What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Gypsy Flame -- CD

Armik

1995 Baja/TSR Records

This Music Epitomizes Happiness and The Good Life, March 23, 2000
By Tome Raider (California, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Gypsy Flame (Audio CD)

Let me preface my comments with this background: I have shamefully purchased over 800 CD's in the last ten years, money that possibly could have been far better spent in most cases. Most of my collection is rock music, hard rock in particular. I also have a small classical section, and another section with "Ethnic/Exotic" music. Armik fits into this last category. My five Armik CD's would definitely be in my "Top Ten" list. That's right: Armik would compose half of my ten favorite CD's out of a universe of approximately 800. That's how good this music is.

I suggest that you buy Gypsy Flame first. Keep your computer booted up until the mail comes. If you like Gypsy Flame--and I can't fathom otherwise--you will be pleased to know that Armik's other four CD's are all equally incredible. This is happy music, music that celebrates the best of life. Another reviewer of one of Armik's CD's made a comparison to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and I agree that that is a good basis for comparison because Herb Alpert and the TJ Brass also really has that classic upbeat ambience that immediately spices up any occasion. I listen to Armik when I commute into work in the morning, and it really puts me into a postive state of mind for the balance of the day. I roll into the office with the blood pressure of a guy who's been drinking wine and eating crab while gazing listfully over the Mediterranean. This music is instant vacation.

Let me emphasize: In the five Armik CD's there is not a single weak song, and each CD is a must-have. Furthermore, you will want to start giving these things as gifts. I have been proselytizing this music left and right and people are so receptive to this sound and Armik's virtuosity that it is amazing that he is not one of the most famous musicians in the world. He truly deserves to be.

 

[Xgm3]

 

[heeman]

I love these guys Funky Rock.......

Track Listings

1. Warheads
2. Rest in Peace
3. Politicalamity
4. Color Me Blind
5. Cupid's Dead
6. Peacemaker Die
7. Seven Sundays
8. Tragic Comic
9. Our Father
10. Stop the World
11. God Isn't Dead?
12. I Rise 'N Shine
13. II Am I Ever Gonna Change
14. III Who Cares?

 

[Dennie]

Today's 30 degree work truck music...

Blind Melon -- CD

Blind Melon

1992 Capitol Records

Very underrated CD by a very underrated band, November 27, 2002
By seth luke (Springfield, Oregon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blind Melon (Audio CD)

I remembering hearing "No Rain" when it first came out on the radio and it instantly became my childhood favorite [I was about 8 at the time]. "No Rain" is a good song and went on to be a decent hit, but unfortunately it turned out to be the only big hit by what turned out to be one of the most underrated bands of the 90's. After seeing the 'Behind The Music' on them I decided to get the cd and it wasn't a dissapointment at all. Sure, No Rain is great but so are "Dear Ol' Dad", "I Wonder", "Drive" and every last one of the songs on this album. There seriously isn't a single bad track [my personal favorite however, besides "No Rain", is "Change"]. If you like Jane's Addiction, The Violent Femmes, or heck, even Green Day then you'll probably like Blind Melon {I mean heck, I usually listen to grunge and hard rock and I still like them]. All of their albums are great and worth buying but their debut, in my opinion, is their best. So do yourself a favor and discover the wonders of Blind Melon!

Track List:

All tracks by Blind Melon unless listed.

"Soak the Sin" - 4:01
"Tones of Home" - 4:26
"I Wonder" - 5:31
"Paper Scratcher" - 3:14
"Dear Ol' Dad" - 3:02
"Change" (Hoon) - 3:41
"No Rain" - 3:37
"Deserted" - 4:20
"Sleepyhouse" - 4:29
"Holyman" - 4:47
"Seed to a Tree" - 3:29
"Drive" - 4:39
"Time" - 6:02

 

[Dennie]

Ellis In Wonderland -- CD

Herb Ellis

1956/2006 Verve Records

The "swing machine", June 30, 2006
By Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Ellis in Wonderland (Audio CD)

The Oscar Peterson Trio plus Herb Ellis was a terrific swing machine. Probably one of the best, if not the overall best rhythmn team in Jazz. Its swing flows with an impressive naturality. Everything seems incredibly easy and natural for these guys. This album de facto is an Oscar Peterson swing machine album plus some talented soloist, Jimmy Giuffre, Sweet Edison for the first four excellent tunes. This album is from 1956 and it has that fifties patina that is especially sweet and lovely. The program is classic, blues, standards and ballads. Herb is really focused on this album. It is clear he was playing regularly with a strong routine. His command of the instrument is total here. His ideas are brilliant, his playing precise and he swings like crazy. This album together with the album Herb preferred "Nothing but the blues" is perfect if you want to own just a couple of albums from Herb. The tunes I love the most here are the first four because of the variety and the quality of the solos from the improvisors. Edison and Giuffre were terrific, but I repeat Herb is absolutly excellent here. in this album he palyed some of his best music for sure. The opener is a splendid bop blues, a typical blues "sonic magma" from the trio. The second and the third tunes are two wonderful standards. Exceptional the rendition of the ballad It could happen to me. Pogo instead is a bebop tune, fast and "aggressive" just as bebop should be. The last four tunes are played more relaxed maybe (it was a different session). The music at some point is almost counterpoint (in the jazz sense). I think this album is a must buy for Jazz lovers.

"Sweetheart Blues" (Herb Ellis) – 4:46
"Somebody Loves Me" (Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Ballard MacDonald) – 4:55
"It Could Happen to You" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:47
"Pogo" (Ellis) – 4:45
"Detour Ahead" (Lou Carter, Ellis, Johnny Frigo) – 4:03
"Ellis in Wonderland" (Ellis) – 3:52
"Have You Met Miss Jones?" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 6:20
"A Simple Tune" (Jimmy Giuffre) – 4:11

Herb Ellis – guitar
Jimmy Giuffre – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Harry "Sweets" Edison – trumpet
Charlie Mariano – alto saxophone
Oscar Peterson – piano
Ray Brown – bass
Alvin Stoller – drums

 

[Dennie]

Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane -- CD

1958/1989 Prestige/Fantasy-OJC Records

Great people, good tunes; you won't get tired of this one..., December 25, 2002
By William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (Audio CD)

Kenny Burrell's guitar-playing sounds a lot like Wes Montgomery, who didn't make a splash in the jazz world until two years after this recording date. That means this disc would be worth buying for his leading work alone. But when you add in support three of the seven artists who created the classic "Kind of Blue" record just a year or so later, you of course have a first-rank album on your hands. John Coltrane on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums all were part of the later Miles Davis-led album which is one of the most popular jazz works of all time. The final master-stroke was adding Tommy Flanagan on piano, who always is a welcome member of an ensemble. I suspect many recent and future buyers of this will do so because of Coltrane's prominent contributions, but everyone playing here gets kudos, especially Burrell. This disc runs just under 38 minutes, but it is so cheerful and lovely you will play it twice in a row most the time. If you are a 'Trane fan, or a fan of jazz guitar, you need to own this one.

"Freight Trane" (Tommy Flanagan) — 7:18
"I Never Knew" (Ted Fio Rito, Gus Kahn) — 7:03
"Lyresto" (Kenny Burrell) — 5:35
"Why Was I Born?" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) — 3:11
"Big Paul" (Tommy Flanagan) — 14:13


Kenny Burrell — guitar
John Coltrane — tenor saxophone
Tommy Flanagan — piano
Paul Chambers — bass
Jimmy Cobb — drums

 

[Dennie]

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of -- CD

Wes Montgomery

1960/1992 Riverside/Fantasy-OJC Records

At the summit of the jazz guitar mountain..., June 14, 2008
By Eric C. Sedensky "late-to-jazz musician" (Madison, AL, US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Audio CD)

...Wes Montgomery has planted the flag! This is one of the most dynamic and sonically interesting works of jazz I've had the pleasure to hear in a long time. Never really a big fan of jazz guitar, works like Bill Frisell's Have a Little Faith have started to attract me to the appeal of jazz guitar, and this CD continues that trend. Wes keeps every song going steadily from start to finish, whether a soothing ballad or a rocking blues riff, with (what must be) intricate fingering at a lightening speed and nary a clue as to how he gets the strings to make the sounds they do. That's always been the epitome of jazz guitar for me: when the sound is so seamless that it doesn't even sound like strings were plucked but more like they were simply asked to sing and then do. Montgomery truly scales the heights with this work and guitar players will need to have this work as a point of reference for how high they can go, while jazz fans will want this to round out and diversify their collection.

"Airegin" (Sonny Rollins) – 4:26
"D-Natural Blues" (Wes Montgomery) – 5:23
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Burke, VanHeusen) – 4:44
"Four on Six" (Montgomery) – 6:15
"West Coast Blues" (Montgomery) – 7:26
"In Your Own Sweet Way" (Dave Brubeck) – 4:53
"Mr. Walker" (Montgomery) – 4:33
"Gone With the Wind" (Magidson, Wrubel) – 6:24

Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Percy Heath (bass); Albert Heath (drums).Recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, New York, New York on January 26 and 28, 1960. Originally released on Riverside (9320).

 

[Dennie]

Boss Guitar -- CD

Wes Montgomery

1963/1989 Riverside/Fantasy-OJC Records

Bright, Tight & Cookin' !, August 12, 2002
By Eddie Landsberg "My 10th year as a reviewer !... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Boss Guitar (Audio CD)

What's amazing about this session is the way Wes carries it from begining to end... Wes is upfront throughout... relaxed, smoking and creatively vibrant... before Mel Rhyne even gets his first word in Wes has soulfully breezed through the duration of a 5 minute guitar solo, each chorus as interesting if not more interesting than the next. - - Jimmy Cobb's bright and sizzling drumming does nothing but help... Today Mel Rhyne is one of the strongest organists around with a full, heavy grooving, heavy swinging and amply commanding sound both as an accompaniest and a soloist - - however, on this session it is clear that Wes is the Boss... however, accompanied in more than adequate company... backed by a rhythm section that is tight, yet flowing and responsive at the same time. You get the feeling that these home town cats have worked together before ! From the beauty of CANADIAN SUNSET to the frenzic licks of THE TRICK BAG the album sounds fresh and modernsitic even even almost 40 years later - - if ever a "prototypical" Jazz session was recorded... this one belongs near the top of the list !

"Besame Mucho" (Consuelo Velázquez, Sunny Skylar) – 6:28
"Besame Mucho" [Alternate take] (Velazquez, Skylar) – 6:24
"Dearly Beloved" (Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer) – 4:49
"Days of Wine and Roses" (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) – 3:44
"The Trick Bag" (Wes Montgomery) – 4:25
"Canadian Sunset" (Eddie Heywood, Norman Gimbel) – 5:04
"Fried Pies" (Montgomery) – 6:42
"Fried Pies" Alternate take (Montgomery) – 6:35
"The Breeze and I" (Ernesto Lecuona, Al Stillman) – 4:08
"For Heaven's Sake" (Elise Bretton, Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer) – 4:39


Wes Montgomery – guitar
Melvin Rhyne – organ
Jimmy Cobb – drums

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Low Country Blues -- CD

Gregg Allman

2011 Rounder Records

A more bluesy style,
January 18, 2011
By K. Cooper
This review is from: Low Country Blues (Audio CD)

Gregg Allman has been making records both solo and with the Allman Brothers since the 1960's. He has never made an album like this before. With one original tune ("Just Another Rider") and a few familiar blues covers ("I Can't be Satisfied". "RollingStone" "Little by Little"), the main focus of this new CD is less familiar acoustic and electric blues songs.Producer T-Bone Burnett and Allman selected songs that are well suited to Allman's talents.
Gregg's voice is still in top form and he has the backing of a top notch band here, including Dr. John and Doyle Bramhall II. The backing is more sparse on this CD than a typical Allman Brothers CD, spotlighting the vocals a bit more. Of course, fans of the Allman Brothers Band and Gregg's solo work will love this and he may even make a new fans if some people who are not fans listen to "Low Country Blues".

The track listing for the record is:

1. Floating Bridge (Sleepy John Estes)

2. Little By Little (Junior Wells)

3. Devil Got My Woman (Skip James)

4. I Can’t Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters)

5. Blind Man (Bobby Bland)

6. Just Another Rider (Gregg Allman & Warren Haynes)

7. Please Accept My Love (BB King)

8. I Believe I’ll Go Back Home (Traditional)

9. Tears Tears Tears (Amos Milburn)

10. My Love is Your Love (Samuel Maghett)

11. Checking On My Baby (Otis Rush)

12. Rolling Stone (Traditional)

 

[Dennie]

Sunflower -- CD

Milt Jackson - Herbie Hancock - Freddie Hubbard - Ron Carter - Billy Cobham

1972/1997 CTI/Epic Legacy

Recorded over two days in December of 1972 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood, New Jersey home studio, vibraphonist Milt Jackson's Sunflower is the first -- and best -- of his three albums for Creed Taylor's CTI imprint. (And one of the finest offerings on the label.) With a core band consisting of Herbie Hancock (playing electric and acoustic piano), bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer/percussionist Ralph McDonald, and guitarist Jay Berliner. A chamber orchestra exquisitely arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky adorns the session as well. Jackson's "For Someone I Love," opens the five-tune set, with Berliner playing solo flamenco guitar before the vibes, trumpet, and elements from the chamber orchestra delicately, impressionistically color the background. It gradually moves into a languid, bluesy ballad that slowly gains in both texture and dynamic until the strings trill tensely. Hubbard and Hancock engage them in solos that gently swing out the tune. The reading of Michel Legrand's "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life" is a gorgeous showcase for Jackson; his solo dominates the arrangement. Carter gets downright funky on his upright to introduce Thom Bell's "People Make the World Go Round," and Hancock follows him on Rhodes. Jackson takes the melody, striking a layered contrast as Hubbard slips around all three playing an extension of the melody with requisite taste, fluidity, and taut phrasing. Hancock gets funky to the bone in his brief solo, as the vibes soar around and through his phrases. The title track is a Hubbard composition that floats and hovers with a Latin backbeat before shifting tempos as the solos begin. The expanded harmonic palette of trumpet with the reeds, woodwinds, and strings on the melody add an exotic textural palette for his solo. Jackson's "SKJ" closes the set with an old-school, swinging hard bop blues with barely detectable embellishments by Sebesky. While Sunflower sometimes feels more like a group session rather than a Jackson-led one, that's part of its exquisite beauty. [In 2011, Sunflower saw reissue as part of Sony's 40th Anniversary series celebrating CTI. It was remastered from the original two-track analog tapes in order to best capture the sound of the LP. ~ Thom Jurek

1. For Someone I Love
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
3. People Make the World Go Round
4. Sunflower
5. SKJ



Milt Jackson – vibes
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, flugelhorn
Herbie Hancock - piano
Jay Berliner - guitar
Ron Carter - bass
Billy Cobham - drums
Ralph MacDonald - percussion
Romeo Penque - alto flute, English horn, oboe
Phil Bodner - flute, alto flute, piccolo, English horn
George Marge - clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute, English horn
Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Emanuel Green, Charles Libove, Joe Malin, David Nadien, Gene Orloff, Elliot Rosoff, Irving Spice - violin
Charles McCraken, George Ricci, Alan Shulman - cello
Margaret Ross - harp
Don Sebesky - arranger, conductor

 

[Dennie]

 

[Dennie]

A Charlie Brown Christmas - SACD

Vince Guaraldi Trio

1965/2000 Fantasy Records

Amazon.com

The first time you listen to this disc you will undoubtedly be transported directly back to your childhood. Charles Schulz's Peanuts characters will go toe-tapping and funky-dancing through your mind's eye. Play it a few more times, though (ignoring the dialogue snippets, if you can), and you will begin to truly revel in Guaraldi's wonderful, humorous, deep piano playing. You'll hear why he's such an influence on new age ivory tickler George Winston, but you'll also realize that Winston's holiday music never quite sparkles with the underlying passion, and humor, that twinkles in these grooves. Buy it for the nostalgia--keep it because it will remain one of the most enchanting albums in your holiday collection. --Michael Ruby

Side One
No. Title Length
1. "O Tannenbaum" 5:08
2. "What Child Is This?" 2:25
3. "My Little Drum" 3:12
4. "Linus and Lucy" 3:06
5. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Instrumental version) 6:05

Side Two
No. Title Length
6. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Vocal version) 2:47
7. "Skating" 2:27
8. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" 1:55
9. "Christmas Is Coming" 3:25
10. "Für Elise" 1:06
11. "The Christmas Song" 3:17

1988 re-release bonus track
No. Title Length
12. "Greensleeves" (Added with 1988 release. Not included on 1997 Starbucks release or 2006 Analogue Productions 2 LP)

(is included on the 2000 SACD Release)

 

[Xgm3]

My Music @ Work

 

[Rope]

Rope

 

[Xgm3]

 

[Dennie]

Music At Sunset -- CD

Andre Previn - Nat King Cole

1999 Momentum Records

1 Black Market Stuff
2 Laguna Leap
3 I'll Never Be The Same
4 Singin' Central
5 Kicks
6 I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
7 Body And Soul
8 Sunset In Blue
9 All The Things You Are
10 Something To Live For
11 Good Enough To Keep
12 That Ole Blue Magic
13 Blue Skies
14 I Found A New Baby
15 Variations On A Theme
16 Mulholland Drive

John Simmons
Bass
Lee Young
Drums
Eddie Safranski
Bass
Red Callender
Bass
Nat King Cole
Piano, Performer
Eddie Laguna
Composer
Buddy Childers
Trumpet
André Previn
Piano, Composer
Buddy Rich
Drums
Willie Smith
?
Charlie Shavers
Trumpet
Irving Ashby
Guitar
Dave Barbour
Guitar

 

[Dennie]

A Winters Solstice IV -- CD

Windham Hill Artists

1993 Windham Hill Records

Amazon.com

In 1993, Windham Hill Records released its fourth album of seasonal music recorded by the label's artists and unavailable in any other collection. Only a few of the tracks on A Winter's Solstice IV lend credence to the label's unfair stereotype as the home for new age background music. Many of the musicians come from such respected jazz bands as Oregon and the Freddie Hubbard Quartet, and from such respected folk bands as the David Grisman Quartet. Several tackle such classical pieces as Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" (the Modern Mandolin Quartet), Purcell's "Trumpet Tune" (solo guitarist Alex de Grassi) and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" (the Turtle Island String Quartet). From Liz Story's "Carol of the Bells" to Nightnoise's "Wexford Carol," this is rigorous instrumental music for the most part, no matter how quiet and pretty it may seem at first listen. --Geoffrey Himes

1. Carol of the Bells - Liz Story/Andy Narell/Paul McCandless/Barbara Higbie/Turtle Island String Quartet/Philip Aaberg/Michael Manring
2. Silent Night - Steve Erquiaga
3. Crystal Palace - Oystein Sevåg
4. Winter Bourne - Paul McCandless
5. Dona Nobis Pacem - Michael Manring
6. Wexford Carol - Nightnoise
7. Just Before Dawn - Will Ackerman/William Ackerman
8. We Three Kings - Barbara Higbie
9. Angels We Have Heard on High - Darol Anger/Mike Marshall
10. Sheep May Safely Graze - The Modern Mandolin Quartet
11. Trumpet Tune - Alex de Grassi
12. Three Candles - Richard Schönerz/Scott/Schönerz & Scott
13. Rain, The - Turtle Island String Quartet (from "The Four Seasons")
14. Christmas Hymn - Billy Childs
15. Asleep the Snow Came Flying - Tim Story

 

[Xgm3]

 

[Xgm3]

 

[Dennie]

Blue Skies -- CD

Cassandra Wilson

1988 JMT/Polydor Tokyo Japan

On 1988's Blue Skies, Cassandra Wilson took her first step away from the home she had built with Steve Coleman's M-Base organization. She'd done standards before, all the way back to 1985's Songbook. There are no M-Base players on this JMT set. She fronts a very conventional trio comprised of pianist Mulgrew Miller, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and bassist Lonnie Plaxico. The last of these is very significant because it would be Plaxico who directed her very startling and focused transformation when she signed to Blue Note Records in 1993 and released Blue Light 'Til Dawn. The program is pure standard fare, from "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "Shall We Dance?" to the title track and Rodgers & Hart's "I Didn't Know It What Time It Was." This cut is the most startling break from the rest in that it is much more forceful and hard-swinging than other readings, and showcases for the first time Wilson's tremendous individuality as a vocalist. There is much of Betty Carter still in her style here, but on this cut, she's pure Wilson, even the scatting comes not from jazz but from the blues of Wilson's Mississippi homeland. Another standout is Carter Burwell's "Sweet Lorraine," which wasn't quite a standard at the time but is quickly becoming one covered by many singers and is delivered in the classic repertoire's lineage. Not a masterpiece, but a really compelling first experiment with the more intimate forms and smaller groups Wilson would employ later on. ~ Thom Jurek

Track Listing
1. Shall We Dance?
2. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
3. I've Grown Accustomed to His Face
4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
6. I'm Old Fashioned
7. Sweet Lorraine
8. My One and Only Love
9. Autumn Nocturne
10. Blue Skies

Personnel: Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Mulgrew Miller (piano); Lonnie Plaxico (bass); Terri Lynne Carrington (drums).