What Are You Listening To?
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Dennie
Well-Known Member
Stardust - The Music of Hoagy Carmichael -- SACD
Bill Charlap
2002/2003 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
Zaz -- CD
Zaz
2010 Play On Music (Import France)
The self-titled album debut of Zaz is one of the more exciting French revelations of 2010, boasting a refreshingly unique gypsy jazz style as well as plenty of contemporary pop appeal. Thirty years old at the time of her solo album debut, Zaz is a seasoned vocalist with years of experience as a performer, and her vocals are indeed a wonder to behold. She's a talented jazz vocalist, for sure, and her resemblance to Edith Piaf is striking. In addition to her singing, Zaz is a gifted songwriter credited with either writing or co-writing six of the 11 songs on her debut album. French pop star Rapha‰l is credited with writing three of the remaining songs, "La F‚e," "Port Coton," and "blouie par la Nuit," and Kerredine Soltani is credited with writing the standout lead single, "Je Veux." Moreover, Rapha‰l is credited with producing four songs on the album: the three that he wrote, plus "Trop Sensible." Alban Sautour, Germain Guyot, and Soltani are also credited with production, and their work is commendable. The gypsy jazz style of the album is tastefully produced, never sounding retro or clich‚d and, more importantly, never taking anything away from Zaz herself. Moreover, the contributions of four different producers makes for a diverse sound, with the Rapha‰l songs in particular standing out from the others. Clocking in at 11 songs in 39 minutes, Zaz doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves you craving more after the awe-inspiring closing track by Rapha‰l, "blouie par la Nuit." Impressive from all standpoints, Zaz is a strong contender for French pop revelation of the year. ~ Jason Birchmeier
Track Listing
1. Les Passants
2. Je Veux
3. Le Long De La Route
4. La Fee
5. Trop Sensible
6. Prends Garde A Ta Langue
7. Ni Oui Ni Non
8. Port Coton
9. J'aime A Nouveau
10. Dans Ma Rue
11. blouie Par La Nuit
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Breakfast In America -- CD
Supertramp
1984/1990 A&M Records
Amazon.com
After a shaky start followed by several critically acclaimed releases, the English group Supertramp hit the commercial jackpot in 1979 with Breakfast in America. The album combined the band's FM radio, AOR-rock style with an almost carnival-like nature. Breakfast gave the band major hits with "The Logical Song," "Goodbye Stranger," and "Take the Long Way Home." The plinking piano and dramatic clarinet runs of "The Logical Song" imparted a comic, yet bittersweet tone to the release as a whole. In another example of the band's devotion to alternative ways to carry their melody lines, "Goodbye Stranger" rings with some of the purest whistling ever recorded. There's also a healthy dose of cynicism running through the 10 tracks with "Just Another Nervous Wreck." --Steve Gdula
Side one
No. Title Lead vocals Length
1. "Gone Hollywood" Davies 5:20
2. "The Logical Song" Hodgson 4:10
3. "Goodbye Stranger" Davies 5:50
4. "Breakfast in America" Hodgson 2:38
5. "Oh Darling" Davies 3:58
Side two
No. Title Lead vocals Length
1. "Take the Long Way Home" Hodgson 5:08
2. "Lord Is It Mine" Hodgson 4:09
3. "Just Another Nervous Wreck" Davies 4:26
4. "Casual Conversations" Davies 2:58
5. "Child of Vision" Hodgson, Davies and Helliwell 7:25
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Running On Empty -- CD
Jackson Browne
1977/1990 Asylum/Elektra Records
Amazon.com
Recorded onstage, backstage, in three different hotel rooms, and on a Continental Silver Eagle tour bus during a cross-country 1977 tour, Running on Empty is a paean to life on the road. Jackson Browne's sense of camaraderie extended to the road crew, if "The Load Out," a love song to his roadies, is to be believed. Browne is much more blithe here than in his earlier outings. But Empty also represents a fleeting lighthearted moment for the singer-cum-poet whose concerns became more political than personal after its appearance. Beneath its flippant surface, this disc is a look at the lengths Browne and his friends went to avoid facing the demands of the touring life. What with the frequent drug references, misogynistic references to on-the-fly pairings with women, and the sobering line in the title track--"I look around for the friends I used to pull me through / Looking into their eyes, I see them running, too"--one realizes that Browne was much more comfortable on the road than off. --Jaan Uhelszki
"Running on Empty" (Browne) – 5:20
Recorded live (8/27/77), Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
"The Road" (Danny O'Keefe) – 4:50
Recorded in room 301 (8/27/77), Cross Keys Inn, Baltimore, MD (first — 2:58) and live (9/7/77), Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
"Rosie" (Browne, Donald Miller) – 3:37
Recorded backstage (9/1/77) "in the big rehearsal room," Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
Doug Haywood and tour photographer Joel Bernstein sing harmony.
"You Love the Thunder" (Browne) – 3:52
Recorded live (9/6/77), Holmdel, NJ
"Cocaine" (Browne, Reverend Gary Davis, Glenn Frey) – 4:55
Recorded in room 124 (8/17/77), Holiday Inn, Edwardsville, IL
"Shaky Town" (Danny Kortchmar) – 3:36
Recorded in room 124 (8/18/77), Holiday Inn, Edwardsville, IL
Danny Kortchmar sings harmony.
"Love Needs a Heart" (Browne, Valerie Carter, Lowell George) – 3:28
Recorded live (9/17/77), Universal City, CA
"Nothing but Time" (Browne, Howard Burke) – 3:05
Recorded "on a bus (a Continental Silver Eagle) somewhere in New Jersey" (9/8/77)
Russ Kunkel is credited as playing "snare, hi-hat, and cardboard box with foot pedal." The song was recorded aboard the band's Continental Silver Eagle tour bus (hence the lyrical reference to "Silver Eagle") while en route from Portland, Maine to their next gig in New Jersey. The bus's engine is audible in the background throughout, and its downshift and acceleration can be plainly heard during the bridge.
"The Load-Out" (Browne, Bryan Garofalo) – 5:38
Recorded live (8/27/77), Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
"Stay" (Maurice Williams) – 3:28
Recorded live (8/27/77), Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
Dennie
Well-Known Member
The Very Best of... -- Remastered CD
Artie Shaw
2001 RCA Victor Records
This RCA Victor compilation features some of Shaw's finest work spanning the years 1938-1945. As such, it's an interesting document in the history of World War II America. All 18 tracks are meticulously annotated, and Loren Schoenberg's biographical essay is a gem -- well-written, insightful, and free of banality and clich. As for the music, it's classic swing, with performances by Billie Holiday, Buddy Rich, Roy Eldridge, and many more. The sound is top-notch by reissue standards. Shaw's masterful clarinet is a powerful presence, but there's also the writing and arranging to consider: Gershwin's "Summertime," Thomas Griselle's "Nocturne," Shaw's "Concerto for Clarinet," and Eddie Sauter's "The Maid With the Flaccid Air" take some pretty innovative turns, balancing out more pop-oriented fare like "Begin the Beguine" and "Deep Purple." (The latter would become a theme song of sorts for Marie Osmond some 35 years later.) The inclusion of three barnstorming radio broadcasts from 1939, "Everything Is Jumpin'," "My Blue Heaven," and "Diga Diga Doo," make the package all the more valuable. For a concise yet thorough introduction to Shaw's intelligent brand of swing, one couldn't ask for better. ~ David R. Adler
Track Listing
1. Any Old Time - (featuring Billie Holiday)
2. Rosalie
3. Deep Purple - (featuring Helen Forrest)
4. Everything Is Jumpin'
5. Summertime
6. Stardust
7. Chantez-les Bas
8. My Blue Heaven
9. Two in One Blues
10. Nocturne
11. 'S Wonderful
12. Concerto For Clarinet Pt. 2 / Concerto For Clarinet Pt. 1
13. Begin the Beguine
14. I Cover the Waterfront
15. To a Broadway Rose
16. Nightmare
17. The Maid With the Flacid Air
18. Diga Diga Doo
Personnel includes: Artie Shaw (clarinet); Tony Pastor (vocals, tenor saxophone); Billie Holiday, Helen Forrest (vocals); Les Robinson, Hank Freeman, Neely Plumb (alto saxophone); George Auld, Herbie Steward (tenor saxophone); Chuck Gentry (baritone saxophone); Chuck Peterson, John Best, Claude Bowen, Bernie Privin, Harry Geller, Roy Eldridge, Billy Butterfield, Hot Lips Page, Bernie Glow, George Wendt, Johnny Cathcat (trumpet); Ray Conniff, George Arus, Ted Vesely, Harry Rodgers (trombone); Les Burness, Bob Kitsis, Dodo Marmarosa, Johnny Guarnieri (piano); Al Avola, Barney Kessel, Dave Barbour, Al Hendickson (guitar); Sid Weiss, Morris Rayman (bass); Buddy Rich, Cliff Leeman, Dave Tough, Lou Fromm, Nick Fatool (drums).Recorded in New York, New York and Hollywood, California between 1938 and1945. Includes liner notes by Loren Schoenberg.Digitally remastered by Dennis Ferrante.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Breaking Silence -- Remastered 24K Gold CD
Janis Ian
1992 Morgan Creek/Analogue Productions
Breaking Silence finds Janis Ian's voice in its purest, most vital form ever! The tracks were recorded as live as possible without sounding retro. The 1992 all-analogue recording, praised as much for the artist's too infrequently heard talents as for its recorded dynamics, is now available on an equally meticulous transfer to gold-plated CD.
Both the Gold CD and audiophile LP versions reflect what the two top bibles of high-end audio decree as an impeccable production that has come to be regarded as a high-fidelity reference. Matched with Ian's very personal songs, delivered in a voice that draws you in close in confidence, Breaking Silence is one of the very few recordings of recent years that by reproducing a pure analogue sound, has attained true audiophile status.
This Gold CD has been remastered using the 20+16 Ultra Matrix Processing. This mastering technique that enables more information to be extracted from the analog tapes to be encoded and transferred to the CD master. Essentially it is a means of folding down 20 bits of digital information into the 16 bit CD medium using Sheffield's own 20 bit analog to digital converter and an Apogee UV22 processor. This combination creates the truest and most accurate CD master from the original analog recording, and is the finest analog-to-digital transfer process currently available.
Track Listing
1. All Roads to the River
2. Ride Me Like a Wave
3. Tattoo
4. Guess You Had to Be There
5. What About the Love?
6. His Hands
7. Walking on Sacred Ground
8. This Train Still Runs
9. Through the Years
10. This House
11. Some People's Lives - (live)
12. Breaking Silence
Personnel: Janis Ian (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Dan Huff (electric guitar), Jim Hoke (harmonica), Chad Watson (bass, slide bass), Jim Brock (drums, percussion).Recorded at Nightingale Studio, Schnee Studio, Omni Studio and Quad Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.All songs written or co-written by Janis Ian.
Babs
Queen "B"
Babs said:
Roman Angelo!!!!! Who, BTW, has finished eight songs on his 'Entry Level' CD!!!!
:banana-dance: :bow-blue: :handgestures-thumbup::banana-rock:
Yes...another listen! I am so very proud of what my husband has accomplished with his CD endeavor.
Stay tuned peeps...stay tuned!!! :music-rockout:
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Late For The Sky -- CD
Jackson Brown
1974/1990 Elektra Records
Amazon.com
His third album, and arguably his finest, Late for the Sky continues Browne's sincere self-analysis into positively grim territory. The title track concerns the lingering effects of a dead relationship and was featured in Martin Scorcese's film Taxi Driver. While "For a Dancer" confronts death head-on, "Farther On" explains the difficulties faced by us dorks who live life through books, films, or music; and "Before the Deluge" forecasts environmental gloom and doom. Guitarist David Lindley adds terrific counterpoint to Browne's musing, supporting the tracks with tasteful slide and fiddle work. --Rob O'Connor
All songs by Jackson Browne
"Late for the Sky" – 5:36
"Fountain of Sorrow" – 6:42
"Farther On" – 5:17
"The Late Show" – 5:09
"The Road and the Sky" – 3:04
"For a Dancer" – 4:42
"Walking Slow" – 3:50
"Before the Deluge" – 6:18
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Flying Cowboys -- 24 Gold CD #2416
Rickie Lee Jones
1989/2010 Audio Fidelity
Rickie Lee Jones Flying Cowboys on Numbered Limited Edition Gold CD from Audio Fidelity
Mastered by Legendary Engineer Steve Hoffman
Mystical, Bohemian: Rickie Lee Jones Pairs With Steely Dan's Walter Becker on Scintillating 1989 Set
A supremely talented songwriter with a creative knack for telling musical tales using vivid characters and lush musical arrangements, Rickie Lee Jones ups the ante on Flying Cowboys, which shares much of the playful, childlike charm of her eponymous debut via a wealth of themes and musical styles.
Originally released in 1989, the album, Jones' first in five years, maintains her reputation for singer-songwriter excellence. The set is distinguished by the fine production of Steely Dan's Walter Becker, and features backing from Scottish trio the Blue Nite, as well as some of the best studio musicians in the world. The album includes a stirring cover of Gerry and the Pacemakers' "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" and the indelible hit "Satellites." The sheer musicality of the vocals and harmonies couples with the poetic, deep lyrics and yields a truly incredible work of art.
Audio Fidelity's 24K + Gold compact discs reproduce the ultimate sound of a classic recorded performances without the irregular plated surfaces of standard aluminum discs. Their 24K + Gold series brings you classic music in deluxe packaging with see-through slip cases. They only use the original vintage mixes played back on a specially constructed playback deck.
Here's where the Plus comes in: engineers Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray use their 30 years of expertise to create the best sounding versions of the music ever released. When they are satisfied with the end result, the final digital master is shipped directly to the manufacturing plant for etching in "real time" onto the glass surface by laser.
The end result of this unique mastering process is a compact disc with the warm sound of the original analog master tape combined with a genuine 24 karat gold surface free of any type of physical defect making their 24K Gold CD series truly one of a kind!
Rickie Lee Jones Flying Cowboys Track Listing:
1. The Horses
2. Just My Baby
3. Getto Of My Mind
4. Rodeo Girl
5. Satellites
6. Ghost Train
7. Flying Cowboys
8. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
9. Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive
10. Away From The Sky
11. Atlas' Marker
Dennie
Well-Known Member
The "Interplay" Sessions -- Remastered CD
Bill Evans with Freddy Hubbard and Zoot Sims
1982/2007 Milestone Records
INTERPLAY is not your typical Bill Evans record. Usually, the pianist preferred to record in a trio setting, exploring the quiet intimacy that it allowed. This is a rare quintet session featuring a line up of all-stars from the hard-bop era that emphasized faster tempos and a more robust approach. With Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Jim Hall (guitar), Percy Heath (bass) and the fiery Philly Joe Jones (drums), Evans shows a brighter, more spirited execution in his playing than usual.On the jumping opener "You And The Night And The Music" Evans is in exceptional form as he nimbly executes very bop-ish right hand lines that weave and swirl through the changes. Hubbard, Hall and Evans all take stunning solo turns on the energized "I'll Never Smile Again," which appears here in two versions. That classic Evans touch is fully realized, though, with a beautiful arrangement of "When You Wish Upon A Star" and the bluesy title track. The Evans/Heath/Jones rhythm section drives hard through the swinging "You Go To My Head," followed by the delightful romp of "Wrap You Troubles In Dreams" to tie the knot on a stellar session.
Track Listing
1. You and the Night and the Music
2. When You Wish Upon a Star
3. I'll Never Smile Again
4. Interplay
5. You Go to My Head
6. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
7. Loose Bloose
8. Time Remembered
9. Funkallero
10. My Bells
11. There Came You
12. Fudgesickle Built for Four
13. Fun Ride
Bill Evans Quintet: Bill Evans (piano); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Jim Hall (guitar); Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studio, New York, New York on July 16, 1962. Originally released on Riverside (9445). Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg.Digitally remastered by David Luke (1987, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).Bill Evans Quintet: Bill Evans (piano); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Jim Hall (guitar); Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studio, New York, New York on July 16, 1962. Originally released on Riverside (9445). Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg.Digitally remastered by Steve Hoffman.Bill Evans Quintet: Bill Evans (piano); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Jim Hall (guitar); Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studio, New York, New York on July 16, 1962. Originally released on Riverside (9445). Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg.Digitally remastered by JVC using XRCD (Extended Resolution Compact Disc) technology.Personnel: Bill Evans (piano); Zoot Sims & His Five Brothers, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bill Evans (piano); Percy Heath, Ron Carter (bass guitar); Jim Hall (guitar); Philly Joe Jones (drums).Additional personnel: Freddie Hubbard, Zoot Sims.Audio Remasterer: Joe Tarantino.Recording information: New York, NY (07/16/1962-08/22/1962); Nola Penthouse Sound Studios, New York, NY (07/16/1962-08/22/1962).Editor: Ed Michel.
