What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Live At Newport 1958 -- CD

Mahalia Jackson

1958/1994 Columbia Legacy

The greatest gospel album ever recorded., June 3, 2000
By Simon Turner (Ft lauderdale Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Live at Newport 1958 (Audio CD)

Epiphany, is the word that describes this disc best. The power, energy, and the conviction that Mahalia possesses has never been duplicated. If while listening to such outstanding cuts like, "The lord's Prayer, Didn't It Rain, When The Saints Go Marching In, On My Way, An Evening's Prayer, and A walk In Heaven, you are not moved, then may I suggest that you make an appointment with your doctor, to check for a pulse.


1. Evening Prayer
2. A City Called Heaven
3. I'm on My Way
4. It Don't Cost Very Much
5. Didn't It Rain
6. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
7. When the Saints Go Marching In
8. I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song
9. Keep Your Hand on the Plow
10. The Lord's Prayer
11. Walk over God's Heaven
12. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
13. Jesus Met the Woman at the Well
14. His Eye Is on the Sparrow

 

[Dennie]

Spirit of the Century CD

The Blind Boys of Alabama

2001 Real World Records

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Long known as the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, this venerable gospel institution has seen its ranks fluctuate in recent years. Rarely, however, have the soul-stirring harmonies of the group, recording here as a quartet, benefited from such stellar support. Producer John Chelew (best known for John Hiatt's breakthrough Bring the Family) has enlisted guitarists David Lindley and John Hammond, bassist Danny Thompson, drummer Michael Jerome, and harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite for a set that celebrates the bluesy underpinnings of gospel.

The selection of material mixes the traditional spirituals the group has been performing for more than a half century ("Nobody's Fault but Mine," "Motherless Child") with soulful readings from the more contemporary songbooks of Tom Waits, the Rolling Stones, and Ben Harper. Harper's "Give a Man a Home" receives a majestic vocal from Clarence Fountain, while the album's most audacious cut pairs the lyrics to "Amazing Grace" with the melody from "House of the Rising Sun." --Don McLeese

Tracks:
01 - Jesus Gonna Be Here
02 - No More
03 - Run On For a Long Time
04 - Good Religion
05 - Give a Man a Home
06 - Amazing Grace
07 - Soldier
08 - Nobody's Fault
09 - Way Down in the Hole
10 - Motherless Child
11 - Just Wanna See His Face
12 - The Last Time

 

[Dennie]

A Wonderful World -- CD

Tony Bennett & K.D. Lang

2002 RPM/Columbia Records

Amazon.com

Never mind the project's odd couple, "He's got a girlfriend; so does she" marketing shuck. This is a musical love affair in all its splendor. Produced by the seemingly chameleonic producer T Bone Burnett (who previously revived traditional bluegrass with spectacular success on O Brother, Where Art Thou?), the septuagenarian legend and his unlikely contemporary foil affectionately court a dozen songs from the Louis Armstrong repertoire with the warmth and natural grace that have been a deceptively effortless Bennett trademark for 50-plus years. The pair kick proceedings off with a playful, irony-free "Exactly Like You," then perform a tender vocal waltz across both the ages and the masterful, sympathetic orchestrations of the late Peter Matz, one of Bennett's longtime collaborators. But it's on the more melancholy performances, like "If We Never Meet Again," "I'm Confessin'," and the Armstrong perennials "Wonderful World" and "Lucky Old Sun," that the pair tap into something akin to timeless musical telepathy. Her own talents hardly in need of burnishing, lang invests the project with some gratifying new smokiness and is rewarded with a postgraduate course in saloon singing for the ages. It's an album that begs the best kind of question: When do we get an encore? --Jerry McCulley

"Exactly Like You" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:17
"La Vie en Rose" (Mack David, David Louiguy, Edith Piaf) – 3:23
"I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" (Doc Daugherty, Al J. Neiburg, Ellis Reynolds) – 4:46
"You Can Depend on Me" (Charles Carpenter, Carl M. Dunlap, Earl Hines) – 3:00
"What a Wonderful World" (Robert Thiele, George David Weiss) – 3:23
"That's My Home" (Otis Rene, Leon Rene) – 3:05
"A Kiss to Build a Dream On" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Harry Kalmar, Ruby – 3:25
"I Wonder" (Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen) – 3:49
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" (Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt) – 3:52
"You Can't Lose a Broken Heart" (James P. Johnson, Eddie Miller) – 3:14
"That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)" (Haven Gillespie, Harry Beasley Smith) – 4:36
"If We Never Meet Again" (Louis Armstrong, Horace Gerlach) 3:52

------------

Tony Bennett – vocals
k.d. lang – vocals
Lee Musiker – piano, arrangements
Clayton Cameron – drums
Paul Langosch – double bass
Gray Sargent – guitar
Scott Hamilton – tenor saxophone

 

[Dennie]

New Moon Daughter -- CD

Cassandra Wilson

1996 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Her luscious alto has the depth and texture of a great tenor saxophonist, but Cassandra Wilson's defining asset is a postmodern song sense that enables her to surf through Son House, Neil Young, Johnny Mercer, Billie Holiday, and (gasp!) the Monkees in pursuit of strong songs that can provide that instrument with a canvas. Her second Blue Note album extends Wilson's seductive pilgrimage beyond the conventions of jazz repertoire and accompaniment, yet it's her instincts as a jazz singer that inform these brilliant readings. The settings again step away from traditional small group jazz (for starters, there's no piano) to evoke the emotional core of these songs. Anyone who can turn the Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" into a slow-burning erotic vignette deserves your attention. --Sam Sutherland

"Strange Fruit" (Lewis Allan) — 5:33
"Love Is Blindness" (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr.) — 4:53
"Solomon Sang" (Cassandra Wilson) — 5:56
"Death Letter" (Son House) — 4:12
"Skylark" (Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer) — 4:08
"Find Him" (Wilson) — 4:37
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank Williams) — 4:50
"Last Train to Clarksville" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) — 5:15
"Until" (Wilson) — 6:29
"A Little Warm Death" (Wilson) — 5:43
"Memphis" (Wilson) — 5:04
"Harvest Moon" (Neil Young) — 5:01

 

[Dennie]

In Others' Words -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

2003 Reprise Records

In Others' Words is a contract fullfiller, or just Reprise attempting to cash in on Dwight Yoakam once more. For those fans of Yoakam's who buy his studio records and get frustrated at the sheer number of compilation and soundtrack cuts he has, this might do the trick to satisfy in lieu of a new album. Here are ten tracks culled from the various soundtracks and tribute albums Yoakam has participated in throughout the 1990s. In addition, there is one unreleased track, unavailable anywhere but here. Musically speaking, Yoakam puts the same amount of effort into his guest appearances. "Cattle Call," his cut from the Horse Whisperer soundtrack album, is every bit as satisfying as the material on his own album Gone. "Truckin," from the Arista label's Deadicated CD, is a classic as is his cover of Bill Monroe's "Rocky Road Blues." In addition, his read of Merle Haggard's "Holding Things Together" from Tulare Dust was one of that album's finest moments because of Yoakam's down-cold delivery of the Bakersfield phrase. As for "Louisville," the lone new cut, it's a mid-tempo honky tonker with more acoustic instruments than electric -- particularly the ringing dobro and shimmering mandolins. In Others' Words is far from a stellar set but does fill in the gaps nicely. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1. "Borrowed Love" Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Dwight Yoakam 2:59
2. "Rocky Road Blues" Bill Monroe 3:06
3. "T for Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1)" Jimmie Rodgers 5:31
4. "Cattle Call" Tex Owens 3:23
5. "Truckin'" Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir 5:26
6. "New San Antonio Rose" Bob Wills 3:03
7. "Rapid City, South Dakota" Kinky Friedman 2:50
8. "Louisville" Jann Browne, Pat Gallagher 3:03
9. "Holding Things Together" Merle Haggard, Bob Totten 2:36
10. "Mystery Train" Junior Parker, Sam Phillips 4:04

 

[Dennie]

Lady & Gentlemen -- CD

Leann Rimes

2011 Curb Records

Lady And Gentlemen is a creative concept album co-produced by LeAnn Rimes, country superstar Vince Gill and successful writer, Darrell Brown. It features country classic songs by the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, all sung from a modern female s perspective. Says LeAnn, "This album was born out of the memories of when I first fell in love with country music and in reflecting, I realized that almost all of my favorite country songs from back then were sung by men. I am honored to take a step back in time and sing these songs from a woman's perspective and hopefully help reintroduce them to a new audience." The album features the Grammy Award nominated song "Swingin " (Best Female Country Vocal Performance) along with the moving single "Give," "Crazy Women" and an anniversary edition of "Blue" as bonus tracks.

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Swingin'" John Anderson, Lionel Delmore 3:02
2. "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" Wayne Duncan, Freddy Fender, Huey P. Meaux 4:06
3. "The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line" Jimmy Bryant 2:39
4. "I Can't Be Myself" Merle Haggard 3:12
5. "16 Tons" George S. Davis 2:42
6. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson 3:01
7. "Rose Colored Glasses" John Conlee, George Baber 3:06
8. "A Good Hearted Woman" Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson 3:40
9. "When I Call Your Name" Vince Gill, Tim DuBois 3:41
10. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman 3:51
11. "Blue" (with Time Jumpers) Bill Mack 2:34
12. "The Bottle Let Me Down" Merle Haggard 3:49
Bonus Tracks
No. Title Writer(s) Length
13. "Crazy Women" Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, Shane McAnally 3:25
14. "Give" Connie Harrington, Sonya Isaacs, Jimmy Yeary 4:31

 

[Dennie]

Man Of The World - Reflections on Peter Green -- SACD

Various Artists

2003 Audio Fidelity

Head of the class tribute album with stellar sound October 31, 2010
By Johnnie Neptune
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a hybrid SACD Audio Fidelity gold disc. Audiophile pedigree! Also, it is a one disc distillation of a previous release called "Rattlesnake Guitar" - a tribute to Peter Green. One of the greatest of the late 60's blues rock guitarists whose tone made B.B. King "sweat"! Well, his song writing was just as important as his technique. The proof is here in this disc. The bottom line - fantastic sound and mastering (by Steve Hoffman) that captures the best of this original double disc tribute.

"Man of the World" is a great disc in its own right. That is the best compliment I can give it. Anyone interested in the late 60's/early 70's blues rock scene will love this sonic update.

Any tribute album can be judged simply in my opinion - when you play it, do you enjoy it for what it is or does it make you want to play the originals instead? This tribute is the former. Very few have been able to trump a Peter Green original (Santana's 'Black Magic Woman' is the exception) but this recording is solid enjoyment the whole way through and as such, gets its 5 stars for being top of the class in the Tribute category!

Stellar cast (Ian Anderson, Rory Gallagher, Foghat founding members, Arthur Brown, Savoy Brown, ...), essential songs and top notch sound to make you feel that you are listening to a tribute concert if you can take advantage of the SACD sound layer.

To top it off, at the time of this writing, the price is a steal! Just order it!!

Track listing

1. Oh Well - Billy Sheehan
2. Showbiz Blues - Rory Gallagher
3. Green Manalishi, The
4. Looking for Somebody - Snow White
5. Love That Burn - Lonesome Dave Peverett
6. Rattlesnake Shake - Vince Converse
7. Ramblin' Pony - Harvey Mandel
8. If You Be My Baby - Lonesome Dave Peverett
9. Baby When the Sun Goes Down - Southside Johnny
10. Black Magic Woman - Larry McCray
11. Crying Won't Bring You Back - Luther Grosvenor
12. Stop Messin' Round - Savoy Brown
13. Albatross - Paul Jones
14. Leaving Town Blues - Rory Gallagher
15. Man of the World - Ian Anderson

 

[Dennie]

The Robert Johnson Songbook -- CD

Peter Green Splinter Group with Nigel Watson

1998 Snapper Music

Vintage Guitar magazine review:, February 9, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Robert Johnson Songbook (Audio CD)

Here is an amazing album with an amazing history. It begins as a tale of two musicians in the best of times and the worst of times. The story starts with Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, a fabled musician who lived a haunted life. According to the most romantic of myths, he sold his soul at a country crossroads at midnight in order to play guitar and sing the blues. He died young at the hands of a jealous husband who poisoned Johnson's whiskey, leaving behind but a handful of songs.

The legend of Robert Johnson has grown stronger---and certainly more fanciful---with time, but there's no denying the astounding music that he made, music that has influenced everyone from Muddy Waters to Eric Clapton. And Peter Green. Green grew up in England as Peter Greenbaum, a good Jewish boy who dreamed of playing the blues. He may not have sold his soul, but he was obsessed with music and practiced until he could play like the devil. The young guitar prodigy made his name in the early, blues incarnation of Fleetwood Mac before moving on to replace Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

Green's command of the blues won him renown equal in the minds of some fans to Mike Bloomfield and Duane Allman. Peter Green could bend the right note at the right time. But Green's pursuit of guitar star fame came to a troublesome end in the early 1970s. One story states that he was spiked with bad LSD---a story uncannily akin to Johnson's---and went off the deep end; other tales blame mental imbalance or stress for his downfall. Either way, Green left the music world and became a recluse; some accounts liken him to a character out of a Charles Dickens novel, an unkempt wanderer with scarily long fingernails.

But it's here that the stories of Robert Johnson and Peter Green diverge. Green was staying with his friend Nigel Watson in the summer of 1995, when Watson began playing a Robert Johnson song on his old guitar. The song struck Green like lightning---or enlightenment. Watson's wife trimmed Green's fingernails for him, and he picked up the guitar again. The result is this new CD.

Beyond the story of Peter Green's music redemption through the music of Robert Johnson, one of the things that makes this CD so good is that Green doesn't try to ape the originals. Instead, he plays the songs his way. Sure, there's Johnson telltale slide licks and copped vocal inflections at times, but in the end, this is a Peter Green record. The album includes covers of many Johnson greats, featuring Green and Watson on slide and fretted guitar. Most of the songs are acoustic with electric guitar added to some; bass, piano, drums, and backing vocals enhance several cuts. In the end, this CD not only has a history but will certainly become a historic album.

1. When You Got a Good Friend
2. 32-20 Blues
3. Phonograph Blues
4. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
5. Stop Breaking Down Blues
6. Walking Blues
7. Love in Vain Blues
8. Ramblin' on My Mind
9. Stones in My Passway
10. Me and the Devil Blues
11. Honeymoon Blues
12. Dust My Broom
13. If I Had Possession over Judgment Day
14. Sweet Home Chicago

 

[Dennie]

Eric Clapton -- CD

Eric Clapton

1970/1990 Polydor Records

A Different Flavor, January 7, 2001
By G. J Wiener (Westchester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Eric Clapton (Audio CD)

This debut Eric Clapton has some blues rock but deviates into other styles. Easy Now is one pretty acoustic ballad and Eric gives one of his best vocal performances. The lyrics are pretty hip with the time it was recorded too. The female background vocalists add a special touch on several tracks most notably Lonesome andBottle Of Red Wine. However the real meat and potatoes songs are Blues Power, Bad Boy, After Midnight, and Let It Rain. They really rock with a passion as Eric's vocals really touch the soul. Do not overlook this recording.

All selections written by Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett and Eric Clapton, except as indicated.

Side one

"Slunky" – 3:34
"Bad Boy" – 3:34
"Lonesome and a Long Way from Home" (Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell) – 3:29
"After Midnight" (J. J. Cale) – 2:51
"Easy Now" (Clapton) – 2:57
"Blues Power" (Clapton, Russell) – 3:09

Side two

"Bottle of Red Wine" – 3:06
"Lovin' You Lovin' Me" – 3:19
"Told You For the Last Time" (Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett, Steve Cropper) – 2:30
"Don't Know Why" – 3:10[4]
"Let It Rain" – 5:02

 

[Dennie]

The In Crowd -- Remastered CD

The Ramsey Lewis Trio

1965/2007 ARGO Records

Amazon.com

Soul-jazz pioneer Ramsey Lewis's 1965 hit "The In Crowd" made the pianist a crossover smash, connecting with the pop, rock, and jazz crowds simultaneously. His simple, bluesy, swinging style is infectious and immediately accessible. One of the key aspects of THE IN CROWD is its party atmosphere--you get a real feel for the interaction between Lewis and the live audience, and you can hear him humming along with the piano and bass lines.While some jazz purists of the day condemned Lewis for what they saw as pandering to the masses with his instrumental versions of pop songs and his preference for blues-based modality over complex bebop-derived harmonies, time has shown the wiser. Today, THE IN CROWD sounds like an extension of the hard-bop era's no-frills, groove-oriented aesthetic, not to mention a foreshadowing of what would emerge decades down the road as acid jazz.

Track Listing
1. "In" Crowd, The
2. Since I Fell For You
3. Tennessee Waltz
4. You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby
5. Theme From Spartacus
6. Felicidade (Happiness)
7. Come Sunday - (previously unreleased, CD only)

 

[Kazaam]

In Others' Words -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

Did you see where Yoakam just came out with a new CD called "3 Pears"? I haven't heard it yet, but I mostly like his music.

 

[heeman]

 

[Dennie]

The Time Has Come -- CD

The Chamber Brothers

1969/2000 Sony Music

If you take gospel, blues, psychedelic and soul music, then shake them all together, you'd expect to make a musical mess. However, if you happen to be a talented bunch of brothers, what you create is something which continues to influence musicians today.

Side One:
1. All Strung Out Over You
2. People Get Ready
3. I Can't Stand It
4. Romeo and Juliet
5. In the Midnight Hour
6. So Tired

Side Two:
1. Uptown
2. Please Don't Leave Me
3. What The World Needs Now Is Love
4. Time Has Come Today

 

[heeman]

^ Love the Halloween avatar Dennie!!

 

[Dennie]

In Others' Words -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

Did you see where Yoakam just came out with a new CD called "3 Pears"? I haven't heard it yet, but I mostly like his music.

Yeah, I mostly like his music also. I've seen his new one, but because of my music buying habits, I mostly buy used to save money, so I don't have it yet.


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

^ Love the Halloween avatar Dennie!!

How did you know it was me...... :angry-tappingfoot: !!!


............. :laughing-rolling:


Thanks Buddy!


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Groovin' -- CD

BWB

2002 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

This concept sounds like the set-up for a joke: What do you get when you cross three smooth-jazzers with topnotch straight-ahead players? Turns out Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum, and Rick Braun have the last laugh and a *** good time. While they may be three of the most distinct stylists in smooth jazz, they had to turn up the pots to cook with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Keyboardist Ricky Peterson, maybe the funkiest organist in contemporary jazz outside of Larry Goldings, plays a producing role and is probably the MVP of BWB. The players aren't the only stars. The impeccable choice of 10 well-known cover tunes adds to an unapologetically fun record that allows B, W, and B to stretch out much more than they do on other recordings. Braun quotes Freddie Hubbard on "Povo," while Whalum explores Cannonball Adderley on "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," and Brown pays back Wes Montgomery throughout the proceedings. From the sexually charged "Let's Do It Again," featuring a purring Dee Dee Bridgewater and a scatting Brown, to the inspired arrangements of Alicia Keys's "A Woman's Worth" and D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar," there are no holes in any of these grooves. --Mark Ruffin

Track Listing
1. Groovin'
2. Brown Sugar
3. Ruby Baby
4. Woman's Worth, A
5. Hip Hug Her
6. Mercy Mercy Mercy
7. Let's Do It Again - (featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater)
8. It's Your Thing
9. Povo
10. Up for the Down Stroke

BWB stands for the first initials in the last names of Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, and Norman Brown.

BWB: Kirk Whalum (soprano & tenor saxophones); Rick Braun (trumpet); Norman Brown (guitar).
Additional personnel includes: Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals); Michael Campbell (guitar); Ricky Peterson (Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Christian McBride (bass); Gregory Hutchinson (drums); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

 

[Dennie]

Change of Season -- CD

Daryl Hall & John Oates

1990 Arista Records

~~Hey, a review by Peter Gabrial! :bow-blue:

Don't Hold Back Your Love is a Fantastic Production, February 27, 2001
By Peter Gabrial (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Change of Season (Audio CD)
Stunning Song, Production and Sonud Design.

The team of David Tyson and Kevin Doyle are still going strong after Alannah Myles's "Black Velvet". Hall & Oates were luckey to have such a Great Song. Don't miss this one if your of great Hall & Oates songs.

So Close (Daryl Hall, George Green, with additional music by Jon Bon Jovi & Danny Kortchmar; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers/Full Keel Music-EEG Music; additional music copyright New Jersey Underground Music-PolyGram Music/Kortchmar Music) 4:40
Starting All Over Again (Phillip Mitchell; Copyright Muscle Shoals Sound Publishing) 4:06
Sometimes A Mind Changes (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 4:09
Change Of Season (John Oates, Boby Mayo; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music/Copyright Control) 5:43
I Ain't Gonna Take It This Time (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 3:55
Everywhere I Look (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 4:24
Give It Up (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle; Copyright Warner-Chappell Music/Good Single Ltd.-Almo Music Corp.) 4:02
Don't Hold Back Your Love (Richard Page, Gerald O'Brien, David Tyson; Copyright WB Music & Ali-Aja Music/O'Brien Songs-Sold For A Song/David Tyson Music-EMI Blackwood Music) 5:14
Halfway There (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music Corp-Careers Music) 5:31
Only Love (Oates, Jo Cang; Copyright Hot Cha Music Corp-Careers Music/Jo Cang Music-Hidden Pun Music) 4:37
Heavy Rain (David A. Stewart; Copyright Eligible Music Ltd.-BMG Music-Careers Music Ltd.) 5:26
So Close-Unplugged version 4:54

 

[Dennie]

From the back of the CD:

"Quincy had been down every musical path on the planet by 1969. Here he went walking in space."

Walking In Space -- Remastered CD

Quincy Jones

1969/2000 A&M/CTI/Verve Records

Amazon.com

Everybody knows that Quincy Jones is the world's greatest pop producer, but if you're under 30, you might not know about his jazz work with Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Frank Sinatra. This brilliant 1969 disc combines the precision music making you'd find on a movie soundtrack with the lively blowing of a soul-jazz jam session. Of course, when Q calls, people come to play, and this date is chock full of stars. On the title track, vocalist Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson) graces Ray Brown's deep-bottomed bass lines with an airy alto, topped by Hubert Laws's fluent flute work and Rahsaan Roland Kirk's multisax solo. Jones's spirited take on the gospel standard "Oh, Happy Day" retains the Sunday soul vibe of Ray Charles, and "Dead End" rolls with an urbanized juke-joint vibe. Jones's arrangement of Benny Golson's "Killer Joe" is a classic, with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's bravura solo lent nuance by Jones's magic touch. --Eugene Holley Jr.

"Dead End" (Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome Ragni) – 4:05
"Walking in Space" (MacDermot, Rado, Ragni) – 12:06
"Killer Joe" (Benny Golson) – 5:12
"Love and Peace" (Arthur Adams) – 5:48
"I Never Told You" (Arthur Hamilton, Johnny Mandel) – 4:18
"Oh Happy Day" (Edwin Hawkins) – 3:37

Quincy Jones - Conductor, Arranger
Benny Golson - Composer
Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Lloyd Michaels - Trumpet
Dick Williams - Trumpet
John Frosk - Trumpet
Marvin Stamm - Trumpet
Jimmy Cleveland - Trombone
Jay Jay Johnson - Trombone
Alan Raph - Trombone
Tony Studd - Trombone
Norman Pride - Trombone
Kai Winding - Trombone
Joel Kaye - Reeds
Roland Kirk - Reeds
Hubert Laws - Reeds
Jerome Richardson - Reeds
Paul Griffin - Piano
Eric Gale - Electric guitar
Ray Brown - Bass
Grady Tate - Drums
Chuck Rainey - Bass - Love And Peace
Bob James - Electric Piano
Toots Thielemans - Guitar - Harmonica
Snooky Young - Trumpet
Bernard Purdie - Drums
Hilda Harris - Vocals
Marilyn Jackson - Vocals
Valerie Simpson - Vocals
Maretha Stewart - Vocals -Solo on Walking In Space

 

[Dennie]

Back On The Block -- CD

Quincy Jones

1989 Qwest Records

Amazon.com

1989's BACK ON THE BLOCK is a producer's record in every sense of the word. Although he produced and arranged every track, Quincy Jones is rarely front and center on his own album. Instead, every track is jazzed up--and souled up and rocked up and popped up--by a galaxy of guest stars. The range is remarkable; any album that can bring together Ella Fitzgerald and Ice-T has to have something going for it. That something is Jones's uncanny ability to match artists and songs; few other producers would have thought of a Ray Charles and Chaka Khan duet, and having that song be the exhilarating "I'll Be Good To You" is just lagniappe. Jones's jazz roots show proudly throughout, most particularly on the slinky bossa nova groove of "Septembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" and the celebratory tribute "Birdland." However, BACK ON THE BLOCK is really a concept album about the 20th century evolution of African-American music.


1 "Prologue (2Q's Rap)" Big Daddy Kane, Jones 1:04
2 "Back on the Block" Jones, Rod Temperton, Siedah Garrett, Caiphus Semenya, Ice-T, Melle Mel, Kane, Kool Moe Dee 6:34
3 "I Don't Go for That" Ian Prince 5:11
4 "I'll Be Good to You" George Johnson, Louis Johnson, Sonora Sam 4:54
5 "The Verb To Be (Introduction to Wee B. Dooinit)" Mervyn Warren 0:29
6 "Wee B. Dooinit (Acapella Party by the Human Bean Band)" Jones, Garrett, Ian Prince 3:34
7 "The Places You Find Love" Glen Ballard, Clif Magness, Caiphus Semenya 6:25
8 "Jazz Corner of the World (Introduction to "Birdland")" Kane, Dee 2:54
9 "Birdland" Joe Zawinul 5:33
10 "Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" Ivan Lins, Gilson Peranzzetta 5:05
11 "One Man Woman" Garrett, Ian Prince, Harriet Roberts 3:44
12 "Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)" George Johnson, Louis Johnson, Garrett, 4:46
13 "Prelude to the Garden" Jorge Calandrelli 0:54
14 "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" Jones, Temperton, Garrett, El DeBarge 6:41



Recorded in 1989, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the credits include:

Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
Take 6
Chaka Khan
Bobby McFerrin
Melle Mel
Ray Charles
Big Daddy Kane
Ice-T
Luther Vandross
Sarah Vaughan
Al Jarreau
Dionne Warwick
Barry White
Syreeta Wright
Grandmaster Melle Mel
Al B. Sure!
Tevin Campbell
Alvin Chea
Andraé Crouch
Kool Moe Dee
Nadirah Ali
Maxi Anderson
Peggie Blu
McKinley Brown
Sandra Crouch
Geary Faggett
Voncielle Faggett
Geary Lanier Foggett
Ken Ford
Jania Foxworth
Siedah Garrett
Tammie Gibson
Rose Banks
El DeBarge
Cedric Dent
Chad Durio
Jim Gilstrap
Jackie Gouche
Alex Harris
Howard Hewett
Reggie Green
Jennifer Holliday
Pattie Howard
James Ingram
David Thomas
Mervyn Warren
Charity Young
Shane Shoaf
Alfie Silas
Perry Morgan
Phil Perry
Tyren Perry
Derrick Schoefield
Mark Kibble
Edie Lehmann
Tiffany Johnson
Clif Magness
Donovan McCrary
Howard McCrary
Claude McKnight
Jean Johnson McRath
Miles Davis - Trumpet
Dizzy Gillespie
Gary Grant
Bill Reichenbach Jr. - Trombone
Jerry Hey - Trumpet, Arranger, Keyboards
James Moody - Alto saxophone
Gerald Albright — Alto saxophone, Vocals
Paul Jackson Jr. - Guitar
Michael Landau
Randy Lukather
Steve Lukather
George Benson - Guitar, Vocals
George Johnson - Guitar, Vocals (bckgr)
Neil Stubenhaus - Bass guitar
Louis Johnson
Nathan East
Ollie Brown - Percussion
Harvey Mason, Sr.
Paulinho Da Costa
J.C. Gomez
John Robinson
Bruce Swedien
Bill Summers — Percussion, hindewhu
Michael Boddicker - Synthesizer
Jorge Calandrelli
Randy Kerber
Rhett Lawrence
David Paich
Michael Young
Greg Phillinganes
Ian Underwood
Steve Porcaro
Joe Zawinul - Vocals, Synthesizer
Larry Williams - Keyboards, Saxophone
George Duke - Keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Herbie Hancock - Keyboards, Synthesizer Pads
Sheila E. - Timbales, Soloist
Glen Ballard - Arranger
Rod Temperton
Jesse Jackson - Narrator
Quincy Jones - Arranger, Drums, Vocals, Korg M1
Ian Prince — Arranger, Keyboards
Caiphus Semenya — Arranger, Conductor, Vocal Arrangement
Morris Michael
Laurie Rox (Record One)