like Emmy Lou's
9. She Must Be Beautiful
10. Last Comeback, The
11. Murdering Stravinsky

 

[No-L]

 

[No-L]

Cool stuff!!!
Bluegrass, progressive, Celtic, blues. If you can imagine that!! Fantastic musicians.

 

[Dennie]

The Walls Came Down -- CD

Collin Raye

1998 Epic Records

Collin Raye's most consistent CD July 18, 2001
By James E. Bagley
Format:Audio CD

The Walls Came Down reaffirms Collin Raye's status as one of country music's top interpreters. His muscular tenor bites mightily into the hypnotically frenetic "I Can Still Feel You" and the mid-paced rhythms of "Anyone Else" with obvious zeal, while he sails angelically through moving ballads like "I Wish I Could" and "All My Roads."

What startles is Raye's emergence as a first-rate songwriter, with contributions to two of the strongest cuts on the album. The gentle bluegrass ballad "Start Over Georgia" offers a descriptive look at small town values, while the uptempo title track effectively captures the exhilaration and relief of removing a facade and revealing one's true self. This pair of gems - the latter written by Raye alone - bode well for his future as a complete artist.

Raye's affinity for message songs continues with the child abuse saga "The Eleventh Commandment" and its prelude "Dark Secrets." Unlike previous hits "Little Rock" and "I Think About You," which managed to entertain while making an important statement, "The Eleventh Commandment" comes on way too strong. Chalk it up as an ambitious failure that concludes an otherwise first-rate album.

Track listing

1. Anyone Else
2. I Wish I Could
3. Start Over Georgia
4. I Can Still Feel You
5. Someone You Used to Know
6. Corner of the Heart
7. All My Roads
8. Walls Came Down, The
9. April Fool
10. Make Sure You've Got It All
11. Survivors
12. Dark Secrets
13. Eleventh Commandment, The

 

[Dennie]

Cool stuff!!!
Bluegrass, progressive, Celtic, blues. If you can imagine that!! Fantastic musicians.

Punch Brothers = SUPERGROUP!!!

Great Choice No-L! :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie