What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Ella abraca Jobim -- 20bit K2 Remastered CD

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook

1981/2003 Pablo/Fantasy Records

For years, "The Girl from Ipanema" was a staple in Ella Fitzgerald's songbook, so it's something of a wonder that it was not until 1981 that Ella Abraca Jobim, Fitzgerald's double-album immersion in Antonio Carlos Jobim's back catalog, appeared. Ella's first single-composer release since 1964's tribute to Jerome Kern, Ella Abraca Jobim is, more than anything, final proof of the unassuming Brazilian's place in jazz history alongside the great composers. Fitzgerald and her small group take songs like "Agua de Beber (Water to Drink)" at a slightly speedy a tempo, but she is in very good voice compared to some other recordings from her later years. Norman Granz's production is typically excellent, and the arrangements are refreshingly free of the typical late-'70s/early-'80s post-fusion clich‚s. ~ Stewart Mason


Track Listing
1. Somewhere in the Hills (Favela)
2. The Girl from Ipanema
3. Dindi
4. Desafinado (Off Key)
5. Water to Drink (Agua de Beber)
6. Dreamer (Vivo Sonhando)
7. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)
8. Bonita
9. One Note Samba (Samba de Uma Nota S¢)
10. Triste
11. How Insensitive (Insensatez)
12. He's a Carioca (Ele  Carioca)
13. This Love That I've Found (S¢ Tinha de Ser Com Vocˆ)
14. A Felicidade
15. Wave
16. Song of the Jet (Samba Do Aviao)
17. Photograph (Fotografia)
18. Useless Landscape (In£til Paisagem)

Personnel includes: Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Clark Terry (trumpet); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Oscar Castro-Neves, Joe Pass (guitar); Abraham Laboriel (bass); Alex Acuna (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).Recorded at Group IV Studios, Hollywood, California on September 17-19, 1980 and March 18-20, 1981. Includes liner notes by Norman Granz.Digitally remastered using 20-bit K2 Super Coding System technology.

 

[Dennie]

Happy Veterans Day everyone and a special Thank You to those who have Served! :flags-usa:

"Crazy and Mixed Up" -- XRCD2

Sarah Vaughan

1997 Pablo/JVC Records

50 stars! An incredibly swinging gorgeous performance December 15, 2000
By Gary S. Stager
Format:Audio CD

Every track on this CD is spectacular. This Vaughan-produced recording may be the greatest vocal jazz album ever. The wordless Autumn Leaves, In Love and Vain , That's All and I Didn't Know What Time it Was swing so hard they hurt. However, the ballads on this date will heal all wounds.

The Island is perhaps the most erotic ballad ever sung and it joins Love Dance as a newly emerging jazz standard.

Andy Simpkins, Sir Roland Hanna, Joe Pass and Grady Tate are a terrific rhythm section who keep up valiantly with the Divine One.

You will cherish this CD for a lifetime!

1. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
2. That's All
3. Autumn Leaves
4. Love Dance
5. The Island
6. Seasons
7. In Love in Vain
8. You Are Too Beautiful

 

[Dennie]

My America -- SACD

Monty Alexander

2002 Telarc Jazz

Now available in discrete multi-channel surround SACD as well as the CD recording!

When Jamaican born Monty Alexander was a young boy, he idolized the American heroes of the silver screen. Among his favorites were the singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers—pop culture icons of the post-WWII era who embodied the most universal and appealing aspects of the American Dream: freedom, individualism, strength of character, and a frontier spirit.

"They sang melodic songs that evoked a feeling of freedom and liberty,” Alexander recalls. “You’d watch these movies and you just wanted to be riding along with the good guys...As the years went by, I was capturing all these songs and playing them on the piano.”

Years later, Alexander embraced the dream first-hand when he came to America with his family in the early 1960s at age 17. By then, the aspiring young pianist had adopted a new set of American icons as his heroes—an eclectic cross section of musical giants that included Count Basie, Nat Cole (“a staple in our house”), Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, James Brown and many others.

In tribute to the cowboys, crooners and other legends who have inspired him since his childhood, Alexander has recorded My America. The album is a twelve-track homage to the musical and cultural ideals that have drawn hundreds of millions of immigrants to the United States since the 1800s. While the songs are American in origin, Alexander brings a distinctly Jamaican groove to most of the tracks.

Many of the titles are familiar touchstones of 20th century popular music: Al Green’s “Love and Happiness,” the Louis Armstrong/Bobby Darin classic “Mack the Knife,” and instrumental versions of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and James Brown’s “Sex Machine.”

“It became like a party,” says Alexander, recalling the extended “Sex Machine (Soul/Yard Meeting)” jam session. “We just started recording, and the next thing you know, it was eight or nine minutes long. We just kept the tape rolling.”

Joining Alexander throughout My America are a few Telarc labelmates. Freddy Cole lends a hand in a syncopated rendition of Nat Cole’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” while John Pizzarelli steps in for an easygoing duet on the nostalgic “Summer Wind.” Jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany helps conjure up the spiritual element with a churning version of “Hallelujah, I Love Her So.”

It all comes together in a rich melting pot that celebrates a nation’s finest musical traditions. Experience Monty Alexander’s America through the eyes and ears of an artist whose craft is a direct reflection of the dream. “It’s a privilege for me to do this recording and play music by some of my favorite people,” he says. “Because it’s the music that brings people like me here.”

1. Don't Fence Me In
2. Straighten up and Fly Right
3. Love and Happiness
4. Rockin' in Riddim
5. Mack the Knife
6. Summer Wind
7. Honky Tonk
8. Hallelujah I Love Her So
9. Sex Machine (Soul/Yard Meeting)
10. Sexual Healing
11. River Rolls On
12. Battle Hymn of the Republic (Glory Hallelujah)

 

[Dennie]

Major Glenn Miller & The Army Air Froce Band 1943-1944 -- Remastered CD

1987 RCA/Bluebird Treasury Series

Amazon.com

This album's 17 tracks were recorded between October 1943 and April 1944, when Glenn Miller's band was stationed in America and contributing to the war effort by performing at war-bond and recruitment rallies. With popular vocalists Johnny Desmond and Tony Martin and a large string section complementing a jazz-oriented big band, Miller was able to cover a broad range of material, including ambitious arrangements of such show tunes as "Speak Low" and "People Will Say We're in Love." There are patriotic novelty tunes as well, and the swing content is high on Bill Finegan's "Tail-End Charlie" and Jerry Grey's "Enlisted Men's Mess" and "Jeep Jockey Jump." The Army Air Force Band included excellent jazz musicians, with a rhythm section superior to any of Miller's civilian bands. Pianist Mel Powell is featured on his own Gershwin-esque instrumental, "Pearls on Velvet," while drummer Ray McKinley animates the swing tunes. --Stuart Broomer

Track Listings

1. St. Louis Blues March
2. Peggy, The Pin-up Girl
3. Speak Low
4. Tail-End Charlie
5. Anvil Chorus
6. Oh, What A Beautiful Morning
7. There Are Yanks
8. Everybody Loves My Baby
9. Enlisted Men's Mess
10. I'll Be Around
11. There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin
12. People We'll Say We're In Love
13. Pearls On Velvet
14. Poinciana
15. It Must Be Jelly
16. Jeep Jockey Jump
17. Vict'ry Polka

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

Days Like This -- CD

Van Morrison

1995 Polydor Records


Amazon.com

In an era when most old rock stars are left to recycle their greatest hits for megatours and MTV Unplugged, it's refreshing to know that Van Morrison still pours on all the originality and wit he had when he made Moondance. On Days Like This, Morrison continues his lifelong exploration of the human psyche, offering up highly entertaining and danceable (yes, danceable!) tunes about everything from love to manic depression. As always, Morrison's vocals rumble along through intelligent lyrics, plowing up a range of emotions almost too numerous to catalog. Needless to say, the sweet, soulful harmonies of Morrison's adroit backup singers and Pee Wee Ellis's fabulous horn arrangements serve as fabulous counterpoints to Van the Man's energetic and pointed performances. When all is said and done Morrison sums it up best in "Songwriter," a self-effacing ditty about the job he has done, and still does, so very well. --L.A. Smith

All songs by Morrison unless noted otherwise;

1. "Perfect Fit" – 4:33
2. "Russian Roulette" – 3:56
3. "Raincheck" – 5:53
4. "You Don't Know Me" - (Arnold, Walker) – 4:32
5. "No Religion" – 5:14
6. "Underlying Depression" – 4:35
7. "Songwriter" – 2:50
8. "Days Like This" – 3:13
9. "I'll Never Be Free" - (Benjamin, Weiss) – 3:37
10. "Melancholia" – 3:56
11. "Ancient Highway" – 8:53
12. "In the Afternoon" – 6:21

 

[Dennie]

The Poll Winners -- Remastered 20-Bit CD

Barney Kessel with Shelly Manne and Ray Brown

1957/2000 Contemporary/Fantasy Records

Amazon.com

The Poll Winners trio was based on guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne, who each managed to place first on his instrument in the 1956 Down Beat, Metronome, and Playboy readers' polls, a remarkable feat given the range from hardcore jazz fans to casual generalists who read the magazines. Kessel and Brown had worked together as two-thirds of the Oscar Peterson trio, and they had all played together on numerous recording sessions, but the open sound of the guitar-led trio was a special opportunity for Brown and Manne to share the foreground. Kessel was an outstanding soloist, capable of almost trumpetlike phrases delivered with rhythmic bite and flexibility--unusual in guitarists of the era. His clear, boppish lines intertwine neatly with Brown's loping pulse and Manne's lightly swinging drums, while Brown's solos are almost as dexterous as the guitarist's. It's low-key, melodic music, equally suited for casual and close listening. --Stuart Broomer

Track Listing
1. Jordu
2. Satin Doll
3. It Could Happen to You
4. Minor Mood
5. Nagasaki
6. On Green Dolphin Street
7. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
8. You Go to My Head
9. Mean to Me

Personnel: Barney Kessel (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Shelley Manne (drums).Recorded at Contemporary Studios, Los Angeles, California on March 18-19, 1957. Includes original liner notes by Nat Hentoff.Digitally remastered using 20-bit K2 Super Coding System technology.

My copy looks like this...

 

[Dennie]

Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959) To Billie With Love From -- CD

Dee Dee Bridgewater

2010 DDB/Decca Records

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Dee Dee Bridgewater chose to record a tribute album to Billie Holiday. In quick succession beginning in the mid-'90s Bridgewater cut tribute albums to Ella Fitzgerald, Horace Silver, and Kurt Weill, and prior to that, in the late '80s, she was nominated for an award for her one-woman star turn in a European theater production of Lady Day, the Holiday story. That Bridgewater would eventually turn to Holiday (whose given name of Eleanora Fagan explains the title) for an album-length exploration was almost a given -- it was just a question of when. It's one of her grandest efforts, too. With arrangements by Edsel Gomez (who also provides piano) and a stellar cast of participants including bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist/flutist/bass clarinetist James Carter, and drummer Lewis Nash, Bridgewater doesn't attempt to mimic Holiday's mannerisms or inflections but, as one would expect of such a gifted artist, to absorb and reframe Holiday -- this is pure Bridgewater, not another performance of Lady Day. Gomez, for his part, quite often pulls the arrangements squarely away from Holiday territory to reinvent these classic songs for a modern audience. The opening "Lady Sings the Blues" is both instantly recognizable yet freshly reconceived as something of an uptempo blues packed with polyrhythmic punch. "All of Me," which follows, is taken at near-breakneck speed, Bridgewater jumping ahead of the beat, following Carter's thrilling soprano sax solo with a raging scat that's more Ella than Billie. Not everything is meant to redefine, though: "God Bless the Child" is mostly true to the original, though Carter's soprano solo again brings the tune into the new century, and "Lover Man," though livelier than Holiday's take, is offered in a somewhat timeless and straightforward manner. As one might expect, there's no way a singer with Bridgewater's commitment to jazz history could release a Holiday tribute without tackling "Strange Fruit," the controversial anti-lynching landmark that remains Holiday's most daring moment, and it's saved for last here. It's an eerie, ominous interpretation, Bridgewater's raw vocal up front and fraught with emotion. Carter's brooding bass clarinet and McBride's bass lend a foreboding quality to the take, Nash relies heavily on his cymbals to dramatic effect, and Gomez's piano is subtle, allowing the nakedness of Bridgewater's voice -- at times unaccompanied -- to retell this story that can never be told enough. It's a stunning finale to one of the finest Billie Holiday homages ever recorded. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Track Listing
1. Lady Sings the Blues
2. All of Me
3. Good Morning Heartache
4. Lover Man
5. You've Changed
6. Miss Brown To You
7. Don't Explain
8. Fine and Mellow
9. Mother's Son-In-Law
10. God Bless the Child
11. A Foggy Day
12. Strange Fruit

Personnel: Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals); Edsel Gomez (piano); Christian McBride (Bass); Lewis Nash (drums).Liner Note Author: Dan Ouellette.Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY (06/05/2009-06/07/2009); Capitol studios, Los Angeles, CA (06/05/2009-06/07/2009);

 

[Dennie]

Black and Blue and Tabacco Road -- Remastered CD

Lou Rawls

2006 Blue Note Records

This excellent twofer brings together a pair of albums Lou Rawls recorded for Capitol in the early 1960s. Both sessions feature Rawls with a hard-swinging big band and flanked by a three-strong saxophone section and the soul-jazz organist Richard "Groove" Holmes. The results, as one might expect, are both raucous and smoky. And while Rawls wouldn't hit his stride commercially until 1966's LOU RAWLS LIVE, he sounds utterly in command here.Both BLACK AND BLUE and TOBACCO ROAD focus on jazz and blues standards, including George Gershwin's "Summertime," Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair," W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," and John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road," which would become Rawls's signature tune. The artist's rugged, soulful singing is the perfect match for the well-arranged big band, and the 2006 CD-issue of these classic albums is a welcome arrival.

Track Listing
1. Roll 'Em Pete
2. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
3. How Long, How Long Blues
4. Everyday I Have the Blues
5. St. James Infirmary
6. Black and Blue, (What Did I Do to Be So)
7. Gloomy Sunday - (previously unreleased)
8. Kansas City
9. Goin' to Chicago Blues
10. Trouble in Mind
11. World of Trouble
12. Six Cold Feet of Ground
13. Strange Fruit
14. Tobacco Road
15. Cotton Fields
16. Rockin' Chair
17. Stormy Weather
18. Ol' Man River
19. Blues For a Four-String Guitar
20. St. Louis Blues
21. Georgia on My Mind
22. Sentimental Journey
23. Summertime
24. When It's Sleepy Time Down South

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Love's Been Rough On Me -- CD

Etta James

1997 Private Music

Love's Been Rough on Me is a terrific latter-day album from Etta James, capturing her at the peak of her powers. James' voice has diminished only slightly over the course of her career, and she knows how to make such warhorses as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" sound fresh. She also invests contemporary music, including John Berry's contemporary country hit "If I Had Any Pride Left at All," with real soul. The result is a record that delivers the real goods with grace and style. ~ Leo Stanley

1. Rock, The
2. Cry Like a Rainy Day
3. Love's Been Rough on Me
4. Love It or Leave It Alone
5. Don't Touch Me
6. Hold Me (Just a Little Longer Tonight)
7. If I Had Any Pride Left at All
8. I Can Give You Everything
9. I've Been Loving You Too Long
10. Done in the Dark

 

[PaulyT]

This one's fun!

 

[Dennie]

The Legendary OKEH & Epic Recordings -- Remastered CD

Ahmad Jamal

2005 Epic/Legacy

Recorded between 1951 and '55, these LEGENDARY OKEH & EPIC sessions present the revered, though often underrated, jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal hitting his stride. Backed by Ray Crawford on guitar and either Israel Crosby or Eddie Calhoun on bass, Jamal unveils inventive percussion-less takes on a number of standards, along with two originals, with his spare yet energetic piano work showcased on every track. These are the recordings that directly influenced Miles Davis's late-'50s aesthetic, and this beautifully remastered collection is a reissue of the highest order. For aficionados of jazz piano, this album is essential.

Track Listing
1. Surrey with the Fringe on Top, The
2. Will You Still Be Mine?
3. Ahmad's Blues
4. Gal in Calico, A
5. Aki and Ukthay
6. Billy Boy
7. Black Beauty
8. Love for Sale
9. Something to Remember You By
10. Poinciana
11. Don't Blame Me
12. Autumn Leaves
13. They Can't Take That Away from Me
14. Old Devil Moon
15. It's Easy to Remember
16. Squeeze Me
17. Crazy He Calls Me
18. Pavanne
19. Perfidia
20. Rica Pulpa
21. Donkey Serenade, The

Personnel: Ahmad Jamal (piano); Ahmad Jamal; Eddie Calhoun, Israel Crosby (acoustic bass); Ray Crawford (guitar).Audio Remixer: Mark Wilder.Liner Note Authors: Nat Hentoff; Randy Weston.Recording information: Columbia Studios, Chicago, IL (10/25/1951-10/25/1955); Columbia's 30th Street Studio, New York, NY (10/25/1951-10/25/1955).Author: Miles Davis.Photographer: Don Hunstein.Arranger: Ahmad Jamal.

 

[Dennie]

Groove Yard -- 20bit K2 Remastered XRCD

The Montgomery Brothers

1961/1994 Riverside/Fantasy/JVC

This record makes you wonder why there weren't more great hard-bop albums made by guitarist-led quartets -- or, for that matter, why Wes didn't record more with his brothers. The guitarist is joined by brothers Buddy on piano and Monk on string bass, with Bobby Thomas on drums. There are two originals by Buddy and one by Wes ('Doujie') as well as tunes by Milt Jackson, Harold Land and others. These are tunes the brothers were playing as part of a regular gig they had in New York City at the time of the recording in 1961.As a result the arrangements are remarkably tight and the interplay is exhilarating--there's plenty of blowing, but it's hardly a "blowing session" per se. The album is rightly credited as a group effort; even though Wes has plenty of room to stretch out, the emphasis, as the title suggests, is on grooving as an ensemble. The brothers tend to hang in the middle tempos, further contributing to the sense of relaxation that runs throughout the eight tunes here. Highly recommended.

Track listing

"Bock to Bock (Back to Back)" (Buddy Montgomery) – 6:48
"Groove Yard" (Carl Perkins) – 3:05
"If I Should Lose You" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) – 5:52
"Delirium" (Harold Land) – 3:41
"Just For Now" (Buddy Montgomery) – 5:00
"Doujie" (Wes Montgomery) – 4:39
"Heart Strings" (Milt Jackson) – 4:38
"Remember" (Irving Berlin) – 5:36

The song "Groove Yard" is usually titled "Grooveyard".

Personnel includes: Wes Montgomery (arch top electric guitar); Buddy Montgomery (piano); Monk Montgomery (Fender bass); Bobby Thomas (drums).Recorded in January, 1961. Originally released on Riverside (9362).Digitally remastered by JVC using XRCD (extended resolution compact disc).

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

My Romance -- CD

Carly Simon

1990 Arista Records

After 10Years,this CD is still a Tressure, February 26, 2000
By Bob Waskiewicz (Wintersville, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: My Romance (Audio CD)

After 10 years,this Album is priceless.Carly has taken us to the great standards of the 40's.Frank Sinatra's,"In the wee small hours of the morning,"while our GI's were fighting for our country.Fred Astaire's,"I'll go my way by myself." And Carly's own original,"What has he got." This album is a classic. Carly's voice is perfection.My Mom loved this tape,especially "My funny Valentine." It brought back all the great memories of the 40's when she was a young girl,back to life. There still playing cuts from this CD on the radio,and "My Romance" is on a TV perfume AD sung as a duet with Ben Taylor.I loved Carly's HBO special with most of these songs featured,along with Harry Connick,Jr. Anyone that wants to hear some good music for a change,play this record tonight.

"My Romance" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) — 2:36
"By Myself/I See Your Face Before Me" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) — 3:14
"When Your Lover Has Gone" (Einar A. Swan) — 4:08
"In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" (Bob Hilliard, David Mann) — 3:17
"My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart) — 3:24
"Something Wonderful" (Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) — 2:17
"Little Girl Blue" (Rodgers, Hart) — 3:44
"He Was Too Good to Me" (Rodgers, Hart) — 2:41
"What Has She Got" (Carly Simon, Michael Kosarin, Jacob Brackman) — 2:44
"Bewitched" (Rodgers, Hart) — 4:05
"Danny Boy" (Frederick Weatherly, Traditional) — 3:24
"Time After Time" (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) — 2:06

 

[heeman]

Coverdale and Hughes do such a great job on this one!

:music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[putty34]

 

[Dennie]

For Lady Day -- CD

Zoot Sims

1991 Pablo Records

It is strange that this album was not released until the CD came out in 1990, for tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims and pianist Jimmy Rowles' tribute to Billie Holiday is melodic, tasteful, and largely memorable. Together with bassist George Mraz and drummer Jackie Williams back in 1978, they perform 11 songs associated with Holiday, including quite a few that would have been lost in obscurity if Lady Day had not uplifted them with her recordings. Highlights include "Easy Living," "Some Other Spring," "I Cried for You," "Body and Soul," and "You're My Thrill." A lyrical and heartfelt tribute. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Easy Living
2. That Old Devil Called Love
3. Some Other Spring
4. I Cover the Waterfront
5. You Go to My Head
6. I Cried For You
7. Body and Soul
8. Travelin' Light
9. You're My Thrill
10. No More
11. My Man

Personnel: Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone), Jimmy Rowles (piano), George Mraz (acoustic bass), Jackie Williams (drums).Recorded in New York in April, 1978.

 

[Dennie]

Plays The Benny Carter Songbook -- CD

Marian McPartland

1990 Concord Records

Two aspects uplift this Marian McPartland CD above most songbooks. Benny Carter is much better-known as an altoist and an arranger than as a composer, so his compositions tend to be quite fresh since they have been underplayed through the years. Also, the fact that Carter himself performs on the majority of these selections (which also include bassist John Clayton and drummer Harold Jones) makes the set something special. Highlights include "When Lights Are Low," "I'm in the Mood for Swing," "Key Largo," "Doozy," "Lonely Woman" and "Only Trust Your Heart," but all 11 songs are enjoyable and swinging. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. When Lights Are Low
2. I'm in the Mood For Swing
3. A Kiss From You
4. Key Largo
5. Another Place Another Time
6. Summer Serenade
7. Doozy
8. Lonely Woman
9. Only Trust Your Heart
10. Evening Star
11. Easy Money

Personnel: Marian McPartland (piano), Benny Carter (alto saxophone), John Clayton (bass), Harold Jones (drums).Tributee: Benny Carter .

 

[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]

Today's work truck music....

Prairie Wind -- CD

Neil Young

2005 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

An artist for all musical seasons, Neil Young returns to autumnal harvest mode on Prairie Wind, with homespun material and sing-song melodies that renew the spirit of some of his most popular releases. Yet the mood here is darker in its maturity than on Harvest and Harvest Moon--the previous releases in what now sounds like a trilogy--and the arrangements have greater range and aural depth, with Wayne Jackson of the soulful Memphis Horns, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers gospel choir, and a string section employed to striking effect. This is a song cycle of dreams, memories, family ties, and the passage of time--what is lost and what endures. The elliptical, epic "No Wonder," with its evocation of 9/11, ranks with the most ambitious songs of Young's career, while "Falling Off the Face of the Earth," "It's a Dream," and the bluesy title cut combine childlike innocence with unsettling experience. Spooner Oldham's church keyboards and coproducer Ben Keith's steel guitar reinforce the sound's sturdy simplicity. Young has released a lot of albums in different musical styles, but Prairie Wind feels like a homecoming, and ranks with his very best. --Don McLeese

All songs written by Neil Young, and ©2005 Silver Fiddle Music (ASCAP)

"The Painter" – 4:36
"No Wonder" – 5:45
"Falling Off the Face of the Earth" – 3:35
"Far From Home" – 3:47
"It's a Dream" – 6:31
"Prairie Wind" – 7:34
"Here for You" – 4:32
"This Old Guitar" – 5:32
"He Was the King" – 6:08
"When God Made Me" – 4:05

 

[Dennie]

Live At The Blue Note -- CD

Kenny Burrell and The Jazz Heritage All-Stars

1996 Concord Jazz

Always one of the most tasteful of musicians, guitarist Kenny Burrell is in fine form on this set from 1996. He is joined by a rhythm section led by pianist Sir Roland Hanna, trumpeter Jimmy Owens (who is in excellent form), either Steve Turre or Benny Powell on trombone and the underrated tenor-saxophonist and flutist Jerome Richardson. Burrell sings a heartfelt "Dear Ella" (his voice is just average) and there is a vocal apiece by Jeannie Bryson (a sensuous "I've Got A Crush On You") and Vanessa Rubin ("All Blues"). Other highlights of this relaxed bop set include Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer," Richardson's "Groove Merchant" and a medley of "Embraceable You" and Charlie Parker's "Quasimodo." ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Tones for Joan's Bones
2. The Entertainer
3. Medley: Embraceable You/Quasi Modo: Embraceable You / Quasi Modo
4. Dear Ella
5. Birk's Works
6. I've Got a Crush on You
7. Take the "A" Train
8. All Blues
9. Groove Merchant

Kenny Burrell & The Jazz Heritage All-Stars: Kenny Burrell (guitar); Jerome Richardson (saxophone, flute); Jimmy Owens (trumpet, flugelhorn); Steve Turre, Benny Powell (trombone); Sir Roland Hanna (piano); Ray Drummond (bass); Sherman Ferguson, Horace Arnold (drums).Additional personnel: Jeannie Bryson, Vanessa Rubin (vocals).Recorded live at the Blue Note, New York, New York on July 17 & 18, 1996. Includes liner notes by Jack DeJohnette and John Burk.