What Are You Listening To?
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Dennie
Well-Known Member
A Little Piece of Heaven -- CD
The Gene Harris Quartet at STE. Chapelle Winery
1993 Concord Jazz
Gene Harris was always predictably excellent, particularly during his final decade. This CD has his quartet of 1993 (with guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Luther Hughes, and drummer Paul Humphrey) performing such tunes as a soulful "Take the 'A' Train," the sly "Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)," "My Little Suede Shoes," and even "Ode to Billie Joe." Harris, who is heard playing a concert in his adopted state of Idaho, often sounds in exuberant form talking to his hometown crowd. His fans will have little difficulty enjoying this happy date. ~ Scott Yanow
Track Listing
1. Blues in Baxter's Pad
2. Take the "A" Train
3. Blues for Ste. Chapelle
4. Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)
5. Pensativa
6. How Long Has This Been Going On?
7. Scotch and Soda
8. My Little Suede Shoes
9. Old Dog Blues
10. Ode to Billie Joe
11. Sentimental Journey
Gene Harris Quartet: Gene Harris (piano); Ron Eschete (guitar); Luther Hughes (bass); Paul Humphrey (drums).Recorded live at the Ste. Chapelle Winery, Caldwell, Idaho on July 18, 1993. Includes liner notes by Wayne Thompson.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Babs said:Zing said:Welcome to my hell! It's been going on for a week!Dennie said:
This coming from the man that loves pecan pie...Sophia just may get your slice!!!!
:teasing-tease: :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease:
Well, Pecan Pie would probably help.... :think: But alcohol would help more! :dance:
Zing, time to pull out the headphones my friend! :music-listening:
Happy Thanksgiving to you both!
Dennie
bscene-drinkingcheers:
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Alice's Restaurant
Arlo Guthrie
1967 Reprise Records
Family Tradition, November 19, 2004
By Lisa M. Piquette "eosaurora" (Centereach, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Alice's Restaurant (Audio CD)
Since I was born, every Thanksgiving at noon a local radio station has played Alice's Restaurant. I think this is the most solid tradition in my family. The song is hysterical. My mom has always loved it and whenever I tell people in my generation, like my fiance, that they must listen to it, they look at me like I am insane. But it is a classic song that has enhanced my life. When I went to buy the song for my mom I found this CD, which also had the Motorcycle Song, that my mom used to sing when I was really little and I had never heard the actual thing. So if your kids have never heard this, tell them it is great and make them listen to it, they will at least laugh. And in a time when the draft may come back, they may need to hear his brief experience in a funny way...
All tracks composed by Arlo Guthrie.
"Alice's Restaurant Massacree" – 18:20
"Chilling of the Evening" – 3:01
"Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag" – 2:10
"Now and Then" – 2:15
"I'm Going Home" – 3:12
"The Motorcycle Song" – 2:58
"Highway in the Wind" – 2:40
Dennie
Well-Known Member
America Remembers.... -- CD
Johnny Horton
1992 TeeVee/Sony Records
Rally 'round the flag, boys! February 8, 2002
By Kevin Cook
Format:Audio CD
This collection showcases Johnny Horton's fantastic voice and wide range - he could sing it all, from stirring patriotic songs and historical mini-epics to moving ballads and even rockabilly. Of course, all the hits are here, like the irresistible "Battle of New Orleans" (which I listened to incessantly as a kid in the Sixties) and "North to Alaska," to name two personal favorites.
They just don't write `em like this any more, and more's the pity. You won't be able to resist singing along, I guar-an-tee it!
I regret this collection doesn't include a sentimental favorite of mine, "The Same Old Tale that the Crow Told Me," the flip side of "Sink the Bismarck." Despite that very minor quibble, this is a rousing CD, chock-full of unabashed pride and patriotism. You'll love it.
1. North To Alaska
2. Battle Of New Orleans
3. When It's Springtime In Alaska (It's 40 Below)
4. Johnny Reb
5. I'm Coming Home
6. Honky Tonk Man
7. Sink The Bismark
8. All For The Love Of A Girl
9. The Mansion You Stole
10. I'm Ready If You're Willing
11. The Jim Bridger Story
12. I'm A One-Woman Man
13. Sleepy-Eyed John
14. They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
15. Old Slewfoot
16. All Grown Up
17. Sal's Got a Sugar Lip
18. Whispering Pines
19. Johnny Freedom ('Freedom Land')
20. Comanche
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Stardust - The Music of Hoagy Carmichael -- CD
Bill Charlap
2002 Blue Note Records
Amazon.com
With his elegant lyric sensibility and use of classic harmonics, which might best be characterized as equal parts Hank Jones and Bill Evans, pianist Bill Charlap manages to suggest something at once timeless and modern in his approach to jazz piano. And while references to past and present masters of the keyboard abound in this recital of Hoagy Carmichael compositions (as in his tasty appropriation of Evans's tolling intro to "Some Other Time" on a poignant reading of "The Nearness of You," or his interpolation of Red Garland's "Billy Boy" as a prelude to "I Walk with Music"), Charlap manages to evoke the dreamy, unhurried character redolent of so much of Carmichael's music, while maintaining his own probing, crystalline presence. Thus, while a briskly swinging jaunt through "Jubilee" finds him navigating an equestrian set of changes in a round-robin romp with his exceptionally empathetic rhythm mates (bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington), his sultry flirting with tenorist Frank Wess on "Blue Orchids" and his lofty harmonic byplay with guitarist Jim Hall reveal a musician wise beyond his years--restrained and relaxed and confident enough not to hide behind a fusillade of empty notes. Such maturity is part of what makes his storytelling accompaniments behind master vocalists Tony Bennett and Shirley Horn--and a breathtakingly slow, humid trio treatment of "Georgia"--so richly rewarding. --Chip Stern
1. Jubilee
2. I Get Along Without You Very Well
3. Rockin' Chair
4. I Walk With Music
5. Two Sleepy People
6. Nearness Of You
7. One Morning In May
8. Blue Orchids
9. Georgia On My Mind
10. Stardust
11. Skylark
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Sound of Christmas -- CD
The Ramsey Lewis Trio
1961/1989 Chess/MCA Records
This is a pleasing, if rather brief (29 minutes) Christmas jazz album that was originally quite popular. Reissued on a 1982 LP, the set features the Ramsey Lewis Trio (consisting of the leader/pianist, bassist Eldee Young, and drummer Red Holt) on ten Christmas songs, five of which add a string section arranged by Riley Hampton. The renditions of such tunes as "Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Sleigh Ride," and Lewis' "Christmas Blues" are fun and melodic, if not all that unique. ~ Scott Yanow
Track Listing
THE SOUND OF CHRISTMAS:
1. Merry Christmas Baby
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
4. Christmas Blues
5. Here Comes Santa Claus
6. The Sound of Christmas
7. The Christmas Song
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
9. Sleigh Ride
10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
Ramsey Lewis Trio: Ramsey Lewis (piano); Eldee Young (double bass); Redd Holt (drums).Additional personnel: Karl B. Fruh, Sol Bobrou, David Chausow, Leonard Chausow, Oscar Chausow, Irving Kaplan, Harold E. Kupper, Abe Meltzer, Emil Podsada, Theodore Silavin (strings).
Botch said:Yesfan70 said:
That's a band with a couple albums (I Robot, Pyramid) that I'd love to see come out in Surround!
A good friend of mine at work, whose a huge fan and the reason why I have the album, has bragged a lot about the 2 disc Legacy Recordings release of that album (I Robot).
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Peace Round: A Christmas Celebration -- CD
Yellowjackets
2003 Heads Up (Telarc) Records
A Christmas Must-have December 4, 2004
By miK.
Format:Audio CD
You're asking yourself, "More Christmas songs?" Well, Christmas songs yes, but these have the distinctive Yellowjackets stamp on them. If you are familiar with the group then you know exactly what I'm talking about. I recently read another review of this CD which stated that not only are these great Christmas songs, they are great "anytime" songs. First-rate playing from a group that has been consistently up there in great jazz. Highly recommended.
Track Listing
1. Little Drummer Boy
2. Silent Night
3. Deck The Halls
4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
5. Peace Round
6. The First Noel
7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
8. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
9. Winter Wonderland
10. In A Silent Night
Yellowjackets: Bob Mintzer (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Russell Ferrante (piano, synthesizer); Jimmy Haslip (synthesizer, bass instrument); Marcus Baylor (drums).
__________________
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Collection -- CD
Dr. Hook
1996 EMI Records Australia (Import)
This 40-song assortment will definitely appease those who want a hefty one-stop of Dr. Hook's best material, but it also makes for a worthy summation of the band's career. All but the last two of Dr. Hook's Top 40 singles appear here, led by "Sylvia's Mother," "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," and "Only Sixteen," while excluding later efforts like "Girls Can Get It" and "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk." All of their second-bests are also present, including fan favorites such as "More Like the Movies," "The Radio," "Jungle to the Zoo," and "On the Way to the Bottom." Their absurd lean toward rock & roll throughout the '70s is well-covered in songs like "I Got Stoned and I Missed It," "Bad Eye Bill," "You Make My Pants Want to Get Up And Dance," "Walk Right In," and "Wups," while their mawkish brand of sugary-sweet love songs which they're known for surfaces in tracks such as "I Gave Her Comfort," "She's Not There," and "If Not You," as well as in the hits "A Little Bit More" and "Sexy Eyes." Since most of Dr. Hook's albums brandished only a couple of hits each, Collection makes for one of the best routes to gather all of their essentials, but it may seem to be overabundant for those who just want the charted hits and nothing more. ~ Mike DeGagne
Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Sylvia's Mother
2. Cover of the Rolling Stone
3. Better Love Next Time
4. In over My Head
5. Sexy Eyes
6. Oh! Jesse
7. Years From Now
8. Sharing the Night Together
9. Sweetest of All
10. Storms Never Last
11. Walk Right In
12. Love Monster
13. I Don't Want to Be Alone Tonight
14. Knowing She's There
15. Clyde
16. When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman
17. Dooley Jones
18. I Gave Her Comfort
19. You Make My Pants Want to Get Up and Dance
20. More Like the Movies
DISC 2:
1. A Little Bit More
2. Radio
3. Up on the Mountain
4. Only Sixteen
5. Jungle to the Zoo
6. Bad Eye Bill
7. What About You
8. If Not You
9. A Couple More Years
10. Levitate
11. Let Me Be Your Lover
12. Mountain Mary
13. I Got Stoned and I Missed It
14. Bubblin' Up
15. Wups
16. The Millionaire
17. Everybody's Makin' It Big But Me
18. Cooky and Lila
19. Everybody Loves Me
20. On the Way to the Bottom
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Out of Sight -- SACD
Poncho Sanchez
2003 Concord Picante
The legendary conguero may be known as one of the modern kings of all jazz that's Latin, but he's also an old-school soul junkie at heart, having grown up in southern California in the '60s; while he was learning to play tropical Latin music professionally, his radio was full of classic Stax and Motown. Increasingly aware that classic R&B songs adapt well to the jazzy cha cha tempos that drive his ensemble, Sanchez evolves beautifully on the new collection into a style of Latin soul that's truly compelling. The opening track, the funky, brass-driven cha cha "One Mint Julep," features not only the organ arpeggios of Billy Preston, but also two of the horn guys from the James Brown band, Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis. "JB's Strut" funks out with the horniest of them, but Brown is paid even greater homage on blues/soul/big-band/Latin renderings of three of his tunes, "Saints and Sinners," "Out of Sight" (sung with a tongue-in-cheek Brown bravura by Sanchez), and "Conmigo." And while he's at it, Sanchez invites two legendary soul men to make things even more authentic. Sam Moore has a blast with the sassy "Hitch It to the Horse," while Ray Charles adds his whimsical touch to the salsified blues tune "Mary Ann." The remaining question is, just where is the Godfather of Soul himself? Hopefully, he's proud of one of the most unique tributes to him ever fashioned. ~ Jonathan Widran
1. One Mint Julep
2. El Shing-A-Ling
3. Hitch It To The Horse
4. Saints & Sinners
5. Mary Ann
6. Not Necessarily
7. Conmigo
8. JB's Strut
9. Out Of Sight
10. El Tambor Del Mongo
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Personnel: Poncho Sanchez (vocals, congas, percussion); Ray Charles, Sam Moore (vocals); Scott Martin (alto, tenor & baritone saxophone, flute); Pee Wee Ellis (alto & tenor saxophones); Serafin Aguilar (trumpet, flugelhorn); Francisco Torres, Fred Wesley (trombone); Dale Spaulding (harmonica); David Torres (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Billy Preston (organ); Sal Vasquez (guitar, tres, bongos, percussion); George Ortiz (congas, timbales); Francisco Aguabella (bata drums).Recorded at O'Henry Sound, Burbank, California; G Digital Sound, Studio City, California; Capitol, Hollywood, California; Fourth Street Studios, Santa Monica, California. Includes liner notes by Jesse "Chuy" Varela.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
6 and 12 String Guitar -- SACD
Leo Kottke
1971/2004 Takoma Records
With the 1969 release of 6-AND 12 STRING GUITAR, Leo Kottke established his pre-eminence as a guitar virtuoso and composer of quirky, pop-inflected pieces. Harmonically adventurous and technically dazzling, this album showcases Kottke's penchant for infusing traditional elements of folk guitar with more modern, even impressionistic harmony and tonality. Kottke inspired a revolution in acoustic guitar playing, and this record provided the opening volley.
"The Driving of the Year Nail" starts things off with a relentless fingerpicked chug, featuring splashes of open harmonics executed with the delicacy of a ballerina. Kottke proceeds to combine the familiar with the strange--each of these brief pieces (around three minutes and under) has the effect of being simultaneously charming, and a little twisted. For example, "Vaseline Machine Gun" starts with "Taps" played with a bottleneck slide, then morphs into a thumb-and-slide frenzy. Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is the exception, given a straight and loving reading on six-string guitar. This is pure steel-string joy, with liberal doses of irony and ecstasy.
Track Listing with Notes From Leo.....
Side One
All songs written and composed by Leo Kottke, except where noted.
No. Title Length
1. "The Driving of the Year Nail" (From an old Etruscan drawing of a sperm cell) 1:54
2. "The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds" (A terror-filled escape on a bus from a man fired from Beaumont ranch) 3:18
3. "Ojo" (Ojo Caliente where Zuni hid from Esteban, the Moor, and the Spaniards) 2:14
4. "Crow River Waltz" (A prayer for the demise of the canoe and the radar trap without which Federal prisons will have to be rebuilt to accommodate prepubescence) 3:20
5. "The Sailor's Grave on the Prairie" (Originally written to commemorate Nedicks and a Minneapolis musician's contempt for the three a.m. cheeseburger with a nickel slice of raw) 2:34
6. "Vaseline Machine Gun" (1) for waking up nude in a sleeping bag on the shore of the Atlantic surrounded by a volleyball game at high noon, and 2) for the end of the volleyball game) 3:11
7. "Jack Fig" (A reluctant lament) 2:14
Side Two
No. Title Length
1. "Watermelon" (While at Watermelon Park Music Festival I had the opportunity to play banjo in the middle of the night for a wandering drunk. When I finished he vomited — an astute comment on my playing. Made me feel very distinguished) 3:12
2. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (J.S. Bach The engineer called this the ancient joy of man's desire. (Bach had twenty children because his organ didn't have any stops)) 2:24
3. "The Fisherman" (This is about the mad fishermen of the North whose ice fishing spots resemble national shrines) 2:32
4. "The Tennessee Toad" (Who made an epic journey from Ohio to Tennessee) 2:40
5. "Busted Bicycle" (Reluctance) 2:48
6. "The Brain of the Purple Mountain" (From A.L. Tennyson) 2:11
7. "Coolidge Rising" (While rising from the sink, cupboard doors opened and engulfed his head; while turning to the right to avoid the whole incident he walked into a refrigerator — which afforded a good chin rest for staring at some bananas in a basket)
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Slowhand -- CD
Eric Clapton
1977/1996 Polydor Records
Amazon.com essential recording
Clapton had already established himself as a guitar legend by the time he released Slowhand. His heroin habit long behind him, Clapton's songwriting mastery was fully evident on the album, particularly in the stunning ballad "Wonderful Tonight." It fully actualized all of the potential hinted at in his earlier "Promises," and Clapton trusted himself enough to slow things down. Some of his most expressive guitar work can be found throughout this album, not just within "Wonderful." Ironically enough, Slowhand is probably best known for the hit "Cocaine." Built upon a simple repeated riff, the song had Clapton's trademark smooth voice with its wear around the edges, and yet another stellar guitar solo. Flashy runs and licks were never the most integral part of Clapton's catalog, his blues background being the primary source for his sound. Slowhand, with its phrasings, both guitar and vocal, established Clapton as the possessor of one of the most extensive vocabularies in rock. --Steve Gdula
Side one
"Cocaine" (J.J. Cale) – 3:41
"Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 3:44
"Lay Down Sally" (Clapton, Marcy Levy, George Terry) – 3:56
"Next Time You See Her" (Clapton) – 4:01
"We're All The Way" (Don Williams) – 2:32
Side two
"The Core" (Clapton/Levy) – 8:45
"May You Never" (John Martyn) – 3:01
"Mean Old Frisco" (Arthur Crudup) – 4:42
"Peaches and Diesel" (Clapton, Albhy Galuten) – 4:46
That was the very first SACD I bought, when it came out! It was the first disk I played on my spankin' new Oppo -83, four years ago. And the first disk I realized that hard panning (hi conga in that speaker, low conga in this one) isn't the best use of Surround Sound. :shhh:Dennie said:
Out of Sight -- SACD
Poncho Sanchez
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Written In The Stars -- CD
Bill Charlap Trio
2000 Blue Note Records
It would be easy--too easy, in fact--to compare pianist Bill Charlap to the great Bill Evans. Easy because Charlap has the same kind of knack for spacious lyricism and impressionistic chordal harmonies that characterize the late jazz icon, and his interplay on Written in the Stars with his amazing rhythm team of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington recalls Evans's telepathic improvisation with Paul Motian and Scot LaFaro. Charlap treats the classic American songbook the way few young pianists treat it. Charlap, 33 years old as Stars comes to market, plays classics like "In the Still of the Night," "On a Slow Boat to China," and "Blue Skies" with such deep affinity that it's hard to believe he wasn't sitting right there when these tunes were written. His take on "Blue Skies" starts with a gorgeous rubato version of the tune's seldom-heard verse, weaves contrapuntal harmonies over the tune's chorus, and features some dazzling interplay between Charlap and bassist Washington--a recurring phenomenon, as the trio's members show remarkable empathy with each other on every track. In an age with no shortage of promising young pianists, Blue Note must have felt there was something special about Bill Charlap. One listen to Written in the Stars assures us that they made the right call. --Ezra Gale
Track Listing
1. In the Still of the Night
2. Dream
3. Man That Got Away, The
4. Blue Skies
5. Where Have You Been?
6. Where or When
7. On a Slow Boat to China
8. One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
9. I'll Never Go There Anymore
10. Lorelei
11. It Was Written in the Stars
Bill Charlap Trio: Bill Charlap (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums).Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York, New York in March 2000. Includes liner notes by Joel Moss.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Botch said:That was the very first SACD I bought, when it came out! It was the first disk I played on my spankin' new Oppo -83, four years ago. And the first disk I realized that hard panning (hi conga in that speaker, low conga in this one) isn't the best use of Surround Sound. :shhh:Dennie said:
Out of Sight -- SACD
Poncho Sanchez
Nice! I'm glad I listen to SACD in 2 Channel, I never have the "hard panning" issue in the surround speakers. :eusa-whistle:
A fun disc to be sure. I don't know which was my first SACD, now I'll be thinking about that all day. :think:
Dennie :music-listening:
Dennie
Well-Known Member
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman -- Remastered CD
1963/1995 Impulse/GRP Records
From his formative days with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, through the expansive revelations of his Prestige, Atlantic and Impulse! recordings, John Coltrane revealed many facets of beauty--some full of turbulence, others bathed in serenity. JOHN COLTRANE AND JOHNNY HARTMAN is probably the saxophonist's most graceful, accessible recording in a discography awash in spiritual radiance.When this album was recorded in March of 1963, Coltrane was completing a series of recordings designed to highlight his lyric strengths and the subtle accompaniment skills of his quartet. When the concept of singer was raised, Coltrane reached out to Hartman because the saxophonist considered the crooner's soothing, elegant baritone to be a musical parallel to his own singing sound.The spiritual aura and artistic empathy they achieve on JOHN COLTRANE AND JOHNNY HARTMAN is simply transcendent. Their version of "My One And Only Love" is among the most mesmerizing performances in the history of jazz, as Coltrane's majestic tenor and Garrison's syncopated bass anticipate Hartman's entrance, with his luminous timbre, poetic articulation and hear-a-pin-drop phrasing. Hartman and Tyner turn the opening verse of Strayhorn's "Lush Life" into a theatrical event, setting a bittersweet tone for the ambivalence of the main theme, while their interplay on "You Are Too Beautiful" is tenderness personified. And when the saxophonist finally sidesteps the melody to vigorously expand upon the harmonic and rhythmic implications of the changes to "Autumn Serenade," one realizes that for John Coltrane, beauty was the sum total of his very existence.
Track Listing
1. They Say It's Wonderful
2. Dedicated To You
3. My One And Only
4. Lush Life
5. You Are Too Beautiful
6. Autumn Serenade
.Personnel: John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); Johnny Hartman (vocals); McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); Elvin Jones (drums).Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 7, 1963.