What Are You Listening To?

[Kazaam]

Oh, yeah!!! I picked up Dwightyoakamacoustic.net a while back. My first exposure to some songs like "Bury Me" was on this acoustic set. Kind of ironic that an old throwback singer picked such a new-fangled sounding album title. Regardless, I find Yoakam's voice really shines through on that one.

 

[heeman]

Grand Funk -- 24 Bit Remastered CD

Grand Funk

1969/2002 Capitol Records

One of the top 2 or 3 blues-based rock trio albums!, April 4, 2003
By John Dewey Stewart (Park City, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Grand Funk (Audio CD)

I put this album right alongside "Disreali Gears" and "Are You Experienced". A tight, unified sound from start to finish - never mind that there weren't any radio hits on it. At that time and place, radio hits were beside the point. The music was rapidly evolving, and the power-trio format was the cutting edge of that evolution. Not as frenetic and competitive as Cream, and with a MUCH better rhythm section than the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Grand Funk Railroad was at the top of their game on this one! Led Zeppelin would take the power-trio format, add a great lead singer, and dominate the sound of the next decade. If you're into power-trios, you should DEFINITELY have this album. If you want to hear the very SOUL of Grand Funk Railroad, buy this one FIRST! You can pick up the "hits" any time, but this one is a jewel from start to finish!

"Got This Thing on the Move" – 4:38
"Please Don't Worry" – 4:19 (Don Brewer/Farner)
"High Falootin' Woman" – 3:00
"Mr. Limousine Driver" – 4:26
"In Need" – 7:52
"Winter and My Soul" – 6:38
"Paranoid" – 7:50
"Inside Looking Out" – 9:31 (John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Eric Burdon, Bryan "Chas" Chandler)

Bonus Tracks - CD Release

"Nothing is the Same (Demo)"
"Mr. Limousine Driver (Remix)"

Now We're Talkin'..................This is one of my all time favorites!

:music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Dennie]

This Time -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

1993 Reprise Records

Dwight is the best of his genre, September 30, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: This Time (Audio CD)

OK . . . Country music typicaly puts me to sleep. Each line rhymes, the beat is predictable, yadda yadda. Dwight is the exception. When all my friends were going crazy about Garth Brooks, I was listening to Dwight. I don't know much about country music, but I hear he is under-apprecated? Hello? I have nearly everything he has recorded, but this remains one of my favorites. Dwight is pure emotion, completely unpretentious, honest. My musical tastes range from Hip-Hop, R&B, POP to classical. One common tie between all of them . . . I appreciate GREAT music. This is one of Dwight's greatest, aside from his greatest hits compilations. "1000 Miles From Nowhere" and "It Ain't Over Yet" are just the tip of the iceburg of this man's enormous talent.

I can only imagine that Dwight, himself, is a wonderful person with a great heart. His music certainly reflects that. It is worth the stigma of being "uncool" for listening to country. Dwight is the best, with one of the greatest voices ever. Check it out.

"Pocket of a Clown" (Dwight Yoakam) – 2:55
"A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" (Yoakam) – 4:27
"Home for Sale" (Yoakam) – 3:35
"This Time" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 3:58
"Two Doors Down" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 3:52
"Ain't That Lonely Yet" (Kostas, James House) – 3:17
"King of Fools" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 4:05
"Fast as You" (Yoakam) – 4:45
"Try Not to Look So Pretty" (Yoakam, Kostas) – 2:52
"Wild Ride" (Yoakam) – 4:42
"Lonesome Roads" (Yoakam) – 3:05

 

[Dennie]

Grand Funk -- 24 Bit Remastered CD

Grand Funk

1969/2002 Capitol Records

One of the top 2 or 3 blues-based rock trio albums!, April 4, 2003
By John Dewey Stewart (Park City, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Grand Funk (Audio CD)

I put this album right alongside "Disreali Gears" and "Are You Experienced". A tight, unified sound from start to finish - never mind that there weren't any radio hits on it. At that time and place, radio hits were beside the point. The music was rapidly evolving, and the power-trio format was the cutting edge of that evolution. Not as frenetic and competitive as Cream, and with a MUCH better rhythm section than the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Grand Funk Railroad was at the top of their game on this one! Led Zeppelin would take the power-trio format, add a great lead singer, and dominate the sound of the next decade. If you're into power-trios, you should DEFINITELY have this album. If you want to hear the very SOUL of Grand Funk Railroad, buy this one FIRST! You can pick up the "hits" any time, but this one is a jewel from start to finish!

"Got This Thing on the Move" – 4:38
"Please Don't Worry" – 4:19 (Don Brewer/Farner)
"High Falootin' Woman" – 3:00
"Mr. Limousine Driver" – 4:26
"In Need" – 7:52
"Winter and My Soul" – 6:38
"Paranoid" – 7:50
"Inside Looking Out" – 9:31 (John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Eric Burdon, Bryan "Chas" Chandler)

Bonus Tracks - CD Release

"Nothing is the Same (Demo)"
"Mr. Limousine Driver (Remix)"

Now We're Talkin'..................This is one of my all time favorites!

:music-rockout: :music-rockout:

I knew you would like this one!

You have great taste my friend! :text-bravo:



Dennie

 

[Kazaam]

It's kinda cornball, but... THE STATLERS!!!

 

[Dennie]

The Statler Brothers are great! :handgestures-thumbup:

Sadly, I don't have any on Cee Dee. :scared-eek: Yet! :eusa-whistle:


Thinking of you Bob R., this is a fine album, if you don't already have it. :text-bravo:

Live/Dead -- CD

The Grateful Dead

1969 Warner Bros. Records

Essential Dead and A Great First Buy!!!, May 14, 2003
ByLouie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)


This review is from: Live / Dead (Audio CD)

If there had to be only one Grateful Dead CD to run out and get, "Live/Dead" would have to be it. This album tops the list of many Deadheads as the bands best album overall. There's plenty of reason for it as well. This is the Dead in their prime and at their very best performance-wise and music-wise.
"Live/Dead" opens with the famed 23-minute version of "Dark Star". This is the ultimate Dead-jam track. The band plays off each other like seasoned pros. Jerry Garcia performs one of his greatest guitar leads here and his voice is in ship-shape throughout. This version of "Dark Star" still holds up even today.
After "Dark Star" runs its 23-minutes, it is followed directly by "Saint Stephen". The studio version of this track appears on "Aoxomoxoa" but the live version included here is much more agressive and stronger. This leads into another Dead jamfest entitled "The Eleven". The interplay between all the band members is clearly in evidence here. Bassist Phil Lesh pumps out a chordal bass structure in 11/8 while drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart lock everything into place. Jerry once again flys high on his lead guitar.
"The Eleven" leads directly into "Turn On Your Lovelight". Now, it's Pigpen's turn to steal the show. Over the course of 15-minutes, Pigpen leads the band and the audience in a swaggering sing-along. He really knew how to get the crowd going as it can clearly be heard here. Kreutzmann and Hart grab the spotlight as well performing their famed drum duet.
Next up is "Death Don't Have No Mercy", a somber piece in which you can almost feel the pain in Jerry's voice. Great musicianship here as well. Then there's the self-explanitory "Feedback", 8-minutes of it to be exact. This is another prime example of what the Dead shows were like at this time. Sometimes they'd jam and the improvisation would disappear into a howling gale-force of feedback for several minutes. The track included here is just one of those examples. Later on, these parts of the Dead shows would become known as "Space".
To close the album, the Dead bid us goodnight with a sweet acapella rendition of..what else but "And We Bid You Goodnight".
I don't consider myself a Deadhead but I do call myself a fan. I did not begin listening to their music extensively until the untimely death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. "Live/Dead" was the first Grateful Dead album I ever owned and I'm quite pleased that it was. This one still gets the most plays in my CD player.
If you're new to the Dead's music and have never owned anything by the band before, "Live/Dead" is an ideal place to start. You won't be disappointed.
Side one

1. "Dark Star" (Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir, Robert Hunter) – 23:18

Side two

1. "St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 6:31
2. "The Eleven" (Lesh, Hunter) – 9:18

Side three

1. "Turn On Your Love Light" (Joseph Scott, Deadric Malone) – 15:05

Side four

1. "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (Reverend Gary Davis) – 10:28
2. "Feedback" (Constanten, Garcia, Hart, Kreutzman, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 7:49
3. "And We Bid You Goodnight" (Traditional, arr. by Grateful Dead) – 0:35

 

[Dennie]

Downright Upright -- CD

Brian Bromberg

2007 Artistry Records

Amazon.com

Long before the coining of "smooth jazz," catchy numbers like Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," Joe Zawinul's "Mercy Mercy Mercy," and the Les McCann-Eddie Harris tune "Cold Duck Soup" enticed pop fans to cross over, however casually or tentatively, into jazz. Now, on veteran bassist Brian Bromberg's Downright Upright, those three songs are vehicles for name-brand smooth jazz players including saxophonists Kirk Whalum, Boney James and Gary Meek, keyboardists George Duke and Jeff Lorber, guitarist Lee Ritenour and trumpeter Rick Braun to do a little crossing back of sorts to show off their mainstream chops. Nobody will confuse the facility of their straightahead solos with real depth, however much emotion they pour into them. But it's an agreeable excursion for all concerned, with Bromberg making the most of his opportunities to lay down melodic lines. Even after the cover versions give way to originals in the same vein, the music stays lively. --Lloyd Sachs

Track listing

1. Cantaloupe Island
2. Mercy Mercy Mercy
3. Cold Duck Time
4. Sunday Mornin'
5. Hacha Cha Cha, The
6. Chameleon
7. Serengeti Walk
8. Leisure Suit
9. Slow Burn
10. Shag Carpet

 

[Dennie]

Listen Here! -- CD

The Gene Harris Quartet

1989 Concord Records

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade," "Don't Be That Way," Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," and "The Song Is Ended." Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. This Masquerade
2. Don't Be That Way
3. I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling
4. Listen Here
5. This Can't Be Love
6. To You
7. Blues for Jezebel
8. Sweet and Lovely
9. Lullabye
10. The Song Is Ended

Gene Harris Quartet: Gene Harris (piano); Ron Eschete (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Jeff Hamilton (drums).Recorded at The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito, California in March 1989.

 

[Kazaam]

The Statler Brothers are great! :handgestures-thumbup:

Sadly, I don't have any on Cee Dee. :scared-eek: Yet! :eusa-whistle:


Thinking of you Bob R., this is a fine album, if you don't already have it. :text-bravo:

Live/Dead -- CD

The Grateful Dead

1969 Warner Bros. Records

Essential Dead and A Great First Buy!!!, May 14, 2003
ByLouie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)


This review is from: Live / Dead (Audio CD)

If there had to be only one Grateful Dead CD to run out and get, "Live/Dead" would have to be it. This album tops the list of many Deadheads as the bands best album overall. There's plenty of reason for it as well. This is the Dead in their prime and at their very best performance-wise and music-wise.
"Live/Dead" opens with the famed 23-minute version of "Dark Star". This is the ultimate Dead-jam track. The band plays off each other like seasoned pros. Jerry Garcia performs one of his greatest guitar leads here and his voice is in ship-shape throughout. This version of "Dark Star" still holds up even today.
After "Dark Star" runs its 23-minutes, it is followed directly by "Saint Stephen". The studio version of this track appears on "Aoxomoxoa" but the live version included here is much more agressive and stronger. This leads into another Dead jamfest entitled "The Eleven". The interplay between all the band members is clearly in evidence here. Bassist Phil Lesh pumps out a chordal bass structure in 11/8 while drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart lock everything into place. Jerry once again flys high on his lead guitar.
"The Eleven" leads directly into "Turn On Your Lovelight". Now, it's Pigpen's turn to steal the show. Over the course of 15-minutes, Pigpen leads the band and the audience in a swaggering sing-along. He really knew how to get the crowd going as it can clearly be heard here. Kreutzmann and Hart grab the spotlight as well performing their famed drum duet.
Next up is "Death Don't Have No Mercy", a somber piece in which you can almost feel the pain in Jerry's voice. Great musicianship here as well. Then there's the self-explanitory "Feedback", 8-minutes of it to be exact. This is another prime example of what the Dead shows were like at this time. Sometimes they'd jam and the improvisation would disappear into a howling gale-force of feedback for several minutes. The track included here is just one of those examples. Later on, these parts of the Dead shows would become known as "Space".
To close the album, the Dead bid us goodnight with a sweet acapella rendition of..what else but "And We Bid You Goodnight".
I don't consider myself a Deadhead but I do call myself a fan. I did not begin listening to their music extensively until the untimely death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. "Live/Dead" was the first Grateful Dead album I ever owned and I'm quite pleased that it was. This one still gets the most plays in my CD player.
If you're new to the Dead's music and have never owned anything by the band before, "Live/Dead" is an ideal place to start. You won't be disappointed.
Side one

1. "Dark Star" (Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir, Robert Hunter) – 23:18

Side two

1. "St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 6:31
2. "The Eleven" (Lesh, Hunter) – 9:18

Side three

1. "Turn On Your Love Light" (Joseph Scott, Deadric Malone) – 15:05

Side four

1. "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (Reverend Gary Davis) – 10:28
2. "Feedback" (Constanten, Garcia, Hart, Kreutzman, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 7:49
3. "And We Bid You Goodnight" (Traditional, arr. by Grateful Dead) – 0:35

Maybe I should keep something like this in mind. Because the only Grateful Dead that I have are the DVD-As of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. And it'd be nice to have something on CD that I can take with me when I'm out and about. Or just easily rip into iTunes, at the very least. Though those are some noiticably longer jams than what I've probably heard before. Granted, that was probably their bread and butter on tour. Though I wonder if there is another live album that maybe includes some of the American Beauty tracks that I know much better. Will have to look around some day when I get to feelin gthe urge to buy something.

 

[Dennie]

The Statler Brothers are great! :handgestures-thumbup:

Sadly, I don't have any on Cee Dee. :scared-eek: Yet! :eusa-whistle:


Thinking of you Bob R., this is a fine album, if you don't already have it. :text-bravo:

Live/Dead -- CD

The Grateful Dead

1969 Warner Bros. Records

Essential Dead and A Great First Buy!!!, May 14, 2003
ByLouie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)


This review is from: Live / Dead (Audio CD)

If there had to be only one Grateful Dead CD to run out and get, "Live/Dead" would have to be it. This album tops the list of many Deadheads as the bands best album overall. There's plenty of reason for it as well. This is the Dead in their prime and at their very best performance-wise and music-wise.
"Live/Dead" opens with the famed 23-minute version of "Dark Star". This is the ultimate Dead-jam track. The band plays off each other like seasoned pros. Jerry Garcia performs one of his greatest guitar leads here and his voice is in ship-shape throughout. This version of "Dark Star" still holds up even today.
After "Dark Star" runs its 23-minutes, it is followed directly by "Saint Stephen". The studio version of this track appears on "Aoxomoxoa" but the live version included here is much more agressive and stronger. This leads into another Dead jamfest entitled "The Eleven". The interplay between all the band members is clearly in evidence here. Bassist Phil Lesh pumps out a chordal bass structure in 11/8 while drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart lock everything into place. Jerry once again flys high on his lead guitar.
"The Eleven" leads directly into "Turn On Your Lovelight". Now, it's Pigpen's turn to steal the show. Over the course of 15-minutes, Pigpen leads the band and the audience in a swaggering sing-along. He really knew how to get the crowd going as it can clearly be heard here. Kreutzmann and Hart grab the spotlight as well performing their famed drum duet.
Next up is "Death Don't Have No Mercy", a somber piece in which you can almost feel the pain in Jerry's voice. Great musicianship here as well. Then there's the self-explanitory "Feedback", 8-minutes of it to be exact. This is another prime example of what the Dead shows were like at this time. Sometimes they'd jam and the improvisation would disappear into a howling gale-force of feedback for several minutes. The track included here is just one of those examples. Later on, these parts of the Dead shows would become known as "Space".
To close the album, the Dead bid us goodnight with a sweet acapella rendition of..what else but "And We Bid You Goodnight".
I don't consider myself a Deadhead but I do call myself a fan. I did not begin listening to their music extensively until the untimely death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. "Live/Dead" was the first Grateful Dead album I ever owned and I'm quite pleased that it was. This one still gets the most plays in my CD player.
If you're new to the Dead's music and have never owned anything by the band before, "Live/Dead" is an ideal place to start. You won't be disappointed.
Side one

1. "Dark Star" (Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir, Robert Hunter) – 23:18

Side two

1. "St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 6:31
2. "The Eleven" (Lesh, Hunter) – 9:18

Side three

1. "Turn On Your Love Light" (Joseph Scott, Deadric Malone) – 15:05

Side four

1. "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (Reverend Gary Davis) – 10:28
2. "Feedback" (Constanten, Garcia, Hart, Kreutzman, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 7:49
3. "And We Bid You Goodnight" (Traditional, arr. by Grateful Dead) – 0:35

Maybe I should keep something like this in mind. Because the only Grateful Dead that I have are the DVD-As of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. And it'd be nice to have something on CD that I can take with me when I'm out and about. Or just easily rip into iTunes, at the very least. Though those are some noiticably longer jams than what I've probably heard before. Granted, that was probably their bread and butter on tour. Though I wonder if there is another live album that maybe includes some of the American Beauty tracks that I know much better. Will have to look around some day when I get to feelin gthe urge to buy something.

Check out this one....

Europe '72 -- 2 CD Box Set

Grateful Dead

1972/1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com essential recording

This sprawling three-records-on-two-CDs set offers a healthy cross-section of material and finds the band honing even further its blend of musical languages. There are country-inflected boogies, blues rave-ups, passionate ballads, and, of course, the extended, adventurous jams that made them famous. Many of the Dead's best-loved tunes made their initial vinyl appearances here, including "He's Gone," "Jack Straw," "Brown-Eyed Women," "Ramble on Rose," and "Tennessee Jed"--most of which reveal a heavy country influence, especially in Robert Hunter's lyrics. In addition to introducing these new songs, Europe '72 also showcases brilliantly fine-tuned versions of "Truckin'" (complete with a lengthy "Epilogue") and "China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider," which became the first of the band's many magical song combinations. --Marc Greilsamer

 

[Dennie]

Blues -- 2 CD Set

Eric Clapton

1999 Polydor Records

Amazon.com

There's a telling subtext to this retrospective of Eric Clapton blues sides. Culled from recordings cut between 1970 (the Layla sessions) and 1980 (when Clapton cut his final Polydor album, Another Ticket), these sides finds EC exploring his beloved blues while in a fragile state of mind and body. After all, he was on heroin when he concocted Layla, and though he kicked that habit in the early '70s, he continued to test his tolerance for alcohol throughout the decade. When you think of the Clapton of the '60s, you think of the fire and ice of his playing with the Yardbirds, John Mayall, and Cream. When you think of his '70s playing, it's wearier and perhaps more reflective. (It was easy to mistake melancholic for mellow at the time.) The 35 selections included on these two discs find the temporarily deflated rock superstar leaning on the blues for support as he draws on likes of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Little Walter for inspiration. Hardcore fans will appreciate previously unreleased versions of Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me," a solo take on the traditional "Alberta," a 1974 cover of Willie Dixon's "Meet Me (Down at the Bottom), and a remixed live 1976 version of "Further on Up the Road" with Freddy King sitting in. Just about anyone, however, will be able to appreciate how this music reflects Clapton's strengths as a musician... and weaknesses as a man. --Steven Stolder
DISC 1- Studio

1. Before You Accuse Me (McDaniel) - 4:39
previously unreleased - Backless sessions Aug. '78

2. Mean Old World - 3:50
The Layla Sessions - 10/2/70

3. Ain't That Lovin' You (Reed) - 5:26
Crossroads - 461 Ocean sessions 4/74

4. The Sky Is Crying (James) - 3:58
There's One in Every Crowd - 9/74

5. Cryin' (Clapton) - 2:52
Crossroads - 12/78

6. Have You Ever Loved a Woman (Myles) - 6:51
Layla and Assorted Other Love Songs - 9/2/70

7. Alberta (Traditional) - 2:40
previously un released - Slowhand Sessions - 5/6/77

8. Early in the Morning (Traditional) - 7:55
Backless - 1978

9. Give Me Strength (Clapton) - 2:51
461 Ocean Blvd. - 4/74

10. Down at the Bottom (Meet Me) (Dixon) - 7:04
previously unreleased - 461 Ocean Blvd. sessions- 4/74

11. County Jail Blues (Fields) - 3:56
No Reason To Cry - 4/74

12. Floating Bridge (Estes) - 6:33
Another Ticket - Summer 1980

13. Blow Wind Blow (Waters) - 2:59
Another Ticket - Summer 1980

14. To Make Somebody Happy (Clapton) - 5:11
Crossroads 2 - 12/78

15. Before You Accuse Me (McDaniel) - 4:39
previously unreleased - Backless sessions - 8/78

DISC 2 - Live

1. Stormy Monday (Walker) - 12:49
Crossroads 2 - 4/27/77

2. Worried Life Blues (Merriweather) - 5:57
Crossroads 2 - 11/28/78

3. Early in the Morning (Traditional) - 7:11
Just One Night - 12/3/79

4. Have You Ever Loved a Woman (Myles) - 7:47
Crossroads 2 - 7/19/74

5. Wonderful Tonight (Clapton / Kamen) - 6:23
Crossroads 2 - 11/24/78

6. Kind Hearted Woman (Johnson) - 5:11
Crossroads 2 - 11/24/78

7. Double Trouble (Rush) - 8:02
Just One Night - 12/3/79

8. Driftin' Blues (Brown/Moore / Williams) - 6:57
Crossroads 2 - 6/25/75


9. Crossroads (Johnson) - 5:49
Crossroads 2 - 11/28/78

10. Further on up the Road (Medwick / Robey) - 8:38
Previously released on an out of print Freddie King album,
1934 - 76. Recorded 11/15/76

 

[Kazaam]

I'll keep Europe '72 in mind. And then probably the other one, too, for someday. Well... you know how it is. There's all sorts of music to buy.

 

[Dennie]

I'll keep Europe '72 in mind. And then probably the other one, too, for someday. Well... you know how it is. There's all sorts of music to buy.

Oh yeah! I've got a "wish list" hundreds of pages long!

Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Dennie]

Getz Plays Jobim: The Girl From Ipanema -- Remastered CD

Stan Getz

2002 Verve Records

Simply put, here are the most successful 14 cuts covering two years in the collaboration between Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim, during which both men became accustomed to having hit singles. Unfortunately, only one of them got to ride that horse for the rest of the decade -- in the United States, anyway. Nonetheless, this material marks the Americans obsession with the bossa nova and was the music that made Getz and Jobim household names for a while -- after all, we were just climbing out of the "swinging bachelor pad" music era and still had all those weird hi fi records to explore. Seriously though, the great sensitivity shown by Getz for this material, and the adventurousness of Jobim were a match made in heaven and would change the faces of jazz and Brazilian pop forever. This is a fine collection for anyone interested in bossa, and Getz in this period as well. ~ Thom Jurek

Track Listing
1. Corcovado :: Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars
2. Desafinado - (TRUE instrumental)
3. Chega de Saudade :: No More Blues
4. The Girl From Ipanema
5. O Morro Nao Tem Vez
6. Vivo Sonhando :: Dreamer
7. One Note Samba - (TRUE instrumental)
8. Eu E Voce :: Me And You
9. Desafinado - (vocal version)
10. Once Again (Outra Vez)
11. O Grande Amor
12. So Danco Samba
13. How Insensitive
14. One Note Samba - (vocal version)

Personnel includes: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Joao Gilberto (vocals, guitar); Astrud Gilberto (vocals); Doc Severinsen (trumpet); Clark Terry (flugelhorn); Tony Studd (bass trombone); Jerry Sanfino (flute); Ray Beckenstein, Babe Clark (clarinet); Gary Burton (vibraphone); Antonio Carlos Jobim (piano); Gene Byrd (guitar, bass); Luiz Bonfa, Charlie Byrd, Jim Hall (guitar); Tommy Williams, Gene Cherico (bass); Helcio Milito, Milton Banana (drums).Producer: Creed TaylorCompilation producer: Richard Seidel.Includes liner notes by Neil Tesser.

 

[Dennie]

Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus -- Remasterd 24bit CD

Vince Guaraldi Trio

1963/2010 Fantasy/OJC Records

Today he's best known to most people as the man behind the classic PEANUTS music, but long before he jammed with Charlie Brown, Vince Guaraldi was making jazz inroads with his piano trio. As its title implies, JAZZ IMPRESSIONS OF BLACK ORPHEUS was Guaraldi's take on the groundbreaking Jobim score for the BLACK ORPHEUS film. While most of the album finds the prescient Guaraldi getting in on the ground floor of the U.S. bossa nova craze (though his take on these tunes doesn't feel particularly Brazilian), the key song here is in fact a Guaraldi original, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." With its simple harmonic progression and strong, sunny melody, this unassuming jazz tune somehow made its way to the top of the 1962 pop charts, a rare moment of true jazz crossover.

Track Listing
1. Samba de Orfeu
2. Manha de Carnaval
3. O Nosso Amor
4. Felicidade
5. Cast Your Fate to the Wind
6. Moon River
7. Alma-Ville
8. Since I Fell for You
9. Samba de Orfeu [Single Version]
10. Manha de Carnaval [Take 2] - (previously unreleased, take, alternate take)
11. O Nosso Amor [Take 2] - (previously unreleased, take, alternate take)
12. Felicidade [Take 3] - (previously unreleased, take, alternate take)
13. Cast Your Fate to the Wind [Take 3] - (previously unreleased, take, alternate take)

Personnel: Vince Guaraldi (piano); Monte Budwig (bass); Colin Bailey (drums).Recorded at Station KQED, San Francisco, California in 1961-62. Originally released on Fantasy (8089). Includes liner notes by Ralph J. Gleason.

 

[Dennie]

Antonio Carlos Jobim Live at Minas -- CD

Antonio Carlos Jobim

2004 DRG Records (Import Brazil)

Antonio Carlos Jobim, his friends called him Tom June 16, 2007
By C. CRADDOCK VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD

This import is Antonio Carlos Jobim playing piano and singing his songs. It says it is by Tom Jobim, but that is actually what his friends called him. He has a lot of family and friends in Brazil, and they all were inspired by his example. Lots of his children are still making music. You might think Tom Jobim was a son or a cousin, but that is just what they called him. Antonio Carlos Jobim sounds very musical, but it is very long, so Tom for short.

This has a lot of his best songs on it: Água de beber, Desafinado, Samba de uma nota só, Chega de saudade, Dindi, Corcovado, Águas de março, and of course, Garota de Ipanema. There 18 tracks. It is recorded live at a concert in Brazil. He speaks in Portugese between songs, and their is no attempt at translation, so I am thinking that this is a very intimate concert for friends and family, and other Brazilians. He feels very comfortable, even making a few mistakes, but they don't concern him, as if he is playing in front of friends.

This is a very nice recording, if you can find it.

Track Listing
1. Desafinado (Off Key)
2. Samba de uma Nota Só (One Note Samba)
3. Por Causa de Vocé (Because of You)
4. Estrada do Sol (Sun Road)
5. Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Vocé (If All Were Just Like You)
6. Agua de Beber (Dinking Water)
7. Eu Nao Existo Sem Você (Do Not Exist Without You)
8. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
9. Modinha
10. Chega de Saudade (I've Had Enough of Missing You)
11. Dindi
12. Eu Preciso de Você (I Need You)
13. Retrato em Branco e Pretto (Portrait in Black and White)
14. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)
15. Ligia
16. Falando de Amor (Speaking of Love)
17. Aguas de Março
18. Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema)

Personnel: Antonio Carlos Jobim (vocals, piano).

 

[Dennie]

Restoration - The Best of Bob James -- 2 CD Set

Bob James

2001 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

Pianist-composer Bob James has been a mainstay on the contemporary jazz scene from the early '70s to today. His bell-like electric piano sound made him a radio favorite and a Grammy Award winner. This two-CD set contains James's greatest hits. There are the hip-hop sampled, snappy CTI label smashes like "Nautilus" and "Westchester Lady," as well as the plaintive "Touchdown" and the popular "Angela (The Theme from Taxi)" from his Columbia Records days. But there's also "Hockney" and the classical work, "Farandole," which showcase his beautiful acoustic jazz piano sound and his overlooked arranging skills. This compendium includes a multitude of sideman and collaborators, including Hubert Laws, Jon Faddis, Earl Klugh, Ron Carter, and David Sanborn. "Brighton by the Sea" with Grover Washington Jr. (originally appearing on James's H album), is rhythmically revamped with a zesty 21st-century drum & bass remix, showing that the music of Bob James is melodic, moving, and modern. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Feel Like Making Love
2. Nautilus
3. Farandole (L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2)
4. Westchester Lady
5. Storm King
6. Tappan Zee
7. Night Crawler
8. Angela
9. Touchdown
10. Kari
11. Snowbird Fantasy
12. Shamboozie
13. remix) Brighton by the Sea - (Remix '01

DISC 2:
1. Maputo
2. Ashanti
3. Restoration
4. Bare Bones
5. Movin' On
6. Lotus Leaves
7. Restless
8. Storm Warning
9. Kickin' Back
10. Hockney
11. The River Returns
12. Mind Games
13. Raise the Roof
14. Joy Ride
15. Dancing on the Water

Personnel: Bob James (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, electric piano, Clavinet, organ, keyboards, Arp Odyssey & Oberheim synthesizers); Grover Washington Jr. (soprano & tenor saxophones); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Eddie Daniels (tenor saxophone, flute); Boney James (tenor saxophone); Kirk Whalum (saxophone); Hubert Laws, Alexander Zonjic (flute); Dave Friedman (vibraphone); Richard Tee (keyboards); Earl Klugh, Bruce Dunlap (acoustic guitar); Hugh McCracken, Chuck Loeb, Lee Ritenour, Eric Gale, Paul Jackson, Jr., Hiram Bullock, Steve Khan (guitar); Marcus Miller, Will James, Gary King, Nathan East (bass); Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, Idris Muhammad, Andy Newmark (drums); Ralph MacDonald, Leonard "Doc" Gibbs (percussion).Producers include: Bob James, Creed Taylor, Ray Bardani, Michael Colina, Tommy LiPuma.Compilation producer: Matt Pierson.Personnel: Bob James (electric piano, Clavinet, organ, keyboards); Hilary James (vocals, background vocals); Dean Brown , Eric Gale , Hiram Bullock, Lee Ritenour , Paul Jackson, Jr. , Steve Khan, Richie Resnicoff (guitar); Nick Moroch (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Chuck Loeb (electric guitar); Gloria Agostini (harp); Barry Finclair, Frederick Buldrini, Marvin Morgenstern, Harry Glickman, Lewis Eley, Regis Landiorio, Louis Gabowitz, John Pintavalle, Joseph Malin, Harold Kohon, Charles Libove, David Nadien, Matthew Raimondi, Richard Sortomme, Gene Orloff, Harry Cykman, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Emanuel Green, Harry Lookofsky (violin); Sue Pray, Theodore Israel, Lamar Alsop, The Manny Vardi Strings, Jean R. Dane, Al Brown (viola); Eddie Daniels, Harvey Estrin (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Hubert Laws, Alexander Zonjic (flute); George Marge (alto flute, recorder, soprano recorder, oboe, English horn, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Romeo Penque (alto flute, recorder); Gerry Niewood (alto flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Howard Johnson (contrabass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Sidney Weinberg (oboe, English horn); Whit Sidener (woodwinds); Kirk Whalum (saxophone); David Sanborn, Jay Beckenstein (alto saxophone); Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone); Roger Rosenberg (baritone saxophone); Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, Victor Paz, John Frosk (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jon Faddis, Mike Lawrence , Danny Cahn, Ron Tooley (trumpet); Albert Richmond, James Buffington, Peter Gordon (French horn); Eddie Bert, Jim Pugh , Tom Mitchell , Wayne Andre, Barry Rogers, Tony Studd, Paul Faulise (trombone); Dave Bargeron (bass trombone); Michael Colina (keyboards, drum programming); Richard Tee (keyboards); David Friedman (vibraphone); John "J.R." Robinson , Harvey Mason, Sr. , Idris Muhammad, Andrew Smith , Andy Newmark, Steve Gadd , Billy Kilson, Brian Blade, Buddy Williams (drums); Leonard "Doc" Gibbs, Ralph MacDonald, Arthur Jenkins (percussion); Max Risenhoover (bass programming); Tawatha Agee (background vocals).

 

[Zing]

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck Music....

Red Dirt Girl -- CD

Emmylou Harris

2000 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com

Consider this Emmylou Harris's emancipation proclamation--an album that confirms that 1995's adventurously atmospheric Wrecking Ball wasn't an aberration, but a preview of more radical changes to come. Long the godmother of alternative-country's traditionalist wing, Harris here writes songs with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff, sings a duet with Dave Matthews ("My Antonia"), and recruits Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa to provide harmonies on the album's most compelling ballad ("Tragedy"). The production by Malcolm Burn applies sonic treatments of drum machines, shimmering guitars, and echoed vocals to a song cycle by Harris that is largely original and deeply personal, filled with dream imagery and evocations of a spiritual quest. While material such as "Michaelangelo" and "Bang the Drum Slowly" suffers from an arty ponderousness, it's doubtful that Harris has ever recorded an album that means more to her than this one. --Don McLeese

All tracks written by Emmylou Harris, except where noted.

"The Pearl" – 5:02
"Michelangelo" – 5:14
"I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" – 4:47
"Tragedy" [with Patti Scialfa - duet vocals & Bruce Springsteen - harmony vocals] (Harris, Rodney Crowell) – 4:24
"Red Dirt Girl" – 4:19
"My Baby Needs a Shepherd" – 4:39
"Bang the Drum Slowly" (Harris, Guy Clark) – 4:51
"J'ai Fait Tout" (Harris, Jill Cunniff, Daryl Johnson) – 5:31
"One Big Love" (Patty Griffin, Angelo) – 4:33
"Hour of Gold" – 5:00
"My Antonia" [with Dave Matthews] – 3:43
"Boy from Tupelo" – 3:48

 

[Dennie]

Bean Bags -- Remastered HDCD

Milt Jackson, Coleman Hawkins

1959/1998 Atlantic/Koch Jazz

Many of vibraphonist Milt Jackson's Atlantic recordings are long overdue to appear on CD, and that certainly includes Bean Bags, which features a meeting with the great tenor Coleman Hawkins. Assisted by a top-notch quartet (pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist Eddie Jones, and drummer Connie Kay), Bean Bags romps through "Stuffy," "Get Happy," a pair of Jackson originals, and two fine ballads, with "Don't Take Your Love From Me" being particularly memorable. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Close Your Eyes
2. Stuffy
3. Don't Take Your Love From Me
4. Get Happy
5. Sandra's Blues
6. Indian Blues

Personnel: Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass) Connie Kay (drums).Producer: Nesuhi Ertegun.Reissue producers: Donald Elfman, Naomi Yoshii.Recorded in New York, New York on September 12, 1959. Originally released on Atlantic (1316). Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.Digitally remastered by Gene Paul (DB Plus, New York, New York).